Blues GuitaristThe Blues Guitarist

 

Part I

 

By www.fretmentor.com

 

 

 

 

The Guitar is one of the most diverse instruments to learn and play.  This diversity is what attracts many students towards the instrument.  The preferred genre varies from country, bluegrass, pop, jazz, reggae, classical, folk, rock to blues.  This article will focus on the early blues; its history and the people who influenced the genre.

 

The origin of the blues coincidentally mirrors the origin of the banjo in its transition to America from the Western Coast of Africa.  Blues music evolved from southern states within North America by black musicians who worked as slaves.  What every modern guitar player should know, is that the history of blues guitar was shaped by poor and humble artists who came to develop a sound that has influenced so many today.

 

Early Blues

 

The early form of blues music, unlike today's modern blues style, was born on the cotton plantation, small town or farms, and the rural areas of the south.  Blues tunes went back to the nineteenth century, to the beginnings of slavery.  Yet, black singers engaged in "work songs" and "hollers" into the twentieth century. The lyrics of the guitarist were central to the blues tunes, with the blues man singing his poetic phrases. It is the early heritage of these songs that continues to be reborn today. 

 

So, who are some of the earliest pioneers of the blues guitar?  Let's take a look.

FacebookTwitterDiggGoogle BookmarksRedditLinkedinRSS FeedPinterest
Pin It