In the realm of "pop" music, it is all but dead. Not many rock artists in today's hot 100 or whatever it's called.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Is blues a dying art?
- Thread starter zeppfan90
- Start date
In the realm of "pop" music, it is all but dead. Not many rock artists in today's hot 100 or whatever it's called.
I hear you but are you going to tell me that that sounds like Led Zeppelin? No. It's Rock but it has evolved. That's what I'm saying. It's all a matter of your perspective. In the 60's, how many 5 string basses did you see? Now they're nearly as popular as a 4 string. It's evolution. Music is an art form and art changes. Music history shows us the evolution throughout the centuries i.e. the Classic era, Baroque, Romantic... etc. That's really all I'm saying. It's not dead per say, it has just evolved into what it is today. And personally I love it.
I used to love blues and have seen a lot of blues bands live, including SRV. But since 15 years I am totally bored with blues. It is all the same. When I play blues bass lines, I am totally bored and start improvising after the first 12 bars (read: screwing up the song). I always say that I moved on in my musical journey. Does anyone recognise this? The one and only band that woke me up recently were The Black Keys. I really love their dirty sound. And I still like ZZ Top and John Mayer (only because of Pino).
It doesn't have to sound like Zeppelin to be rock but I wouldn't call much of anything in the billboard hot 100 "rock". It's almost all hip hop and electronic music. I'm not saying there isn't good blues-based rock music out there... I'm just saying it's not really popular anymore.
I might sound like I'm being a smart ass here, but I'm not really trying to be. So you're bored because you think you've mastered it? Sure there is some amount of sameness, but the beauty of the blues is that in many cases you can improvise...a lot. Yes, the 12 bar 1-4-5 format is common, but the same song could be played sitting on the root, go root fifth, root fifth octave, throw a 3rd or 7th in there,all manner of walking bass lines ala Duck Dunn or Tommy Shannon just to name 2. Heck you could do all of those things within a song. Not to mention if you start shading toward the jazzier side of blues, or more extended blues based jams like Derek Trucks etc... It's likely you are more talented than I, but I feel like quitting my job and playing bass full time would still not have me mastering Jamerson's catalog of work and being bored, and that's just one dude.
First, Jimmy cut his teeth playing the blues. His father had a huge collection of blues music. He played on a cheap acoustic first. The music that was around the house was all blues. So that is what he imitated.
Second, the blues is not going to die. Every time some guy, or girl discovers the music, it is continuing. I find it hard to believe bass players find it boring. The bass is not meant to be a solo instrument. It does switch up. You can get thrown a quick
IV. Mess around with turnarounds.
Last, I can't think of music that is not, in some way, influenced by blues.
Even rap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ7IA8WeMAg
Second, the blues is not going to die. Every time some guy, or girl discovers the music, it is continuing. I find it hard to believe bass players find it boring. The bass is not meant to be a solo instrument. It does switch up. You can get thrown a quick
IV. Mess around with turnarounds.
Last, I can't think of music that is not, in some way, influenced by blues.
Even rap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ7IA8WeMAg
It seems the OP was simply prompting for a discussion of the reality that Blues is not currently in the spotlight of the Biz. I think that's right. It isn't currently "popular."
There also have been a large number of posts defending the legitimacy and general on-going interest by many musicians in Blues. Not to be denied. There are still many keepers of the faith out there, even if the commercial interest level is suppressed.
Meanwhile, the thread seems to have segued into whether or not individual players are or are not hip to Blues. Seems a bit off topic; but, while we are venting, I'll toss in my <2c.
Blues is to American Pop music what Freshman English is to writing (in English). A player needs to learn an appreciation of the history, styles, and techniques in Blues to be a mature Pop bass player or Jazz bass player. It's part of learning to "hang." If you don't get it, that's OK; there are plenty of brilliant players in Classical music who don't pay Blues dues and they do just fine. Just not in Pop music.
