Listening to Blues
Students often ask me to suggest blues artists or albums that they ought to listen to, and I provide recommendations. In the coming weeks and months, I will share these recommendations with you, but before we get to that . . . do you know how to listen to music? The question seems so simple, and the answer so obvious, that many of my students never even ask!
As musicians, we need to listen to music deeply and carefully. Digital music services, like Spotify or even YouTube, are designed to keep the audience moving. After we listen to a song, an algorithm suggests something else. Sometimes, we need to resist the algorithm and listen to a song over and over again, until we really understand the music.
Let’s say you want to listen to blues guitar. I often recommend B.B. King “Live at the Regal,” one of most famous blues records of all time. It was recorded as a live performance at the Regal Theatre in Chicago on November 21, 1964. Listen to the first song, “Everyday I Have the Blues.” Do you notice the length of the song? It’s only 2 minutes and 39 seconds! A 12-bar blues in Bb with 8 choruses (the band plays the 12-bar progression 8 times). How do I know this? I have listened to the song so many times! A long time ago, I transcribed B.B. King’s guitar solo, then the horn lines and bass line. The horn lines repeat certain hooks. There are 4 different horn lines. One of them is R M3 5 M6 b7 M6 5 M3 . . . I learned all these things by listening intently to the song over and over again.
One key to this learning strategy is to listen to only one album for two weeks, a month, or even three months! Listen to one side of the album, or the first 5 songs on a CD, for several days, until each song sinks into your heart. Then, listen to the other side of the album, or the next 5 songs on the CD.
Check out “Live at the Regal.” The entire recording is less than 35 minutes long. If you don’t like “Everyday I Have the Blues, try another song: “Sweet Little Angel” or “Help the Poor.” If this album does not engage you, please keep an eye out for other blues listening suggestions in upcoming newsletters.
If you are a Guitar Wisdom subscriber, please share your thoughts about this listening approach in the Forums. Thank you!
-Tomo
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