Skip to main content

Queens of the Stone Age - little sister

From its very beginning, the blues has been a largely improvised music, created spontaneously without written music or prior planning. In the early days of the genre, poor African American farmers would often gather together on each other’s porches and in churches and homes to jam for hours. They didn’t have printed music, and so they would make up tunes and lyrics on the spot. 

Singers or instrumental soloists can both do this act of invention, building from the chord progression, melody, and rhythm already being played... as the two in a musical conversation banter back and forth phrase by phrase. In fact, you improvise every time you have a spoken conversation. And it’s just the same between a harmonica and a singer, or a banjo player and a guitar player. Note that improvisation is no substitute for study or musicianship, on the contrary, the early blues musicians couldn’t read or write music so they developed new skills centered on listening to and learning traditional songs from other musicians.

Improvisation is also an important part of the blues because it allows for spontaneous, heartfelt personal expression of pain and longing for a better life.


Queens of the Stone Age - little sister
  • Released in: 2005
  • Genre: Alternative
  • Duration: 2:57

"Queens of the Stone Age is an alternative rock band formed in 1997 in California. Formed after the demise of Homme's previous band, Kyuss."

See previous Song of the Day 

Labels

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritualized - Spread Your Wings

Spiritualized - Spread Your Wings Released in: February 1995 Duration: 6:17 Vocals: Jason Pierce "The first Spiritualized release was a space rock esque cover in 1990, a record which heralded the official split of Spacemen 3. On 15 June 1997, Spiritualized became the last band to play at Factory Records' Manchester nightclub." See Previous Song of the Day  
Post a Comment
Read more

Steve Winwood - Domingo Morning

There have also been plenty of blues festivals and events in Ireland, which have brought the styles to a greater number of people. The Cork Jazz Festival is a massive annual offering that attracts thousands, while there’s also the Dublin Blues, Roots, and Brass Festival that brings in local and international blues enthusiasts. The events are a prime opportunity to celebrate the heritage of these music varieties and showcase some of the best talents around. The influence of reggae and blues music in Ireland goes beyond the music scene and has had a broader impact on the entertainment industry. It’s clear that the incorporation of these genres into Ireland’s entertainment landscape has helped bring diversity and richness to the culture of the country. This has, in turn, led to the attraction of more diverse audiences to Irish entertainment. Companies that offer entertainment to people in Ireland now must consider this diversity, and market their offerings to a broad spectrum of consumers...
Post a Comment
Read more

Duke Pearson - I'm An Old Cowhand (Take 5)

Sanctified gospel music, especially in the western part of the state, is represented by members of the Holiness or Pentecostal church, such as The Church of God in Christ founded... in 1897 near Memphis. One of its present ministers, Reverend Robert Wilkins, a practicing herbalist now 90, became active in church work after several years as a highly regarded blues singer. Sanctified singers perform in a shouting musical style, accompanied by hand clapping, tambourines, guitars, and other instruments. A number of Holiness singers were recorded in Memphis during the 1920s... Of the many Pentecostal churches presently in Memphis, that of Reverend J. 0. Patterson is prominent, where the exceptional soloist Mattie Wigley still performs with the choir.        Among its many songwriters Tennessee has had three who were prominent in Black sacred music... Campbell, 1885 - 1963, composed 45 gospel songs and was also music director of the National Baptist Convention, one of seve...
Post a Comment
Read more