History of the Blues Guitar

Instruments that resemble the guitar are found in the musical history of cultures around the world. The guitar has strings that are strummed or plucked. The body has a flat back, curved sides and a long neck. Some historians believe that the word "guitar" is derived from the Greek term of "kiqara" or pronounced "cithara," and that the Romans brought their form of guitar to Spain in about 400 A.D. Others say that the Arabs introduced the guitar into Spain during their invasion in the eighth century. Similar instruments were played in Medieval and Renaissance times. Similarly, the blues guitar plays an integral role in modern-day history.

Definition

The term "blues" represents a style of music that evolved over the many decades that African Americans suffered. It was first performed in the early 1900s throughout the southern United States, combining music and a spoken style of voice that comes from spirituals and work songs and shouts.

Improvisation

The blues can be accompanied by the piano, harmonica and reed or brass instruments, but was first made popular with guitar players in the 1920s and 1930s. Typical of the blues style, these songs were usually ad hoc without any formal composition. They were different each time the performer played them, and each player had a personal rendition.

Musical Structure

Over time, the songs accompanied by the blues guitar became more structured with their own musical characteristics. A song is usually about some form of personal pain or hardship. There are three stanzas, each with three lines that may or may not rhyme. The first two lines are repeated and then the third line replies to these earlier repeated ones. The first stanza introduces the story line, the second stanza contrasts to the first, and the third stanza includes some irony or incongruity.

Electric Guitar

At the end of the WWII, the blues guitar was transformed by being electrified, which changed not only its sound but its amplitude. This new music soon developed into rock and roll. The earlier blues guitar was normally played alone, with no other instruments. Instead, the electric guitar was joined by a harmonica, bass, drums and sometimes a saxophone.

Blues Guitar Today

Although blues was primarily an African-American genre in the earlier years, by the late 1950s, the music had a much wider audience. Many popular bands, such as the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac, were including blues in their repertoire. The blues continue to impact music, influencing Country Western singers and many new guitar players making their own renditions of earlier blues songs.