If you want to learn blues guitar, then knowing a few things about the history of this music genre might help. This music style derives heavily from the African American tradition. The influence of African chants and rituals are also integral parts of blues music.
The word ‘blues’ is generally associated with melancholy and somber mood. The lyrics are deeply melancholic, but they go beyond the feeling of self pity and gloom. These songs are also about how to overcome the bitterness and hardships of life.
No wonder, the tradition of blues music developed in the southern plantations in the 19th century. The southern states back then were full of plantations which were inhabited by slaves or newly liberated slaves and share croppers. Particularly, the Mississippi Delta can be considered the cradle of blues music. This form of music was an integral part of their culture and hence the expression is simple yet poignant.
Blues has a very rich history but unfortunately a large part of the initial music composition is lost. But the 1920s and 30s recordings from the southern states give us a glimpse of the music of the original patrons. The guitar is a very important part of the blues, though few variations of blues music are also piano based. The importance of guitar can be seen in the Delta blues and it increased with the rise of the Chicago blues in the 1950s. In the 1970s, with the advent of the hybrid blues rock, guitar began to occupy the very central position of the performance.
After the Second World War, the electric blues have really caught on our fancy, but the acoustic folk versions are also quite popular. If you want to learn blues guitar, it will help if you can narrow down on your favorite style. Otherwise, learning so many things at once might be a little confusing. Learning too many things at one time can also lead to frustrations.
But like all guitar lessons, you will also need to know the basic techniques before you move on to more specialized licks. If you are enamored by this expressive style of music, then learning it might not be very difficult. Your passion will guide you through, and will help you to practice hard to get the techniques right. So, it is time to pick up a guitar and fulfill your dream of learning this beautiful form of music.