I am looking for names and terms.
Additional info would be great!
The most common blues instruments are:
Acoustic Guitar – Nothing more to say here. Take a listen to Robert Johnson, Son House, Guitar Slim, and any classic delta blues musicians for an example of this. Of course musicians had their own styles. I think Johnson is a great example here.
Electric Guitar – Is really the blues staple these days, and really where the different styles come from. Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Tab Benoit, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mudcat, Joe Bonamasa, etc. all play exquisitely. There are also very different styles of playing electric. For Example Buddy Guy’s got a hard driving sound with some crunch in it, while Tab Benoit is often times more of an acoustic-lighter style feel. I’ve heard Gary Moore use a pedal to drift his notes in and out of sound, which created a really nicely unique sound.
Stevie Ray Vaughan sometimes played a 12-string, which allows for a greater depth in notes.
Steel Guitar – Used by Son House among others. Unique and interesting sound. Honestly, I’ve never played a steel guitar, so I’m not sure how to accurately describe it.
Slide Guitar – During the real comeuppance of the blues, you’d see men play it on their laps quite often, not holding it, and slide things like broken bottlenecks along it to make an eerie sound as the pitch changed. (Listen to Devil’s Cadillac – Watermelon Slim for an example of this)
Diddley Bow – This was the earliest blues instrument, dating back to around the turn of the century. It was a 1-string guitar made of essentially junk that had no frets. Poor southerners had no money to buy guitars, so they’d make them. Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters both did this as youngsters wanting to learn.
Blues Harp (Harmonica) – Guys like Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin’ Wolf are most notable. (Listen to "Blues Masters, Vol. 4: Harmonica Classics" for some great examples)
…Those are the "core" blues instruments that I can think of, though I may have left something out; I haven’t had my coffee yet.
Piano – An early R&B sounding Blues often used this in parlors and with the singing troupes. You’d hear it a lot in classic blues, especially. But it’s still alive and kicking. (For great examples, take a listen to Dr. John, a New Orleans resident that’s rather famous for his blues piano playing)
Other instruments that were used more than not:
Of course there’s the drums, which are often essential in a blues song.
Banjos, a southern staple, were used more infrequently than guitars, but since Blues started in the south Banjos were inevitably used.
I’ve heard a Saxophone used in both R&B and straight Blues before very effectively, though not often. I once heard one of the most amazing renditions of The Thrill Is Gone in a probably 400 square foot bar nestled in an industrial district of downtown Wichita, Kansas with an unbelievable use of the Sax.
Trumpets – Trumpets provide a great fat sound. I’ve heard them in the grungier swampy/orleans style sound on occasion, but most often for R&B style. Delta blues, I can’t recall offhand much trumpeting. It’s usually used in conjunction with Chicago style and Jazz-style… (Dr. John tends to have a lot of trumpet background on his blues)
Hope this helps! Drop me a line if you were looking for a little more and I’ll try and get ya sorted out!
we go out to be happy! 
seriously, i like blues music but if i go out, i want to dance or be able to talk to friends, blues bar too loud to talk and you cant dance.
ACDC Satellite Blues Music Video
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