The blues music genre is often associated with African-American music with strings (guitar, banjo, and bass) and brass (trumpet, trombones, and saxophone) instruments for accompaniment. On a lesser extent, the genre is also associated with the harmonica, drums, and the piano. It was once popularized by Southern folk like W.C. Handy, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King. In time, women came into the scene with Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Ida Cox. These men and women have put into the mainstream the once-rural and everyday appeal of the blues.

Onto the 21st century, modern blues artists have infused a whole different dimension to the blues. Famous blues artists of the recent decades include Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Ray Charles. The genre has evolved from largely being of the storytelling type, to a voice ensemble that accompanies many new blues music. There has also been some rock element involved, thanks to innovation by other artists such as the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

Origin of the Blues

The history of the blues goes back towards the end of the 19th century in the South region of the United States. States include Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas among others. Folk knowledge has it that the blues was born out of desperation, depression, and poverty among the farming communities after the bloody civil war. It is the reason why the blues is characterized by narratives infused with musical accompaniment; not the other way around as is seen in many modern songs of the 80s music. Listening to the blues makes you feel like having someone read a novel to you, said out loud artistically with a good rhythm.

Most early blues music talk about everyday work life and of its injustice and hope for the future. Think of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. That’s the feel the blues genre gives to the audience. The lyrics back then were passed on orally, so the scant written document provides little information about the early days of blues music.

Unique Characteristics of the Blues

The blues is uniquely characterized by these three attributes: 1) having four beats in a bar; 2) being built on the 12-bar form; and, 3) the use of three four-bar phrases.

Three chords provide the primary structure for the songs with tonic, subdominant, and dominant keys being the foundation of the music. For example, when using the key of G, there will be a dominant G key, an F subdominant key, and a C tonic key.

The poetic verses are built on a question-and-response sort of way where three lines correspond to: first, the question; second, a repetition of the question; and third, the answer to the question.

Constantly listening to the blues will make you realize that the three-lined verses correspond perfectly to the three-thronged chord structure.

Why Piano and the Blues Mix Perfectly

A lot has changed in blues music since its humble beginnings towards the end of the 19th century. From a mostly chronicle-like account, the genre has grown into being both lyrical and musical, with rhythms that defy the rather monotonous tone of early blues. Learning to play the blues using piano can be a little less challenging when you get professional lessons, which can start by dropping by at the Music To your Home website and contacting them about your options.

There has now been a move, too, into exploring other musical accompaniments. From a base of strings and brass instruments, the harmonica, drums, piano, and vocals are now being widely incorporated into blues music. The addition of new instruments is how the music is evolving, and also the reason why blues is being accepted by a younger crowd. The newer generation is heavy on rhythms and beats, and so the blues moving into addressing that preference is great for its survival.

The reason why the piano is now a constant presence in blues music is due to the significant shift into adding vocals to the songs. The piano provides subtle yet powerful rhythms that do not evade the use of other instruments and the infusion of vocals whether of a solo or group artist.

When adept to the technicalities of music, you will realize that the use of piano in blues is based on these three chords: C7, F7, and G7. These chords are a notch softer compared to early blues that are mostly grounded on C, G, and F.

The beauty of playing the blues on the piano lies on its soft and elemental tones that provide an excellent complement to the ensemble of vocals, strings, and brass. The addition of piano to the blues seams together lyrics and rhythms that otherwise sound incongruent. No wonder, then, that the piano is now a mainstay in blues music.