THE BLUES (the music) comes
from the blues (the state of mind), but it is not all down and depressed
like many uninformed people believe. If you have listened to The Blues,
you know wheat I am talking about. It can be very upbeat, lively, and a
great music to party with. The truth is that The Blues is about life. It
is about all the ups and downs, relationships and loss that comes with the
territory of living.
I was first introduced to The Blues by a good friend who owned a recording
studio in my hometown. He had recorded many local artists, covering a wide
range of genres. He had the opportunity to record a Blues band and was
instantly hooked on the music. He told me about what he had heard in his
studio, and talked me into going to a club where the recording group was
performing. After having a great time with the band, my friend gave me
some recordings of some of the Blues greats: Otis Rush, Muddy Waters,
B.B. King,
Freddie King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Son Seals, and several
others. We listened to the music, drank some beer, and talked.for hours. I
began to hear what he was hearing. It was a soulful music, full of stories
about life, for sure.
The great thing about Blues Music is that the music itself says as much as
the lyrics. Much traditional Blues is based on a 12 bar, 1-4-5 chord
progression. That's pretty standard. What is not by any means standard is
the conversation between the guitars, bass, drums, and sometimes a
harmonica. I call it a conversation, borrowed from a statement once made
about the late, great,
Stevie Ray Vaughan. Every note of a lead solo in The Blues says
something. The music cries, laughs, and feels every human emotion and
passion. A good Blues guitarist does not adhere to any specific rules of
music. He or she puts heart and soul into every phrase. There is usually a
very slight delay between the "down beat" and the note. This expresses
tension, which is a very important part of Blues music. There is that
instant that you are hearing the note before it happens...but it makes you
wait...just long enough to nearly slide to the edge of your
chair...then...the note rings out, giving release from all that tension.
It lingers in the air like smoke from a fire...swirling around your head.
It curls around you as you feel all the passion that the guitarist,
harmonica player, or keyboard player is feeling.
This is the Blues.
