The musical characteristics of the Blues
The Musical Characteristics of the Blues What’s the musical characteristics of blues? The musical characteristics of the blues in tonality are primarily minor, but can also be major or mixolydian , often using the blues scale which blends both major and minor elements. Songs in the blues are frequently set in a major key but, with flattened notes such as the b3, b5 and b7 added into melodies or improvisations to create that distinctive sound . Blues harmony is usually built on the twelve-bar progression: I – I – I – I, IV – IV – I – I, V – IV – I – I. The chords are most often dominant sevenths such as A7, D7 and E7 , creating a simple, repetitive structure that allows freedom for expression. In more advanced or jazz-influenced blues, extensions like ninths, thirteenths and sharp or flat alterations are added to dominant sevenths , which adds extra colour and harmonic tension. The scale at the heart of the style is 1–b3–4–b5–5–b7 , although the minor pentat...