The Secret Influence of Blues On Popular Music

There is an old lyric from a classic blues track that says, "the blues had a baby...and they called it rock n' roll."

Trust me, there is so much truth going on in that single verse You can listen to all the first rock n' roll songs and listen to the blues guitar riffs, chord progressions and scales being played, just in a less bluesy kinda way.

"Johnny B. Good" is a good example of a blues guitar progression being played with a rock drum beat and a vocal melody that is unusual from how a typical blues melody would sound. It doesn't stop there though. The influence on modern music is still very dominant. We hear it in hip-hop, rock, emo, indie, reggae, r & b, funk, etc

The popularly used 1 - 4 - 5 chord progression (3 chords) that is used in blues is also used in almost All type of music that exists. Even Mozart uses this chord progression as well as many others from the classical period. Not only do blues guitar riffs and chord progressions get used in modern music, but nearly all guitar solos also have blues overtones in rock music as well as the other styles that I mentioned. It has been a Essential ingredient in forming the shape sound of modern music no matter how you look at it.

Mastering how to play blues music should be a top priority on any guitar players 'to-do' list. Once you learn the ins and outs of this genre, you can improvise it to create your own modern songs, riffs and/or solos. Many guitar players that I know improvise on the blues scale to produce their main riffs and super spectacular leads as well as use the chord progressions to write different, more modern music.

Don't let anybody convince you that the blues is out!

About The Author:

Zack R is the founder of 50 Blues. If you love the blues, visit 50 Blues to access over 50 professional blues jam tracks. These blues guitar music tracks will skyrocket your desire for blues playing and practicing.

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