Blues music first emerged in the United States at the end of the 19th century, with many influences from Africa. Enslaved people would sing spirituals while they worked on plantations in the Deep South of America – these are songs with a call-and-response pattern between one lead singer and a group. In this context, blues music was sad and melancholic, and focused on hopelessness and injustice. However, over time it evolved and became used as a way of getting rid of the ‘blues’ through music. Different variations appeared and blues music as a whole grew in popularity in the States and beyond.
Blues music is often presented as a repeated cycle throughout a song, in the form of the 12-bar blues. Other common features include a walking bass, syncopation, and flattened notes, as well as improvisation.
Tomplay has a wide selection of blues sheet music for all instruments and levels, from beginner to upper advanced. Enjoy playing pieces like An American in Paris by George Gershwin and Whistling the Blues by Gerald Martin. We also offer a fantastic improvisation tool called TomImprov, which gives you the opportunity to improvise over these amazing tunes.
