The blues genre can be traced back to the African-American communities of the southern United States in the late 19th century. It emerged as a fusion of various musical traditions, including African work songs, spirituals, and field hollers.
African slaves brought their musical heritage with them when they arrived in America. They used music to express their sorrow, pain, and hopes for freedom.
After slavery was abolished, many African-American musicians began performing their music in public. The blues spread throughout the southern states and eventually became popular across the United States and around the world.
How become music?
- African American sharecroppers adapted European folk forms with their own musical heritage.
- As they sang this songs for entertainment, the sharecroppers often used a "blue note," which creates a melancholy sound between the third and fourth, seventh and eighth notes of a scale.
- The blues, often played on guitar or harmonica, usually consists of a three-line stanza in AAB form, with a repetitive musical pattern.