Blues Studies

Blues Studies

There’s something about the sound of a blues guitarist or singer–you feel the music down to your core. The rhythms, bass line, and mournful melodies arouse emotions in the listener that may not have been stirred otherwise. There’s a reason why blues music is so powerful.

Names like John Lee Hooker, Bessie Smith, and Muddy Waters are the modern embodiments of the blues. But, the roots of blues music can be found in spirituals and field hollers that slaves relied upon while working on plantations. The songs and chants were all that could lift their spirits at times. Even though the basis of blues music can be found in the American South prior to African-Americans gaining their freedom, it would be some time before it would become a household name.

It wasn’t until the 1910s and 1920s that blues as a musical genre really started to crystallize. W.C. Handy (1873-1958) was the composer that first made the blues popular. The songs “Memphis Blues” (1912) and “St. Louis Blues” (1914) were the first two songs Handy published that put blues on the map.

There are many more details to the history of blues music and its musical tenets–if you’re a musician, you should know all about it. That’s why it’s important to further your music education to ensure that you become well-rounded and knowledgeable. We can provide you with that solid foundation. We know what you need to know to succeed. And with the right preparation, there’s no reason why you can’t make it as a musician.