Two opinions here for those who think Blues is "boring." Either (A) you haven't looked through the Blues literature enough to know what the possibilities are, or (B) you don't understand the basis and therefore relevance to what is being played today. Or both.
So, IMO, it is a prerequisite; and not to be neglected or denied. Also, it's just plain satisfying and fulfilling to play it well; even if you never do anything else.
There also have been a large number of posts defending the legitimacy and general on-going interest by many musicians in Blues. Not to be denied. There are still many keepers of the faith out there, even if the commercial interest level is suppressed.
Meanwhile, the thread seems to have segued into whether or not individual players are or are not hip to Blues. Seems a bit off topic; but, while we are venting, I'll toss in my <2c.
Blues is to American Pop music what Freshman English is to writing (in English). A player needs to learn an appreciation of the history, styles, and techniques in Blues to be a mature Pop bass player or Jazz bass player. It's part of learning to "hang." If you don't get it, that's OK; there are plenty of brilliant players in Classical music who don't pay Blues dues and they do just fine. Just not in Pop music.
Two opinions here for those who think Blues is "boring." Either (A) you haven't looked through the Blues literature enough to know what the possibilities are, or (B) you don't understand the basis and therefore relevance to what is being played today. Or both.
So, IMO, it is a prerequisite; and not to be neglected or denied. Also, it's just plain satisfying and fulfilling to play it well; even if you never do anything else.
It may not have been meant as a solo instrument, but it works just as well solo as not. I believe this notion of what the bass HAS to be is why people find certain genres boring.
If blues is dead, I don't know what Tab Benoit is playing.
Unless he's gotten MUCH better than the last time I saw him, he's playing poor imitations of blues tunes and trying real hard (and failing) to put his personal spin on them by trying to throw in a jazz feel.
Problem is he can't really pull off either one.
Granted, this was many years ago and ATT he was little more than pretty face on an empty shell being pushed by some promoter trying to develop a draw for the ladies. The dead giveaway is when you go to see a featured artist and the band is obviously so much better than the featured artist even Ray Charles could see they are only there for the money.
That said, the draw for the ladies angle was already working really well when I saw him. All the female members of the local blues society would just gush about how cute he was and they dominated the stage front when he played. Several of them appeared to be struck by a strong case of the vapors they were so taken by his boyish good looks.
Although right sounding image and strong opinions are surely nicer than boring facts, I'd still like to place some info on this slightly sore wound.
Mojo magazine (Dec. 2005) has a fine article of Jimi's early years before stardom, great photos,too. In Jimi's class picture of '55 one can see various races together black, oriental, native and white ones on the same class depicting the racial athmosphere in Seattle at that time. So it wasn't any wonder that young Jimi's first idols were Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Perry Como. Later on he was into R&B acts like Fats Domino, Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry and his guitar hero was Duane Eddy. Of course he was very much into occasional visiting blues artists like B.B. King and Earl King.
The first song he is said to have learnt was this Tall Cool One by The Wailers (not the rasta ones) from Tacoma.
Jimi really met the blues when went in the army in Kentucky, though it is told that his Duane Eddy chops shocked in local blues clubs.
But if most of you hear deep blues even in Black Keys then you surely hear it in Hendrix and that's alright with me.
Just so I am clear on this "boring" thing...
Do those of you who consider Blues "boring" have this type of cut mastered so you are yawning while playing it?
Just curious. I mean, each to their own; but, I personally consider that a rather challenging line to get right, in the pocket and with appropriate variant licks.
If that is trivial and child's play for you, please send links to some of your stuff. I'm really looking forward to hearing it. Seriously.
Do those of you who consider Blues "boring" have this type of cut mastered so you are yawning while playing it?
Just curious. I mean, each to their own; but, I personally consider that a rather challenging line to get right, in the pocket and with appropriate variant licks.
If that is trivial and child's play for you, please send links to some of your stuff. I'm really looking forward to hearing it. Seriously.
