Blues Styles

How do you start aBlues Styles research paper? Our expert writers suggest like this:

The blues styles known as country blues music, classic blues and acoustic urban blues coexisted for large parts of the 1920s and 1930s. To write an excellent research paper on various blues styles include the following topics in your research paper:

• Discuss at length how and when each style developed, how it was first recorded and how each style evolved (if you think it did).
• Actively find similarities and contrasts among the three styles (be specific-don't assume that the reader can guess your conclusions).
• Examine elements such as:
  • Ensemble
  • Vocal Style
  • Text

To focus your discussion and to illustrate your points, you may want to use the following songs found on the CD set, Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues. The following sections are very insightful:

• Country blues: Robert Johnson "Cross Road Blues" disc 2, track 6
• Classic blues: Bessie Smith "Muddy Water" disc 1, track 5
• Acoustic urban blues: Big Bill Broonzy "Key to the Highway" disc 2, track 12

How to Write a Research Paper on Blues Styles

Writing on various blues styles is much like writing any other typical research paper. Follow the guidelines below to help remember the little things.

• Begin with an introductory paragraph, which sets out the thesis of your paper (it's often best to rewrite the introduction last).
• End your paper with a substantial conclusion that sums up what you have said.
• Remember that when you quote an author, you must put the passage in quotation marks and clearly cite your source (author, title, page number).
• If you closely paraphrase an author, you must also clearly cite your source.

Various Blues Styles

The blues vocals began as work songs, spirituals or field hollers, and instrumentals were provided by clapping hands, or playing the guitar, harmonica, horn or whatever could be used to produce a sound. The songs were not written down originally, so there was considerable variation and innovation with each repetition, as well as "call", communication between the musicians. The basic form, though, was a twelve-bar style with three-chord progressions. From this humble beginning, the blues began to move north, notably into Harlem, where it developed along with jazz in clubs such as the Apollo. By the time of the Roaring Twenties, white audiences were fascinated with the blues sound.

Various styles of blues that have emerged over the years include the Delta blues of Son House and Robert Johnson, New Orleans blues, and Texas blues. In Memphis, the blues had a jugband vaudeville sound; the Chicago blues of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf used amplified sound for a modern feel. The British blues of the 1960s were heavily influenced by rock. Great classic blues singers included Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith and the most famous of all, Bessie Smith, "The Empress of the Blues".