Introduction to Blues Styles

Blues is an indigenous American music that emerged in the late 19th century, flourished and developed in the 20th century, and laid the foundations for modern-day R&B and rock ’n’ roll styles. The blues also has strong connections to other music styles, notably gospel, country, and jazz. Many blues singers got their vocal training in church, and some early blues artists performed both blues and gospel tunes. The heartfelt emotions in traditional country lyrics form a strong link to the blues, and more contemporary country music connects to the blues through its similarities to rock ’n’ roll styles. Jazz and blues have always been intertwined to varying degrees, and the term jazz-blues is used to describe music which significantly combines these elements (for example, taking a blues tune with a 12-bar form and interpreting it with jazz rhythms and harmonies).

As blues developed in the 20th century, a number of regional blues styles emerged. The best known is probably Chicago blues, personified by the Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf bands of the late ’40s and early ’50s. This style amplified the blues and created the now-classic small-band lineup of guitar, piano, bass, drums, harmonica, and saxophone. Noted Chicago blues pianists include Otis Spann (a pivotal member of Muddy Waters’ band), Lafayette Leake, and Memphis Slim. Another very important regional style is New Orleans blues, which is a melting pot for different influences: African and Caribbean rhythms, variations on the 12-bar blues form, and a “laid-back” yet danceable feel. Noted New Orleans pianists include Fats Domino (who spanned the period from New Orleans blues and R&B to rock ’n’ roll), Professor Longhair, Huey ‘Piano’ Smith, Allen Toussaint, and Dr. John. Other regional blues styles include St. Louis, Kansas City, Texas, and the West Coast.

First, we’ll check out a classic jazz-blues tune, “C-Jam Blues” by Duke Ellington. This is a good example of a blues from the “Swing/Big Band era” of the 1930s and ’40s. Swing bands from this period would often play 12-bar blues tunes, but in a jazz swing style. In the first 12-bar chorus, the two hands are often playing the same rhythms, giving a syncopated effect to the voicings. In the second chorus, the left hand is playing a “walking bass line” under the right-hand syncopated chords. These are all typical jazz-blues devices.

Seven Great Blues "Crossover" Licks You Should Know...

A crossover or resolving lick is a descending right-hand phrase (normally an arpeggio) which requires the fingers of the right hand to cross over the thumb, on the way to the lower notes in the phrase. Resolving refers to the fact that these licks normally end with a half-step resolution into the 3rd of the chord. All of the following examples work over a C7 chord.

Learn these in as many keys as possible, and drop them into your favorite blues song. It'll make your audience pay attention!

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Our next song is written in the style of Memphis Slim, an important Chicago blues pianist. Notice the classic “Chicago blues” left-hand pattern, moving from the ♭ 3rd to the major 3rd of the chord during beat 2 of each measure. The tune also has a 4-bar intro before the first 12-bar chorus begins. The right-hand part has a lot of rhythmic syncopations (i.e., in the first 12-bar chorus), and so it will help to get the left hand as much on “auto-pilot” as possible! Starting in the second chorus, the right hand uses a lot of blues scale intervals and phrases. Also see if you can spot some of the crossover licks we just saw in the last sidebar!

Listen to track 56 (slow tempo) and track 57 (full speed) to hear “Every Night I Have the Blues.” This tune is recorded with a rhythm section on the left channel, and the piano part on the right channel; so, to jam along with the band, just turn down the right channel!

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Our last tune in this chapter is a “bop blues” in the style of jazz piano icon Thelonious Monk. Jazz musicians from the bebop era often played blues tunes, adding more sophisticated chords and embellishments. There are a lot of half-step melodic movements and “neighbor tones” in the right-hand part, again typical of bebop styles. Also notice the 7–3 voicings (using sevenths and thirds of the chords) that we saw at the end of Chapter 15. In the solo choruses, the left hand is using syncopated “root–7th” and “root–3rd” intervals on the chords as a rhythmic counterpoint to the solo phrases. This rather “stark” playing style is typical of Thelonious Monk.

Listen to track 58 (slow tempo) and track 59 (full speed) to hear “Blue Bop.” This tune is recorded with a rhythm section on the left channel, and the piano part on the right channel; so, to jam along with the band, just turn down the right channel!

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