Why do blues songs repeat lines?
Nearly all blues music is played to a 4/4 time signature, which means that there are four beats in every measure or bar and each quarter note is equal to one beat. In a 12-bar blues, the first and second lines are repeated, and the third line is a response to them—often with a twist.
How does blues music tell a story?
Blues songs are lyrical rather than narrative; blues singers are expressing feelings rather than telling stories. The emotion expressed is generally one of sadness or melancholy, often due to problems of love but also oppression and hard times.
What is the text form of a traditional blues?
The most common musical form of blues is the 12-bar blues. A 12-bar blues is divided into three four-bar segments. A standard blues progression, or sequence of notes, typically features three chords based on the first (written as I), fourth (IV), and fifth (V) notes of an eight-note scale.
How do you end a blues song?
Normally,blues turnarounds end with the V chord or a lick based on the V chord before repeating the progression. Blues endings replace the V chord with the I chord, as you’ll see below. If you want, you can replace the last measure with one based on the V chord to create a similar turnaround.
How has blues influenced music today?
Tracing its percussion and beat patterns from traditional African drum sounds, Blues’ rhythm is a unique blend of pacing and swagger. Hip-Hop borrows a lot from old Blues music, from guitar riffs to samples to drum beats, but more than anything, Blue’s swagger and tone are always present in hip-hop productions.
What is the purpose of blues music?
Blues music thus originated as a non-verbal language, as a necessity to express feelings of pain and grief, and in this way as a tool of (passive) resistance. It became an instrument of cultural affirmation among African- Americans, and more importantly, specifically made for African-Americans (Salaam 1995).
How do blues singers compose their music?
How do blues singers “compose” their songs? Blues singers “compose” their songs by using both memorization and improv. Form is typically AAB twelve bar phrase.
What is the most common form for writing 12-bar blues songs?
I think the most common one is the AAB form where you write a lyrics line thatbis song over the first 4 bars of the 12 bar blues, this line is then repeated over the next 4 bars of music. The last lyrics line is sung over the last 4 bars and rhymes with the first and second line.
Why is a blues song called I heard you twice?
It’s a great title because a verse of blues lyrics are of the form: In other words, a sung line that is repeated and then a different line concludes the verse. That’s the classic blues form; lots of variations since then and people don’t always use AAB anymore. Branford Marsalis has an album of blues songs called “I Heard You Twice the First Time.”
What is the meaning of the last line of the song?
The last lyrics line is sung over the last 4 bars and rhymes with the first and second line. It is also quite common that the text uses imagry to portray sexual encounters for example. A bit of humor is also quite common. Listen, try yourself and listen again.