Top 5 Blues Music Resources and Websites for Educators and Learners

Top 5 Blues Music Resources and Websites for Educators and Learners

Blues music is a genre that has deep roots in the Black American community. It is unique because it represents both a form and a genre of music. It was originally represented by melancholic tones. However, the scope of blues music has far surpassed its original sound. Blues music is a chromatic music style that utilizes microtones to create melodies. If you’re interested in learning or teaching Blues music, you might want to consider the 5 resources we’ll be going over in this article.

Features of Blues Music

Before we dive into the helpful resources and websites, let’s consider the different features of Blues music. The most prominent features of blues music include:

  • Unique chord progressions
  • Call and response
  • Bass
  • Syncopation
  • Dissonance in harmonies

  • Unique chord progressions

The chord progressions in blues consist of a 12-bar which makes the blues sound more “vibrant”. Unlike conventional chords, which end with an I chord, blues adopts a V chord as the end to a lick. 

  • Call and response

In blues music, a common practice is for leads to make a call and get a response in return. It gives the music progression the impression of a conversation between the soloist and other band members. It displays the organization of blues music.

  • Bass

Bass is one of the most common parts of blues music. Other genres adopt the bass; however, it is most common in blues and jazz. Bass in jazz is usually derived from the upright jazz and jazz guitar.

  • Syncopation

Blues has a lot of syncopation. Syncopation involves using rest, short notes, and ties to create accents in the beats of a song.

  • Dissonance in harmonies

The pitches in blues are sometimes harsh. This use of such pitches within chords in blues is known as dissonant harmony. 

Best Blues Resources and Websites

There are a lot of online resources available for learning blues music. Whether you’re an educator or learner, here are 5 of the best music resources to consider:

PBSLearning

PBS is a great platform to try when you need beginner-level blues music resources. They have resources suitable for students and educators who need help learning blues. PBS learning uses themes that are dependent on school grade levels. PBS utilizes a website and a YouTube channel for its online education. These sites reference several materials, so learners can go further to research any relevant information they might need. 

Musical-U

Musical-U is an online music resource platform that teaches about the theoretical aspects of blues music. Here people can learn about blues music’s elements, culture, and history. Furthermore, educators and learners can access their archive of YouTube content to get pictorial information on blues.

Musical Schools

The best place to learn the most relevant and in-depth information on blues and any other type of music is in a musical school. Some of the best musical schools worldwide have created great artists grounded in the blues genre. Musical schools also allow students to compete, compose and compare their music to improve their performance. Educators can also get information from musical school websites or just go to them to further their studies. 

YouTube 

YouTube offers some of the best resources for learning blues music online. It offers information on chord progressions, the structure of blues music, instruments and how to play them, melodies, and blues harmonies. Furthermore, YouTube offers services that allow students to have a more visual learning approach. The resources available are unlimited, and as long as you have the suitable filters, you can find great resources to learn blues music that suits teachers and students. 

There are copious handy online resources for studying anything these days. Struggling students can fund online research paper writing help from experts for an affordable price. Many services, tutors and libraries exist to make education more accessible and fun. You can use some of those resources for your academic assignments and extracurricular activities like learning music.

Cooperative Societies 

Different cooperative societies exist for many reasons. What they all have in common is the sharing and distribution of resources. One major benefit of cooperatives is that people will provide access to their personal resources and the information available there is a collective of different people’s personal resources combined into one. Blues cooperatives are no exception. They provide access to countless blues records, compositions, books, etc. Most cooperatives are affordable and easy to join. 

Final Thoughts
Evidently, there are countless cool online resources blues learners, and teachers will find useful. Conduct s thorough browse and find all the best tips and practices to boost your music knowledge. Look through our picks and find try the resources that speak to you. Have fun learning!

Author’s Bio
Diane Sherron is a music instructor and songwriter. While blues is her favorite music genre, she also loves listening to hip-hop and rock. She creates articles that music practitioners find helpful. In her spare time, she enjoys going for long walks.

Photo Credit: Unsplash