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 The Blues
What do you know?

List three things you know about The Blues: (anything at all)

1. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Can you name one early Blues singer and one Blues musician?

Singer:
_______________________________________________________________________

Musician:
_______________________________________________________________________

Using chord symbols, can you write out the chord sequence of the 12
bar blues in C, in the table below. Each box equals one bar?/measure.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10. 11. 12.

 The beginning of the blues…..
• The blues started in the early 1900’s, in the Southern States
of America.

• It evolved from unaccompanied vocal music and oral

traditions of African-American slaves, in particular, the call
and response style of singing which they brought from their
homeland.

• The slaves were not allowed to talk while they worked so

they developed a method of communication through singing.
It was based on call and response where one person would
sing a phrase and others would repeat it or respond to it
using song.

• Slavery ended in 1865 but newly freed African slaves

continued to lead hard lives. This was the basis of the Blues.

• The lyrics of blues were about drugs, death, people, slavery,

suicide and general sadness/unhappiness.

• The early Blues was usually accompanied by acoustic

instruments such as the guitar and harmonica.

• Blues become extremely popular because:

1. It was easy to play as it only used three chords

2. The melody could be improvised

3. It linked with the sociological issues of the time

• The Blues has had a strong influence on the rock music of

today, with many popular songs throughout the years being
based on the 12 bar blues chord progression.

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 The beginning of the blues…..
• The blues started in the early _________ in the _____________
_________________________________________.

• It evolved from _______________________music and oral

traditions of African-American slaves, in particular, the
____________________ style of singing which they brought
from their homeland.

• The slaves were not allowed to _________ while they worked

so they developed a method of communication through
___________. It was based on __________________ where one
person would sing a phrase and others would repeat it or
respond to it using __________.

• Slavery ended in ___________ but newly freed African slaves

continued to lead _____________. This was the basis of the
_______.

• The lyrics of blues were about drugs, death, people, slavery,

suicide and general _______________________________.

• The early Blues was usually accompanied by __________

instruments such as the ____________ and harmonica.

• Blues become extremely popular because:

1. _______________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________

• The Blues has had a strong influence on the ______________ of

today, with many popular songs throughout the years being
based on the _________________________________________.

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 The Blues
Answer the following questions to show you have learnt about the
beginning of the Blues.

1. Where and when did the Blues begin?

____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

2. From what oral traditions did the Blues evolve?

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

3. Describe ‘call and response’?

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

4. What instruments were used to accompanied the early Blues

songs?
_____________________________________________________

5. Are these statements true or false?

a) Slavery ended in 1865 but life was still very hard for the
African slaves. _______________

b) The electric guitar was an instruments used to

accompany the early Blues songs. _______________

c) The African slaves used singing as a way of

communicating as they worked. _______________

d) The Blues is very easy to play because it uses only two

chords. _______________

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 The 12 Bar Blues
Chord Structure
• The 12 Bar Blues Chord Structure uses only THREE chords.

• The chords are I, IV and V of a key

• In the key of C the three chords would be:

I = C
IV = F
V = G

• The diagram below shows that chord pattern for a 12 bar

blues in the key of C

Bar 1 Bar 2 Bar 3 Bar 4

C C C C
I I I I
Bar 5 Bar 6 Bar 7 Bar 8
F F C C
IV IV I I
Bar 9 Bar 10 Bar 11 Bar 12
G F C C
V IV I I

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 The 12 Bar Blues
Chord Structure
• The 12 Bar Blues Chord Structure uses only ________ chords.

• The chords are ____, ____ and ____ of a key

• In the key of C the three chords would be:

____ = C
____ = F
____ = G

• The diagram below shows that chord pattern for a 12 bar

blues in the key of C

Complete the diagram below by inserting the chord symbols for

each measure/bar.

Bar 1 Bar 2 Bar 3 Bar 4

C _____ _____ _____
I I I I
Bar 5 Bar 6 Bar 7 Bar 8
_____ _____ _____ _____
IV IV I I
Bar 9 Bar 10 Bar 11 Bar 12
_____ _____ _____ _____
V IV I I

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 Music Magazine Article
TASK:
You are a journalist for the music magazine ‘Rock On’ and you
have been given the job of writing a short report titled The
Beginning of the Blues.

TPIS:
A good report should answer the following ‘W’ questions:

1. WHAT happened?
2. WHO was involved?
3. WHERE did it happen?
4. WHEN did it happen?
5. WHY did it happen?

Rock On
The Beginning of the Blues
Monday 21 May
Written by: _________________

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.
 Characteristics of
The Blues

1. Harmony & Tonality

• The blues scale
• Chords I, IV and V
• V7 turn around chord

2. Structure & Form

• 12 bar blues chord
progression
• AAB lyrics
• Call and Response
• Improvised sections
3. Rhythm and Meter
• 4/4 time
• Jazz/swung
quavers
• Syncopation
• Triplets

4. Melody and Texture

• Homophonic texture
• Blue notes
• Riffs
• Walking bass lines

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 Characteristics of
The Blues

1. Harmony & Tonality

2. Structure & Form

3. Rhythm and Meter

4. Melody and Texture

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 The Blues
Word Search

CALL AND RESPONSE SLAVERY

IMPROVISE AAB LYRICS
THE SOUTH HARMONICA
HARDSHIP THREE CHORDS
GUITAR TRIPLETS
BLUES SCALE SYNCOPATION

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 The Blues
Word Search

CALL AND RESPONSE SLAVERY

IMPROVISE AAB LYRICS
THE SOUTH HARMONICA
HARDSHIP THREE CHORDS
GUITAR TRIPLETS
BLUES SCALE SYNCOPATION

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 The Blues
Define or explain the terms in the left column

Term Definition/Explain
SLAVERY

AAB LYRICS

GUITAR

THREE CHORDS

TRIPLETS

BLUES SCALE

THE SOUTH

HARMONICA

IMPROVISE

CALL and RESPONSE

HARDSHIP

SYNCOPATION

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 Blues Artist
Report
Write about four significant events leading up to and
during your chosen Blues artists rise to fame. Describe
each event and why it was significant.

Personal Information:

Insert the name of

your chosen artist
and a picture in this
box.

EVENT

EVENT

EVENT

EVENT

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 Blues Artists and Their Music
Research Task
TASK:

Choose one early and one modern Blues song. Provide the
following information/picture for BOTH songs.

1. Song Title.
2. Name and picture of the performing artist.
3. When and where the performing artist was born.
4. Year the song was composed/released.
5. List all the instruments you hear in the song.
6. What is the structure of the song?
7. What instrument plays the bass line?
8. Describe the bass line.
9. Listen carefully to the lyrics and in no more than two
sentences state what the song is about.
10. Are the lyrics typical of a Blues song? Explain your answer.
11. Name the instrument/s that play an improvised section.
12. An mp3 of the song or the YouTube link.

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.

 Blues Music
Compare and Contrast Task (pg.1)
Find TWO versions of the same song. After listening carefully to both
versions, complete the Venn diagram below.
Song Title: _______________________________________

Version 1 performed by __________________________

Version 2 performed by __________________________

Musical Elements found

Musical Elements found
only in version 1.
only in version 2.

Musical
Elements
found in
both version.

Copyright © 2014 Kim Maloney. All Rights Reserved.