Cash McCall – The Blues

What is the two term describes white and black establishment of blues?

Slave owners and slaves? I’m not sure I understand your question.

Elwood Blues has a lot to say, challenges a response but does not really want real dialogue. So Elwood, to answer your question: I am obviously well aware that Mississippi gets a lot of tax money from the federal and state government. I believe I listed the reason we need so much. And, my hard earned money is included in that tax money. Why don’t you find out the stats of how many people in Mississippi pay no taxes, but get huge tax refunds?

He’s on a mission from God.

At a blues jam night in bars, i notice guitar players ans such will just go up on stage and simply start playing songs, they confer very slightly and then go straight into it. Do these guys all just know a load of songs, or what?

You can just watch their hands and you will know what and how they are playing.. then you just jump in when you see the pattern. You can even pick up the beat off a record and play along with it… It’s sort of hard to explain to someone who can’t play an instrument.

Also if you can, what caused the blues to grow, develop and become bigger?

Blues, as a style, was always an undertone, meaning musicians knew about it, and took ideas from blues, (i.e. Chuck Berry would get a few ideas from blues musicians, then Elvis would get a few ideas from Chuck Berry) but most people didn’t… that is until the 1960s and 70s when the interest in blues by popular groups like Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton brought then unknown blues musicians to the forefront. Now, everyone knows who BB King is.

So, when you’re imagining the blues that effected Jazz in it’s early development, it’s easy to get lost in rock-blues, like is performed by BB King. (it’s not really "rock blues" but it’s the blues that effected rock stars in that era) It’s closer to the blues as sung by guys like Leadbelly. (of course he was influenced by guys like WC Handy) Acoustic, (guitars/ banjos) slides, based on folk styles. In fact, 10, 16, and 20 bar formulas were common when blues was effecting Jazz in the late 19th Century, not just the standard "12 bar blues" we’ve come to know as the blues.

After the Civil War, many of the soldiers came back from the war to their towns with trumpets, trombones, drums and many other instruments that are now common to Jazz. They also had a love for the march music they played in the army camps… with the influx of these instruments, which were later sold in stores, then bought by young kids, most black or interracial (though not all… there have indeed by white kids involved in jazz from the start), and they tried to play the blues (then guitar and singing) on these marching wind instruments. What ended up coming out was jazz. (early Ragtime jazz) Even today, in New Orleans you can see Brass Bands jazz marching through the streets during Mardi Gras.

If Jazz is America’s "Classical Music," then blues would have to be the baroque music out of which it grew, and evolved into the complex, powerful form it is today. Blues itself grew out of Spirituals, sung in the fields during work hours to pass the time.

For example, The sound.
What is the sound of blues and what are the Instruments used to form the sound?

Thanks.

hey love it’s good to see a chick getting into this stuff! ok, now i’m gonna be very boring and tell you a theory answer. The blues actually introduced a new thing to music called "blue notes". The blue notes are cromatic passing tones that give that sly, low down feel that makes the blues the blues! ok now if an E pentatonic minor scale (sorry if i’m losing you here!!) goes E,G,A,B,D and back to E – then an E minor blues scale goes E,G,A,A#,B,D and back to E. if you have a keyboard at home play it and you’ll hear the difference, but now you know that there really is theory behind those notes!…. oh… and stay away from any crossroads,,,,

Dont have a lot of money right now, I am laid off and going through a divorce so looking for some free tab of rock/blues blues type licks or runs. Anyone know where to find this other than the normal "tab sites", Ive tapped all those and they dont have to much to offer.

I always found it best to take a song or solo I like and look at the tabs for it. And you can find most of em’ on the internet. Other than that search "blues licks" in youtube and you’ll find a million & just figure out what you like … or search "blues help" or "blues lessons" and the like … different licks will show up, tabbed and played

I often listen and play classic rock on my guitar. However, i’m beginning to like electric blues. Where do i start?

The theory element of it is easy, as it is mainly based around a 6 note scale, which is just a standard pentatonic scale with a note added. Although, blues music does not just use these scales, artists use a diverse range.

As for doing something creative and emotive with the blues, that is something you cannot just learn. It is something you aquire. Playing blues can be harder than some of the stuff people like Steve Vai do, because it requires emotion, feeling, creativity, imagination and honesty.

Try listening to some Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters for some great examples of this.

As for websites about the blues I would recommend typing into Google ‘blues scale’ and ‘how to play blues’ and find some stuff which suits you. Also, try the website http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ for some handy tips and a great online community.

Hope this helps.