String Thang

Based on the 12-bar blues. Blues has deep roots in American history, developed out of the work songs and chants of African-American slaves. The Great Migration of the first half of the 20th century saw freed slaves and their descendants move to northern and northeastern parts of the U.S., taking their music with them. The blues took on different forms; in turn it evolved into jazz, rock, hip-hop, and other popular genres. A twelve-bar blues uses a repeating chord progression which allows musicians to express themselves creatively with each recurrence. If anything defines the blues, it is the use of blue notes - flattened pitches than those expected in a given key - and elements of improvisation.