BA in English

ESP- English for specific purposes

Lesson 4

Assignment 2 -MARIA VERONICA CEPEDA

BLUES MUSIC : STILL IN FORCE TODAY?

Blues music is a musical form and genre that originated in African American
communities of slaves in the southern plantations of the United States by
the end of the 19th century. Blues music contribution to the development of
other musical genres is huge: Jazz, Rock and Roll and Country Music owe
much of their progression to the original Blues. However, despite of its long
history, the popularity of this genre is still growing exponentially for being
closely connected to the rise of other popular music styles and for the
continuous development and innovations on its musical industry.

The Blues genre possesses some specific characteristics, such as, the
specific chord progression, of which the twelve bar-blues is the most
common. As Komara, Edward M. (2006)explains in his Encyclopedia of the
blues,()the blue notes that, for expressive purposes, are sang or played
flattened or gradually bent in relation to the pitch of the major scale, are an
important element of the representative sound()These attributes has
created a bitter emotional impact that many of us love and represent the
harmonic foundation of million of non- blues songs, too. Jazz, Rock and Roll,
Country, Soul, R & B, Funk and even Ska descended from and developed out
of Blues music. This genre has served as a backbone of all these styles and
probably for many other styles to come.

At present, Blues music remains in vogue due to the innovations and

development of the musical industry. Beginning in the 1990s, digital
recordings and marketing strategies succeed in keeping Blues updated. In
addition, Blues publications such as Living Blues and Blues Revue began
being distributed and many cities started to form Blues societies, outdoor
Blues festivals and nightclubs and venues for the emergence of Blues.
Moreover, Blues music is refreshed by several blues labels, such as, Alligator
Records and Northern Blues music. Many of which became famous for the
remastering of Blues rarities and the discovery of Blues musicians that
belong to the new generation of fine artists. Moreover, the film industry has
also made a big effort to keep Blues alive. In 2003, Martin Scorsese
promoted the genre to a larger audience with a series of documentary films
called The Blues.

In conclusion, Blues music is clearly still in force today, due to its powerful
history and influence over other musical styles. Although contemporary
Blues may sound strange today, we will still discover a rich history of people
who build one of the most influential genres of popular music.
References

* Komara, Edward M. (2006). Encyclopedia of the blues. Routledge.