DELTA BLUES

ABSTRACT

            Delta blues are the earliest fashion of music which initially started from the Mississippi Delta region in the United States. The region is made up of alluvial plain which stretches to Memphis in the West, Vicksburg to the North, Mississippi being located in the south and to the East, Yazoo River (Ratcliffe et al pg. 35). The level of poverty especially during the time when the blue music was taking roots in that area was unstable as a result of low per capita income. However the land in Mississippi was found to be so fertile but cultivation is made difficult due to the presence of thickets. Blues music is an important commodity in the delta region as it has also attracted so many funs of the bleus to this area. There exist two types of blues the normal blues and the deep Blues where the Delta basically deals with the deep Blues which is more emotional and this type of music is more felt than described (Gioia pg.5). Blues music has remained to be the only long lasting legacy in the Delta region even though so many other vision have washed out. It is true that Delta area is considered as the original place where Blues were born but there is no proof to prove that it started in this place. However, we can only give credit to the Delta region since it is from this region that the unique intensity of the music was found to be stronger than any other place thus attracting the World’s attention. The nature of the Blues music is that the music is unrefined, roughshod music with few superfluities (Gioia pg. 4). Freddie Spruell was the first Delta Blues artist while John Lomax and his son Alan are recorded as the extensive artist who recorded more of the music.

 

 

BODY

Delta Blues comprise of simple and stark defining characters.

            The fact that the Delta Blues music existed in the twentieth century when there were less advancement in the music industry, the music in that time could not have complex nature. Thus the artists at that time only used the few available instruments that they used in their music. Also, they used simple styles while composing their songs as the current issues that are emerging in the current world did not exist then. During those eras the education was not as it is today where almost every sector that revolves around human life are taught in school.

            Thus at those times education skills for music discipline did not exist and this attributed to the uses of non-sophisticated skills of playing the instruments. The Delta people basically used the guitar as the core instrument as they would not even afford other instruments. The major reasons as to why they used the guitars was the fact they were cheap, portable thus allowing them to move from one street to another and while making isolated Blues music. It is also evident that these guitars are not that good as the chords are less strummed and the clusters of notes which are pinched from a pentatonic scale and are tinted with sardonic dissonances where seeking a voice leading is futile (Palmer et al pg. 15). Therefore there were limited harmonic varieties in those times, with only the use of a solitary chord with a few adjustments in the entire song, a tender texture of sound persistent and pounding. In composing these Blues songs they integrated the use of simple riff, few notes that could only act as the anchor, scope and engine space and the use of repeated outline. The use of melodies was not more elaborate than that of the harmonies.

The Delta could not afford the luxury such as the use of a band like the one used in Chicago, in Memphis or in Detroit. They were self sufficient with the use of the guitar mostly supported by the singers who take care of it with love, at times smacking it in percussive accompaniment and playing it by means of broken glass pieces or a knife (Gioia pg.5). Thus it is evident to say that the Delta Blues used the basic instruments and used basic skills to compose, play the instruments and used simple performances.

The Delta Blues have greatly influenced the music field.

            We cannot ignore the great influence that the Delta Blues music has brought unto the world we are living in today. Their impacts are so much noticeable to an extent that we cannot even explain. However some authors have tried to expound on these influences. The songs that were made in Delta region have really transformed the world music. It has influenced the sound in the musical lives even up to date with so much pervasiveness. The current soundscapes were re-energized by the Delta Blues tonality which found well-to-do deposits by pulling out the cracks connecting the notes of our Western balance. The emergence of latest approach of musical expression was made possible by the Blues method of phrasing, the hard bite of its distinguishing harmonies and its incisive melodies. The Blues has thus formed a base to the kind of music that we listen to daily as it comprises of some similarities but which have been improved (Gioia pg.2).

Lyrics of the Delta Blues songs

            These artists challenged the common expectations of the people as they dealt with extensive themes in their songs. This is evidenced by the lyrics of their songs. On a apparent level, the songs dealt with themes of love and marriage, romance, travels and adventure.

They however gave just a small portion of their entire story as their aim was to communicate on a certain charged and disordered state of mind. The artists also addressed the secular topics with more passion than that of the religious music. In their religious composure of songs they used more of the book of revelation than the love book thus ended up talking of the redemption and the fall of man and the hot pursuit of the devil and the coming of the end of the world in a resonant language. These themes were largely adopted by the Americans and later it globalized even to our current cultures (Gioia pg 6).

Growth and spread of the Delta Blues music

            Delta Blues have not remained stagnant since its initiation. It has therefore spread all over the world and has given rise to other forms of music among them being, the rock and roll which in turn has borne other many sub-categories of the Blues. Practically it is right to state that the Delta sound now throbs as the fundamental heartbeat of essentially all styles of popular music. This indicates that there has been growth as too many other songs trace their origin from the Delta Blues. Originally the music was only to the Delta people but now it has spread and is distributed all over the world parts as many listen to the smaller forms of the Blues (Gioia pg 6-8).

Delta Blues performers

            Most of the Blues performers are men with few women who have participated in the composing and the singing of the Blues music. This is evident as in the early 1920’s around three women musicians dominated by then such as Ma Rainey, Mammie Smith and Bessie Smith. Women thus rarely involved themselves in recording of the Delta Blues and the folk Blues as most women were romantically involved with the prominent male artists.

 However, with time women began to record songs and they started reaching so many audiences with an influential and emotional vocal delivery (Gioia pg 57)

Benefits that came along with the Delta Blues

            There are indirect benefits that also accrue to the Mississippi and their locals. The area has attracted tourists to this region who move from their generating region into the Delta destination due to the interest of Blues music. The Blues tourists have thus been able to appreciate the Mississippians who have really tried in promoting its Blues tradition, beliefs and heritage. The visitation of these tourists has led to racial reconciliation, the nation’s pride and the community’s pride. Economically, the area has improved as the music industry in this area has grown thus increasing per capita income for the local Blues artists. The land has also acted as the ground where scholars and researchers interested in the discipline of music as they are able to examine and evaluate the Delta Blues and critique them so as to build up developers and boosters who are accountable for the stylistic messages that are composed to serve authorized and sociopolitical goals (Collins, Janelle pg. 259).

CONCLUSION

The legacy that the Delta Blues has left behind is great and the impacts of this early form of music are far greater than we can all explain. The new versions of songs that we are currently enjoying in the day to day life are as a result of the Delta Blues from which these versions were born. It is thus fair for us to appreciate and give credit to the singers from the Delta region. The Delta Blues have globalized and with far much updated versions, styles, themes and instruments and the way in which we play them due to the evolution of the world.

REFERENCES

Collins, Janelle. Defining the Delta: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Lower Mississippi       River Delta. , 2015. Print.

Gioia, Ted. Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized         American Music. , 2008. Internet resource.

Palmer, Robert. Deep Blues: [a Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta]. New       York, NY [u.a.: Penguin Books, 1982. Print.

Ratcliffe, Philip R. Mississippi John Hurt: His Life, His Times, His Blues. Jackson: University     Press of Mississippi, 2011. Print.