1. The blues

2. Blues – sad or depressing music written in a twelve bar style that was the foundation for jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll.
Elements of blues include:
Bending of pitch
Depressing or melancholic topics
Emphasis on improvisation
What are blues songs about?
Poverty, social injustice, fatigue, or lost love.
What are the blues?

3. Two different blues Rural Blues (Write 2) Urban Blues (Write 2)
Accompanied by only an acoustic guitar
The earlier version of blues
Found in the rural South among the African-American community (typically former slaves or descendants of slaves)
Blind Willie Johnson – Nobody’s Fault But Mine.
Developed out of the rural blues, but was present in the cities.
Based in vaudeville acts.
Vaudeville - a type of entertainment popular chiefly in the US in the early 20th century, featuring a mixture of specialty acts such as comedy, song and dance.
Considered more theatric
Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith – Saint Louis Blues
Two different blues

4. Write your own blues song
Listening – Lost Your Head Blues by Bessie Smith
The lyrics are in AAB form:
I was with you, baby, when you didn’t have a dime (A) I was with you, baby, when you didn’t have a dime (A) Now since you got plenty of money, you have throwed your good girl down. (B)
Take a sheet of paper and write out three choruses in the AAB format. The contents should be about any of the topics previously discussed.
Example:
My dog done died today (A) My dog done died today (A) Oh he was a good dog, gonna miss him every day.
You have fifteen minutes; be prepared to read it to everyone.
Write your own blues song

5. Vamp – a short progression of music whose function is to introduce the harmony, mood, and tempo as a whole.
The music score gives only the barest outline of what is to be performed.
Pitches were meant to bent.
Compare and contrast St. Louis Blues as it was intended by the composer (WC Handy) and Smith/Ellington’s version of it.
Elements of blues

6. Crossover of jazz, blues, and classical: George gershwin
Started out life as a song-plugger (an in-store or publishers pianist who played through sheet music for potential customers) and writer.
Began composing musicals with his brother Ira in 1924
Summertime from Porgy and Bess
An American in Paris
Crossover of jazz, blues, and classical: George gershwin

7. Writing a Blues Article
Imagine you were asked to write an article about the history of the blues for your favorite music magazine (Alternative Press, XXL, etc.). Write an article outlining the development of the blues. Remember that good journalists remember the following:
Who
What
Where
When
Why
How
Writing a Blues Article

8. Gershwin medley!