The Blues Improvisation

What are The Blues?

The song structure of the blues seems to have originated in the Mississippi Delta in the late nineteenth century. The term the blues, as in “having the blues,” comes from a centuries-old term for a state of melancholy. Blues lyrics usually tell of some trouble, but often in a comical way.

Here are two short jazz patterns

using swing eighths we will master in class:

Blues are based on the Blues Scale. We will be using the minor E Blues Scale in class.

What does blues improvisation look and sound like using the E blues scale and the rhythms above?

Famous Blues Musicians include:

Robert Johnson

BB King

Eric Clapton