Da DAH da da
I was thinkin’ about the blues
Da DAH da da
And I got to wondering
Da DAH da da
Where did the form come from that the typical blues singer sings?
Where did the blues form (represented above in non-musical form as best I could think of) I think of as the blues originate? I pretty much know nothing about the blues beyond the form here. Are there other forms?
According to an interview I saw with B.B. King, he and other blues musicians made their own “instruments” which often consisted of a single piece of baling wire stretched taught(sp?) over either a wooden box or stick. To my knowledge, none of these have survived time.The player would pluck the wire and change its “pitch” by depressing it at various places
over the length. The “form” probably began as poems or free-form verse that
negro slaves recited,periodically injecting a melodic hum, hand clap, or snapping of the fingers. With the strong religious background found among
many African-Americans, I would think that the gospel blues were founded on hymns, then the melody of particular hymns were used as a background
progression of notes/chords with lyrics that addressed subjects other than religion. Many southern blacks migrated to Chicago for a better life, and
brought their blues music with them. If you think Little Richard, Chuck
Berry and Bo Diddly got “screwed over” contract-wise, read about their
predecessors.
You might want to look into folks like Charley Patton & W. C. Handy.
Patton was one of the earliest recorded blues performers (if not the ealiest–my memory is totally failing me at this hour of the morning). Handy…well, Handy is called a “father” of the blues, but I’m not real sure. I think he was just well-educated musically, and was able to bring the blues to the masses (that is <i>just my opinion,</i> however–others who know more about Handy may be able to give more information. If you can, please, PLEASE do).
As for other forms–yes. There surely are. The form you quote in your OP is probably the most <i>instantly recognizable</i> as blues, but there are indeed other forms. Lots of them. Read old interviews with rock musicians, and you’ll see that they were heavily influenced by the blues.
And if a kind moderator could fix my sucky coding in that reply, I’d be most appreciative. Thanks.