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What is blues music?

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The heart of jazz, the blues is a musical form now standardized as 12 bars, based on the tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords. The "blue notes" are the flatted third and seventh. A statement is made in the first four bars, repeated (sometimes with slight variation) in the next four, and answered or commented on in the last four. In vocal blues the lyrics are earthy and direct and are mostly concerned with basic human problemsÑlove and sex, poverty, and death. The tempo may vary, and the mood ranges from total despair to cynicism and satire.

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Similar questions: What musical form is the heart of jazz? What are the "blue notes"? What are the subjects of vocal blues? [ Hide these questions ]

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