Characteristics

The blues letters are usually arranged in three lines of verse: an initial line, its repetition, and a new third line (AAB). Blues music is usually 12 bars long and consists of three four-bar phrases (one phrase for each line of text). The most typical chord arrangement for these phrases is based on the scale notes: first (I), fourth (IV), and fifth (V). Thus, the first phrase is formed with I I I I, the second with IV IV I I, and the third with V V (or IV) I I. Each sentence of the sung text is usually followed by an instrumental improvisation, thus creating a model of question and answer. Blues music uses a scale in which the third, fifth and seventh notes are slightly out of tune at the low end compared to the western major scale. The blues lyrics often deal with the hardships of life and the vicissitudes of love. The song of the blues is based on various forms of the songs of slaves the black Americans. It spread in the southern United States in the late nineteenth century. The "archaic" or "country" blues differ greatly in their lyrical and musical form. Singers were usually accompanied by guitar or harmonica