What is the lyrical structure of a blues song?
AAB
The lyrics of a 12-bar blues song often follow what’s known as an AAB pattern. “A” refers to the first and second four-bar verse, and “B” is the third four-bar verse. 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.
What are the elements of a blues song?
The main features of blues include: specific chord progressions, a walking bass, call and response, dissonant harmonies, syncopation, melisma and flattened ‘blue’ notes. Blues is known for being microtonal, using pitches between the semitones defined by a piano keyboard.
How would you label their form blues?
We label these sections with letters, usually labelling the first section of the piece “A”, then the next one “B”, and so on. In a pop song, the first verse could be “A”, and then the chorus “B” and the bridge “C”, and the form of a song that goes verse-chorus-bridge would be written as ABC.
What are the 3 blues chords?
Essentially, the blues is a specific progression that uses the C7, F7, and G7 chords. (For the sake of brevity, I’ll only look at playing blues in the key of C). The blues chord progression lasts 12 bars (thus the phrase “12-bar blues”) that move in a familiar pattern using those three chords.
How do you write a blues stanza?
The “blues stanza” became a standard lyric in popular music. It is composed of three lines: the second line repeats the first; the third line rhymes. Here, for example, is a stanza from “Green River Blues” by the Delta musician Charley Patton: Some people say the Green River blues ain’t bad.
What are the characteristics of rhythm and blues?
Characteristics of R&B include soulful singing over a strong backbeat, commonalities in rhythm, bands divided into a rhythm and horn section, repetition of rhythms, verses and notes, and often complex blending of instruments…
What form is Cross Road blues?
The lyrical structure of this song follows the bar form of, AAB. The first stanza of the song begins with “Portland main is just the same as sunny Tennessee / Portland main is just the same as sunny Tennessee / Any old place I hang my hat is, home sweet home to me.”
What is the blues scale on guitar?
The blues scale is esentially a minor pentatonic scale with an added flat fifth. The blues scale formula is 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7. The easiest way to remember this scale is to think of it as the minor pentatonic and simply learn where the added notes are within the normal five minor pentatonic positions.
How many stanzas are in blues music?
adapted by some poets like Hughes to break the lines roughly in half, making a six line stanza. infused with a theme that comes from complaint or a lament, suffering, struggle, real life experiences.
What are blues lyrics?
Blues lyrics. The lyrics are raw and full of emotion, dwelling on love and loneliness. They tell of injustice and hopelessness, and the longing for a better life. They were passed on from musician to musician through oral tradition.
How do you write blues song?
Writing Lyrics Familiarize yourself with iconic blues music. Brainstorm. Choose your topic. Establish your meter. Make your lyrics flow. Make your lyrics rhyme. Finish writing your song. Revise, revise, revise.
How is blues music structured?
Structure and Form. Harmonically, blues songs use the I, IV, V chords in a given scale. For example, a song in the key of A would use A, D and E chords — the first, fourth and fifth notes of the A scale. The rhythm is structured into a 12-bar, 48-beat pattern that often repeats for the duration of the song.
What are the notes for 12 bar blues?
The 12 bar blues form consists of 12 bars or measures. It uses the I7, IV7, and V7 chords. Since these are all dominant chords they have some dissonant notes that are not in the key. For those who don’t know, the roman numerals represent the degree of the major scale.