One of the most important categories of instrumental music is that of the blues. Blues as a genre emerged during the late teens and early twenties of the nineteenth century. It was played on plantations, small clubs, backyards, and wherever people were congregated. The basic instruments were simple, but the way they were used was often unique.
During the early years of blues, the most popular instrument was the electric guitar. It was first used by some groups as their main instrument and was soon considered a replacement for the harmonica and the piano. The earliest guitar players did not know what they were doing, and their efforts were not very successful. The electric guitar has been the rock star’s tool ever since.
There are certain things that the guitar player should know about playing the blues on guitar. First of all, learning to play the guitar is not so much an art as it is a science. You have to know what you are doing or you will never become successful. Playing the guitar is about applying your sense of hearing and touch together with the coordination of muscles. The entire body becomes one unit, instead of separate units.
Secondly, the guitar can be used in so many different ways that no two days are alike. There are styles, techniques, ways of changing the sound, and harmonies that can be incorporated into the songs. This is what makes the guitar so interesting. The guitar does not stop when you stop playing it. You can go back to the same tune, using the same scale, and just change the words to suit your mood.
The single most important factor that determines how well a song is played is the rhythm. Without a good sense of rhythm, a blues music tune is just not going to work out. Whether you are listening to a blues number for the first time or you are playing the same piece, a good grasp of rhythm is a necessity if you want to get the music down on the listeners. Some instruments work especially well for this.
Learning what instruments are used in blues music gives the player a greater depth of feeling when they are listening to a song. They can let the music take them places that are not otherwise imaginable. Blues is one of the few music genres that not only uses many traditional instruments, but it also creates its own new ones.