African American Music Style

Words: 456

Pages: 2

Open Document

There are numerous elements that connect slave-era African American music and early style blues. Three of the most predominant connections are shown in the simplicity of the composition, improvisation of sound, and use of emotion. Simplicity is a reoccurring theme throughout both styles. For example, in the “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” clip, the chain-gangs would layer vocals on top of the simple, rhythmic, repetitive beat of hammers. This style is also seen in the song “John Henry”. Likewise, the blues sound is known for being built upon a simple 3-chords over 12-bar sequences. This sequence allows artists to easily improvise and allowed for convenient storytelling. The simple composition of these styles was also accompanied by meaningful …show more content…
Traditionally played by a solo artist, the blues style is fluid and impulsive and would focus on liberating oneself from the burdens of the ‘blues’ feeling. Lastly, slave-era music and blues share a utilization of emotion within their lyrics and vocals. For example, slave-era music would often give meaning to their songs by singing about their emotions such as loneliness. Likewise, later blues was meant to be focused around emotional release like “stomping” away the blues to exfoliate the ‘blues’ feeling. Country and classic blues may be similar enough to be considered in the same genre (blues) but there are stark differences such as origin and style which are where the changes emerge. Whereas, country-blues originated in the deep south near the Mississippi River Delta region on farms and plantations, classical-blues rose to prominence in a more stage-like setting through black vaudeville variety shows. As well, the contrast in musical style between classical and country blues is apparent. Classical blues traditionally had an ensemble cast who would play various instruments like trumpet, guitar, piano, etc. Furthermore, classical would often be vocalized by a female

R & B Music Style Analysis

The music could be define as a style of sounds prepared by instruments design for music along with voices, in order to give pleasure to audience listening to it. In today society, music is listened all over the place and it is influenced by different cultures, and economic organization. All those effects will give to the music different technique, styles, and rhythms. It is in this logic that we are going to explore the African music style (Makossa), Jazz, and R&B music style. The Makossa is known…

Words 787 - Pages 4

African-American Influence On African American Music

INTRODUCTION African-Americans have had a notable influence on American music. Since the days the slave trade began African slaves brought over, to this New World, their customs and tradition of music. They used music to give themselves some sort of cultural and ethnical identity in the New World. They also brought a rich African heritage, including songs. Adapted to reflect the experiences of life of hard labor on plantations, these slave work songs, laments, and shouts of protest evolve into…

Words 1159 - Pages 5

Harlem Renaissance Influence

The Harlem Renaissance was an African-American cultural movement of the 1920s and 30s, centered in Harlem,New york that commemorated black traditions, voices and ways of life.Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader who composed thousands of scores over his 50-year career. He was a major figure in the history of jazz music and a huge contributor to the Harlem Renaissance with his creative musical style called "Swing". Swing was a new style of music that shifted the norm of typical…

Words 639 - Pages 3

African American Music Essay

African American music is a large recognized and acknowledged attribute to world culture by being created from unity from enslavement, and creativity. There are several different types of music genres that are under the umbrella term African American music. These types include blues, jazz, spirituals and gospel. They reflect the attitudes and concerns of both the performers and their culture at a specific time and place in history. Eddie Meadows explains that Ethnomusicologists espouse the generally…

Words 730 - Pages 3

Essay on Ragtime and Blues Influence on Jazz

Parents of Jazz Jazz is a music genre that has complex characteristics and history of development and thus many musicians and scholars face troubles in defining what jazz is. In general, jazz is believed to have born in New Orleans. Jazz developed for the pleasure of the social dancers. According to the “Understanding Jazz: What Is Jazz?” of John F. Kennedy center for the Performing Arts, Jazz was created mainly by Afro-Americans, and had elements of European and Afro-American culture. Also, it emphasizes…

Words 1368 - Pages 6

Jazz Ken Burns Essays

stream of African Americans that escaped to New Orleans from the segregation in the Mississippi Delta. With them, they brought the blues, which according to Gerald Early, an African American essayist and American culture critic, was an “aesthetic that freed them from the burden of minstrelsy.” The blues were a combination of spirituals, work songs, call and response, shouts only made possible because of the suffering of the blacks during their oppression as Alberta Hunter, an American blues singer…

Words 1457 - Pages 6

Research Paper On The Harlem Renaissance

Migration, which brought many African Americans into the urban areas of the U.S. This brought a variety of customs and culture, enriching society with arts, culture, etc. As a result, this created a new form of African American arts, which gained popularity mainly in the Harlem neighborhood. The Harlem Renaissance lasted for quite a long time, beginning from 1918 until the 1930s. Music such as jazz and blues had a major role during the Harlem Renaissance period. Most of its music is still listened today…

Words 703 - Pages 3

jazz dance Essay

dance reflect the diversity of American culture. Jazz dance mirrors the social history of the American people, reflecting ethnic influences, historic events, and cultural changes. Jazz dance has been greatly influenced by social dance and popular music. But, like so much that is “from America”, the history of jazz dance begins somewhere else. The origins of jazz music and dance are found in the rhythms and movements brought to America by African slaves. The style of African dance is earthy; low, knees…

Words 2766 - Pages 12

African American Minstrelsy Research Paper

portrayal of African Americans, it became very popular and had great impacts on show business. It did so through racial pigeon-holing of African Americans in the performing arts. In the 1880s, minstrelsy had changed and the notion that it was merely meant for the European Americans varnished. In all phases of show business, African Americans became managers, composers, performers, and owners. Nonetheless, some of the most successful troupes were still in the hands of the European Americans. It is noteworthy…

Words 330 - Pages 2

Ralph Ellison Jazz Influence

Throughout history, music has always been a means of expression. Musicians in their respective time periods have always used music as a way to discuss the trials and tribulations they have faced. However, there is no better example of this than Jazz and Blues music. Gaining popularity in the early 20th century, Jazz and Blues music was pioneered by African American musicians. The lyrical content of songs in this idiom usually spoke about issues that pertained to the African American experience at the…

Words 1093 - Pages 5