Blues means a lot of things, at this point in history. But we can generally agree on several shared factors. Blues came from the rural south, after the Civil War in America, an amalgam of spirituals, ballads, field chants, and jump-up dance tunes. The Mississippi Delta is credited by most as the birthplace of the Blues, and the music traveled to Memphis, then north to (primarily) Chicago.

Largely improvisational, the music and techniques were originally taught person-to-person, and performed only live, rather than written down or recorded. Between 1910 and 1915, though, songwriter and composer W.C. Handy published several defining pieces of music:

Those early compositions earned Handy the unofficial designation "Father of the Blues."

Thematically, the songs quite often (but not always) deal with trouble, pain, poverty, heartache, and bad luck—and how to deal with it. Because Blues grew out of the pain and injustice of slavery, the music and lyrics speak of that pain. Poverty, involuntary travel, personal injustice, homesickness, superstition, and cheating lovers all figure prominently in the themes represented. Blues are about life, pain, and grief, and getting by as best you can under difficult circumstances, whether it's hopping a train to go somewhere better, playing for pennies in a juke joint to support your cheating-but-thirsty woman (or no-account man) and keep her supplied with gin, or simply why your mojo left you.

There are other specific characteristics—some quite technical and others more a matter of tradition—of what we call Blues. While these characteristics may be shared and most definitely have influenced nearly all of the American popular music that's come after, there's still a great deal of flexibility inherent in the genre. Improvisational participation within (usually) a twelve-note, bent-pitch framework is one of the definitive traits of Blues.

"Blue notes" or a characteristic and controlled flatting—or drop in pitch—usually on the third and seventh tones of the scale, but sometimes on the fifth tone, as well. If you're specifically interested in the technical aspects, there's an excellent explanation with mp3 samples and chord progression charts, here.

Relentless structural rhythm characterizes the music. Blues began as simple, three-chord guitar music; so simple that some have called it "primitive" in fact. A single guitar, or perhaps a harmonica, and the vocals. Time was kept by means of hand-claps, foot-stomps, or strum pattern. The cadence inherited from field-songs to work by, not unlike marching cadences in many ways.

The call-and-response structure—originally, the vocalist "calls" and then answers himself on his guitar, harmonica, or other instrument—but in the Memphis Blues clip above, both the "call" and "response" are played by the pianist. The structure allows for a great deal of flexibility and audience or instrumental participation. This probably echoes back to field-holler chants, spirituals, and other such traditional structured and rhythmic call-and-response patterns.

If you're specifically interested in the musically technical aspects, there's an excellent explanation of the basics with mp3 samples you can hear and corresponding chord progression charts, here.

By the way, Amazon.com brings us three terrific mp3 downloads, free, with Chess Records Black History Month. You can get good quality digital files of Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, and Muddy Waters, all doing what they do best. We'll talk about those three songs, and those three artists, next time. Go give 'em a listen.