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  2. www.americanbluesdenim.comAmerican Blues - Denim Boutique

    Discover the latest denim trends & must have styles we love. Daily new arrivals and restocks. Shop the largest boutique denim collection online with fast and free shipping. Judy Blue Jeans, KanCan, Flying Monkey, VERVET, Just USA, Cello & More!

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  4. www.britannica.com › art › blues-musicBlues | Definition, Artists, History, Characteristics, Types ...

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    The blues is a form of secular folk music created by African Americans in the early 20th century, originally in the South. Although instrumental accompaniment is almost universal in the blues, the blues is essentially a vocal form. Blues songs are usually lyrical rather than narrative because the expression of feelings is foremost.

    Where did the blues get its name?

    In the 19th century the English phrase blue devils referred to the upsetting hallucinations brought on by severe alcohol withdrawal. This was later shortened to the blues, which described states of depression and upset, and it was later adopted as the name for the melancholic songs that the musical genre encapsulates.

    How did the blues begin as a musical genre?

    The origins of the blues are poorly documented, but it is believed that after the American Civil War (1861–65), formerly enslaved African Americans and their descendants created this genre while working on Southern plantations, taking inspiration from hymns, minstrel show music, work songs and field hollers, ragtime, and popular music of the Southern white population.

    Why is the blues considered the “Devil’s music”?

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    Although instrumental accompaniment is almost universal in the blues, the blues is essentially a vocal form. Blues songs are lyrical rather than narrative; blues singers are expressing feelings rather than telling stories. The emotion expressed is generally one of sadness or melancholy, often due to problems of love but also oppression and hard times. To express this musically, blues performers use vocal techniques such as melisma (sustaining a single syllable across several pitches), rhythmic techniques such as syncopation, and instrumental techniques such as “choking” or bending guitar strings on the neck or applying a metal slide or bottleneck to the guitar strings to create a whining voicelike sound.

    As a musical style, the blues is characterized by expressive “microtonal” pitch inflections (blue notes), a three-line textual stanza of the form AAB, and a 12-measure form. Typically the first two and a half measures of each line are devoted to singing, the last measure and a half consisting of an instrumental “break” that repeats, answers, or complements the vocal line. In terms of functional (i.e., traditional European) harmony, the simplest blues harmonic progression is described as follows (I, IV, and V refer respectively to the first or tonic, fourth or subdominant, and fifth or dominant notes of the scale):

    Phrase 1 (measures 1–4) I–I–I–I

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    Phrase 2 (measures 5–8) IV–IV–I–I

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    Learn about the origins, characteristics, and influences of blues music, a secular folk genre created by African Americans in the early 20th century. Explore the blues regions, styles, and notable musicians, such as W.C. Handy, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Bessie Smith.

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  5. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › BluesBlues - Wikipedia

    t. e. Blues is a music genre [3] and musical form that originated amongst African-Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. [2] Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the African-American culture.

  6. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Origins_of_the_bluesOrigins of the blues - Wikipedia

    There are few characteristics common to all blues, as the genre takes its shape from the distinctive attributes of each individual performance. [5] Some characteristics, however, were present prior to the creation of the modern blues, and are common to most styles of African American music.

  7. www.britannica.com › art › blues-musicBlues - African American, Delta, Jazz | Britannica

    Blues developed in the southern United States after the American Civil War (1861–65). It was influenced by work songs and field hollers, minstrel show music , ragtime , church music , and the folk and popular music of the white population.

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  9. www.thecollector.com › what-is-the-history-of-theWhat Is the History of the Blues? - TheCollector

    Mar 3, 2024 · The history of the blues is a story about American slavery, resistance, overcoming, and the birth of Western popular music. Mar 3, 2024 • By Scott Mclaughlan, PhD Sociology. The catastrophic legacy of American Slavery gave rise to the blues, a musical style born in the African-American communities of the southern United States.

  10. music.si.edu › spotlight › blues-musicThe Blues | Smithsonian Music

    Explore the history and diversity of the Blues, one of the most influential styles of American music, with playlists, collection items and images. Discover the legends and innovators of the Blues, from Bessie Smith to B.B. King, from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters.

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    • Beginner's guide to blues music: Everything you need to know and more
    • American Blues | Releases | Discogs
    • American Blues Brilliance - mp3 buy, full tracklist
    • American Blues Essentials - Compilation by Various Artists | Spotify

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