Baby Blues

While Listening to Come Rain or Come Shine by BB. King feat Eric Clapton

I love music. I don’t know when exactly i began loving it, perhaps as long as I can remember. I love almost all of music genres. From Blues to Punk. And I’d like to know more about what I love. That’s why I’m sharing it here. Keep in mind this isn’t some kind of lecture or me being know-it-all, it’s simply just pouring out what I know and hopefully I get criticized or maybe corrected. 

Blues is one of the oldest genre of music there is. It was started in 19^th century and mostly being performed by African-American.When you think of blues, you probably think about misfortune, betrayal, sadness, misery or regrets. Just like Rolling Stones said in one of their songs “as i stand by your flames, i get burned once again, feelin' low down, i'm bluee....”. The term blues in music may have a connection with its original term as a word which is sadness or depressed. 

But listening to the music itself, i usually don't get that sad. i heard Eric Clapton, BB. King, Muddy Waters, Rod Stewart, Robert Johnson etc and the songs that performed by those artists most of the time didn't get me that sad feeling that really identical with the word blues. So, in my conclusion, blues isn't a sad genre. it is a soulful genre. you have to really feel it in order to enjoy it. it's intimate, really. That's why people tend to be so honest, it gets personal and then maybe that 'sad' thing came as a result of an honest thoughts. That is a unique charm i got every time i listen to blues music. i cannot put it in one word, but if i have to it's "eargasm". a nice blues music always gets me there. an ultimate satisfaction. i can listen to other music genre while working, cycling, running or whatever activities i got in between, but blues, man, you cannot cheat on it with your other activities. you have to listen to it without distraction. or maybe you should try to close your eyes to really enjoy it.

I think the most well-known blues song of all time is Mannish boy by Muddy Water. That song, in my opinion is blues signature. and it's so famous too. but not my personal favorite.

Muddy Waters

my personal favorite from this genre are these :

1. Rod Stewart feat Ron Wood - I'd rather go blind

2. Eric Clapton feat BB. King - Key to the highway

3. Pee Wee Crayton - Texas Hop

4. Rolling Stones - I Got the Blues

5. Robert Johnson - Sweet Home Chicago

Those were some kick-ass blues songs if i may say. 

Other not-so-usual stuff from blues is that i can't listen to it all day long. it's heavy somehow. i need to focus to listen in order to get that satisfaction feeling and it's tiring. But once you listen to some good ol' blues, you'll fly,,,,and you'll thank god for inventing such an amazing thing.One instrument that is very familiar in blues family is Saxophone. and Saxophone is my second favorite instrument after guitar.

There is one new band from England that is so amazing and have a blues taste in their music. the band name is The Strypes. I fell in love instantly after hearing two or three of their songs. they made a remake of ol' blues song titled "you can't judge a book by its cover". it was amazing and it made me dig more about them. their song felt like blues had a marriage with rock n roll, and i think that's awesome. Funny thing is, the strypes personal is very young, their age were about 16 and they play an old music. so not mainstream and so skillful because, you know, playing blues need a lot of instrument skill. like i said, it's hard to listen to it, then it is harder to perform it. 

The Strypes

Okay, back to the blues music. maybe the term blues fits. according to lyric, most of blues songs related to sad events to someone's lives, heartbroken, homesick etc. but it's not a mushy kind of music. it's simply just picturing a less-happy part of your life and you can still enjoy it in a form of good music. like a diary, but more elegant. The inventors of blues were slaves, ex-slaves and descendants of slaves back in American. Most of slaves were African-American, maybe that's why blues is best sang by African-American. They sang it in their difficult times as a slave and they still wanted to enjoy some good music, singing songs to pass the time as well as pouring out their heart out to the world. it's deep, like way deep. Music is a sanctuary, it really is then.

Eniwe, the blues grew up in Mississippi Delta just upriver from New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Blues and jazz have always influenced each other, and they still interact in countless ways today. But i don't really dig jazz eventhough its relations with blues is so close.

Today there are many different sahdes of the blues. Forms include :

• Traditional county blues - A general term that describes the rural blues of the Mississippi Delta, the Piedmont and other rura; locales;
• Jump blues - A danceable amalgam of swing and blues and a precursor to R&B. Jump blues was pioneered by Louis Jordan;
• Boogie-woogie - A piano-based blues popularized by Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson, and derived from barrelhouse and ragtime;
• Chicago blues -  Delta blues electrified;
• Cool blues - A sophisticated piano-based form that owes much to jazz;
• West coast blues - Popularized mainly by Texas musicians who moved to California. West Coast blues is heavily influenced by the swing beat.

You can't talk about one music genre without really connecting it with other genre. Just like blues. in my opinion -correct me if i'm wrong- blues really have a close relation with jazz, R&B and rock n roll. Cool old stuffs :)