Knowra Blues Blues The blues is an African American musical tradition shaped by expressive vocal styles, recurring rhythmic and melodic patterns, and song forms such as the twelve-bar blues.
Blue note : A pitch bent or lowered relative to a major scale, especially the third, fifth, or seventh degree. Blue notes give blues melodies their characteristic tension between major and minor sound.
African American folk music : Music created and sustained within African American communities, encompassing work songs, spirituals, dance music, and other traditions. Blues grew from a wider field of African American musical practices.
W. C. Handy : An African American composer and bandleader who helped popularize blues through published songs and performances. His commercial arrangements helped bring blues forms to broad audiences.
Jazz : A musical tradition originating in African American communities, characterized by improvisation, swing, and interaction among performers. Jazz musicians have long adapted blues forms and melodic language.
Country blues : A broad term for rural blues styles, often performed by a singer accompanying themself on guitar or another instrument. Its solo and small-group settings contrast with urban electric blues bands.
Twelve-bar blues : A repeating twelve-measure harmonic pattern, commonly built from the tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords. This recurring form organizes countless blues songs and improvisations.
Field holler : A solo vocal expression used by workers in fields, often marked by flexible pitch and rhythm. Field hollers offer a close parallel to blues vocal phrasing and expressive delivery.
Ma Rainey : An American blues singer whose touring and recordings helped establish classic blues in the 1920s. Her performances connected blues expression with vaudeville and recorded popular music.
Rhythm and blues : A popular music genre rooted in African American musical traditions, combining blues, gospel, and other styles. Rhythm and blues developed partly from blues performance and song practices.
Chicago blues : An urban electric blues style associated with Chicago, featuring amplified instruments and ensemble performance. Its amplified band format contrasts with many acoustic country blues performances.
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