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What is the difference between blues and rhythm blues?

Blues and rhythm and blues are two genres of music that are related but have distinct characteristics.

Blues

Blues is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of the Southern United States in the late 19th century. It is characterized by its use of the blues scale, which is a six-note scale with flattened third, seventh and fifth notes. Blues lyrics often deal with themes of hardship, poverty, and unrequited love.

Rhythm and Blues

Rhythm and blues (R&B) is a music genre that emerged in the 1940s as a fusion of blues, jazz, gospel, and pop. R&B is characterized by its strong emphasis on rhythm and beat, and its use of electric guitars, drums, bass, and keyboards. R&B lyrics often deal with themes of love, romance, and social issues.

Key differences

The key differences between blues and R&B are:

* Instrumentation: Blues is typically played with acoustic guitars, whereas R&B is more likely to feature electric guitars, drums, bass, and keyboards.

* Tempo: Blues is typically slower than R&B, with a more laid-back feel.

* Structure: Blues songs are typically based on a 12-bar blues progression, whereas R&B songs can have a variety of different structures.

* Lyrics: Blues lyrics often deal with themes of hardship, poverty, and unrequited love, whereas R&B lyrics are more likely to focus on themes of love, romance, and social issues.

Overall, blues is a more traditional and acoustic-based genre of music, while R&B is a more modern and electrified genre.

Music Genres

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