Can anybody tell me the main characteristics of blues music. Is it prevelent in US?
The blues has its roots in Africa Blues music was passed down aurally The blues soon reached across America The blues has its roots in Africa. Many of the rhythms used in the blues, especially the swing rhythms, are ancient tribal rhythms. The rhythmic influence was passed on through African Americans whose ancestors had left their home in Africa, either by their own will or, more commonly, as slaves. While African Americans worked as slaves, many sang work songs. These songs told of their pain and plight as oppressed slaves. The melodies of these work songs were based on the pentatonic (five tones) blues scale, rather than the seven-tone major scale that Western classical music is based on. When slavery was ended, many African Americans stayed in the South while others headed north. As a result, the blues is usually divided into two main categories: southern and northern blues. The evolution of the slave songs spilled into the church and gospel music . the melody was based on the pent
