Blues - from the English "blue" - "blue", "sad" - a musical genre that originated in the United States in the 19th century. The theme of the songs - sadness, loss - also determines the character of the music. Usually this is a minor scale, a slow tempo and a special structure of the phrase.
Instructions
Step 1
The blues square consists of twelve measures, which in turn are divided into three phrases of four measures each. The musical and poetic structure of these phrases can be represented in the form of a diagram: A1, A2, B. The first line expresses a certain idea. The second is a variable repetition of the first, that is, some detail is added to the original information. The third line summarizes, indicates the consequence of the initial action. The number of such squares in a verse can be equal to 2, 4, 6, 8 or another number at the request of the musician. The main thing is to keep the general structure: main theme, theme variant, conclusion. Note that the classic square (NOT bluesy) consists of eight or sixteen measures.
Step 2
The size of the blues piece is 4/4. However, eighths in this time signature are not the same in duration, but sound like a quarter with an eighth (analogous to the classic 12/8 time signature). This is called a shuffle or swing - swing. The meter, while remaining seemingly four-part, acquires at the same time three-part. The blues inherited this inconsistency from the Africans - the first authors of the blues song.
Step 3
The blues uses a special mode - the pentatonic scale (from the Latin "five tones"). To understand the difference between the pentatonic scale and the major and minor, compare the classical C major and its pentatonic counterpart: exclude the notes "F" and "B" from the scale. The result is a scale devoid of semitone transitions. It is convenient to represent the minor mood pentatonic in comparison with A minor: play a scale, skipping the same notes - "F" and "B".
Step 4
The chords in the blues square don't change often. Changing harmonies gives an additional movement, which is not always relevant for a sad song, so there can be only one chord per four measures. If you need some variety, use one of the proposed schemes or create your own: tonic - subdominant - dominant - tonic; tonic - subdominant - dominant - subdominant - tonic The blues uses natural frets. This means that in a minor key there can be a minor dominant (the tendency of the seventh to the first step is not expressed) and a major subdominant. At the same time, in major, these functions can have different moods, depending on your taste.
Step 5
Use chromatisms. The absence of the fourth and seventh degrees in major, or the second and sixth in minor, justifies such a technique as singing the main tones and "approaches" to them. In other words, you can play the G note by playing A-flat or F-sharp first. Use syncopation, both rhythmic (shifting the emphasis to the strong beat) and harmonic (chord bias, playing on a weak beat) … All these funds are actively used in the blues.
