I Got The Blues...
I Got The Blues... |
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"Music is an outburst of the soul." -Frederick Deluis Early blues music closely resembled the format used by English ballads. It consisted of 8, 10 or 16 bars. Blues lyrics now are more harmonious and therefore consist of 8, 12 or 16 bars. 12 bars is the most common form used. Early blues music also had irregular rhythm because it followed speech patterns. The lyrics follow a roman numeral format which goes as follows: I,I,I,I,IV,IV,I,I,V,V,I,I. Each one of these roman numerals represents a chord that has a certain tone. Many blues fanatics believe that if this pattern is not followed perfectly, then it is not considered blues music. For example, with the influence of rock and roll, the tenth chord was changed to IV. These alterations are "not acceptable" to the fanatics. The most common melodies for blues music have the elements of a steady beat and a three-verse rhymed stanza that is typically 12 bars, but can go up to 16. Because this genre of music is considered flexible, the singer can sing the same melody over and over for each stanza or he can change the melody with the reflection of his mood. The meter of the music is usually written in iambic pentameter. The first line of the lyrics is generally repeated in order to give the composer a long enough time to come up with his third line. The structure is typically many three-line versus. The Blues has an Afro-American origin, but follows the Western tonal chords. Two of the distinct characterics of Blues music are the notes and tonalities associated with the music. Blues lyrics are said to be revealing. What is meant by that is that composers include personal information about themselves and their feelings in their lyrics. The mood of the composer is apparent by what they are singing about. The lyrics often refer to sexual behaviors and deal with painful situations such as losing a job, being broke or hungry, and lonely. |