http://web.telia.com/~u19104970/images/hookcol.jpg

http://www.calliope.org/images/blues.gifhttp://www.vinylrevinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/muddy-waters.jpg

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/386630/Son+House.jpg

http://www.ezfolk.com/uke/Tutorials/1four5/music-theory/basic-12-bar-blues/4-12bar-blues02.jpg

Rachel BlythMike MeskalJustin Keeth

12 Bar Blues

Do Do Do Do

DoDo Fa Fa

Sol

Fa Do vDo

Sing and Sign…

How many beats in a measure?

How many measures?

Rachel Blythe

http://www.toonpool.com/user/500/files cool_sax_player_jazz_musician_55855.jpg

If Do is “C”, can you find Fa and Sol on the bars?

C

Now let’s play the twelve bar blues...

Rachel Blythe http://www.toonpool.com/user/500/files

cool_sax_player_jazz_musician_55855.jpg

FA SOL

DO

Now step, play and sing the progression.

Others sing call and response!

Sing and play the 12 bar

blues!

Rachel Blythe

Blues Origins•Began on 19th

century plantations by slaves

•Work songs and field hollers started the “call and response” form in blues music

www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/levi-coffin/5357

Justin Keeth

The Great Migration•African Americans

migrated from the south to the north, midwest, and west in large numbers starting in 1910.

•This spread blues songs into new regions of the countryhttp://www.intimeandplace.org/Great%20Migration/index.html

Justin Keeth

Early Blues Artists

•Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1927) Texas

•Bessie Smith (1894-1937) Tennessee

•Robert Johnson (1911-1938) Mississippi

http://copiah.msgenweb.org/Resources/Reference/Profiles/Johnson__Robert/johnson__robert.html

http://www.blues.at/site/multimedia/story/alcooks_bluespirits_part26.htm

http://www.kodiakschools.org/khs/departments/englishdepartment/American_Literature/Quarter_3.html

Justin Keeth

Blues influence on early Rock and Roll

•Many early rock and roll artists would take the 12 bar blues form and speed up the tempo

•Starting in the 1950’s electric instruments were more commonly heard in blues songs

www.allmusic.com

http://52weeksofmusic.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/chuck-berry-chuck-berry-is-on-top/

http://www.solcomhouse.com/johnlennon.htmJustin Keeth

Composing The Blues• Simply learning

about music isn’t nearly as useful as learning how to play music.

•The enduring understandings will have long lasting effects if the students are able to apply their knowledge before the unit is over.

•It takes a strong understanding of music to be able to compose.

http://www.byronweigel.com/discography.html

Mike Meskel

Composing The Blues

While the idea of composition can seem daunting, students can be given guidelines to make the task of composing a song as a group easier.

http://vjmorton.wordpress.com/2003/10/

Mike Meskel

Composing The Blues

Class Blues Composition

•Identify elements of the Blues.

•Identify the lyrical structure of the Blues.

•As a class, compile a list of problems that students deal with.

•Have students and teacher sing possible blues lines.

•Have students pick their favorite lyrical line.

•Have students sing possibilities for the “turnaround” lyrical line.

Mike Meskel

http://www.clairebuchholz.com/

Composing The Blues

Class Blues Composition

•Play a blues accompaniment on the guitar or piano while repeating the song.

•Alternate between having the teacher and students sing the song, letting it vary each time.

•Stop playing the song and ask students if each person’s interpretation was the same.

•Explain to students that often times each artist will interpret the same blues song differently.

•Congratulate the students on composing a blues song.

Mike Meskel

http://www.clairebuchholz.com/

Beginning Blues Improvisation

•Simply learning about music isn’t nearly as useful as learning how to play music.

•The enduring understandings will have long lasting effects if the students are able to apply their knowledge before the unit is over.

•It takes a strong understanding of music to be able to compose.

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Strumin-Blues-Posters_i1496728_.htm

Mike Meskel

Beginning Blues Improvisation

•Improvisation is at the root of Blues music.

•Improvisation often starts with simple call and response phrases passed from one musician to the other.

•Students can be taught the basics of improvising when given specific guidelines.

Mike Meskel

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/12-bar-blues.htm

Beginning Blues Improvisation

•Have students play call and response phrases on marimbas.

•Play a Jamey Aebersold play along CD as an accompaniment for students.

•While limiting students to only two notes, have them improvise for four measures each.

•While limiting students to only two notes, have them improvise for an entire blues chorus.

Mike Meskel

http://www.craftymusicteachers.com/bassmarimba/

Guided Improvisation

Beginning Blues Improvisation

•Allow students to play a blues scale to improvise for four measures each.

•Allow students to play a blues scale to improvise for an entire blues solo.

•Ask students to reflect about what worked well when soloing and what they liked best.

•Resume playing accompaniment and encourage unrestrained improvisation.

Mike Meskel

http://www.craftymusicteachers.com/bassmarimba/

Guided Improvisation