Rhythm and Blues today

So you’ve mastered the 12-bar blues or at least the concept of it and you want to push your blues playing to the next level. Well, The best way to liven up your playing is to learn the shuffle rhythm. I’m not sure where the name comes from, but the shuffle is a term used to describe the break up of a beat into two parts where the first is longer than the second.

The shuffle rhythm is based on an eighth note triplet rhythm. A triplet is when you use three notes in a given time space rather than two. In a standard 4/4 time signature where there is four quarter notes the eighth notes would be counted as…

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-& … where the &’s are the eighth notes between each quarter. to fill the same time signature with eighth note triplets we would count as…

1-trip-let-2-trip-let-3-trip-let-4-trip-let … where the trip’s and let’s are eighth notes totaling three per quarter note. So basically…

1-& = 1-trip-let

The blues shuffle rhythm is achieved by playing the first and third notes in a series of triplets. So if the count is…

1-trip-let-2-trip-let-3-trip-let-4-trip-let … then you will be playing on all the down-beats or numbers and the let’s. I have bolded the notes you should be striking to better illustrate.

1-trip-let-2-trip-let-3-trip-let-4-trip-let.

To hear what the shuffle rhythm really sounds like try listening to Led Zeppelin’s - You Shook Me or Grateful Dead’s - Truckin

I hope this has cleared up any confusion you may have been having with the blues shuffle rhythm or maybe it made it worse. Remember you can always ask me a question by clicking the contact link at the bottom of the nav bar and sending an e-mail. Ready to start playing the shuffle rhythm?

Check out this easy guitar lesson that rocks and download the tab on that page. Play it using the shuffle rhythm and you’ll see how cool it really is.



By: John Robert

Mento 

Jamaica’s original rural folk music, called mento, is the grandfather of reggae music and had significant influences on the formation of that genre. Jamaica’s “country music” was inspired by African and European music as well as by American jazz and featured acoustic guitars, banjos, bamboo saxes, hand drums and marimbula (large thumb pianos) also called rhumba boxes, which were large enough to sit on and play. There were also a variety of hand percussion instruments like maracas. Mento’s vocals had a distinctly African sound and the lyrics were almost always humorous and happy. Everywhere people gathered you could find a mento band and there were many mento and calypso competitions throughout the island. Mento also gave birth to Jamaica’s recording industry in the 1950s when it first became available on 78 RPM records. Mento is still around today.

Before World War II, calypso from Trinidad and Tobago had made its way into Jamaica’s music and, although quite different, the two were often confused. Jamaica’s own calypso artists performed alongside its mento artists throughout the island, for locals and tourists alike. A calypso craze swept the U.S. and U.K. in the late 1950s as Harry Belafonte came onto the scene. Many of his songs were actually mento but they were more often described as calypso. 

After the war, transistor radios and jukeboxes had become widely available and Jamaicans were able to hear music from the southern U.S., particularly jazz and rhythm and blues from some of the greats like Fats Domino and Jelly Roll Morton, and records flooded into the island. 

And then, in the early 1960s, came American R&B. With a faster and far more danceable tempo, the genre caught on quickly in Jamaica. Attempting to copy this sound with local artists, Jamaicans added their own unique twists, blending in elements of their Caribbean heritage, fusing it with mento and calypso and jazz, to create a unique genre heavily driven by drums and bass and accented with rhythms on the off-beat, or the “upstroke”.  This purely Jamaican genre dominated the Jamaican music scene at the time and was known as … ska. 

Ska 

Coinciding with the festive mood in the air when Jamaica won its independence from the U.K. in 1962, ska had a type of 12-bar rhythm and blues framework; the guitar accented the second and fourth beats in the bar, essentially flipping the R&B shuffle beat, and gave rise to this new sound. 

Because Jamaica didn’t ratify the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works until 1994, Jamaican musicians often created instrumental ska versions of songs by popular American and British artists; copyright infringement was not an issue! The Skatalites re-made Motown hits, surf music and even the Beatles in their own style. The Wailers’ first single Simmer Down was a ska smash in Jamaica in late 1963/early 1964 but they also covered And I Love Her by the Beatles and Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan.

Although the sound system concept had taken root in Jamaica in the mid 1950s, ska led to its explosion in popularity and it became a major, uniquely Jamaican, industry that continues to thrive today. Enterprising DJs with U.S. sources for the latest records would load up pickup trucks with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers, and drive around the island blaring out the latest hits. Essentially these sound systems were like loud mobile discos! DJs charged admission and sold food and alcohol, enabling them to profit in Jamaican’s unstable economy. Thousands would sometimes gather and sound systems became big business. Amidst fierce competition, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and Duke Reid surfaced as two of the star DJs of the day. Reliant on a steady source of new music, these two superstars began to produce their own records, ultimately becoming Studio One (Dodd) and Treasure Isle (Reid). 

Other important ska producers were Prince Buster, whose Blue Beat label records inspired many Jamaican ska (and later reggae) artists, and Edward Seaga, who owned and operated the West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) in the 1960s but went on to become Prime Minister of Jamaica and leader of the Jamaican Labour Party in the 1980s.

As Jamaicans emigrated in large numbers to the U.K., the sound system culture followed and became firmly entrenched there. Without the efforts of a white Anglo-Jamaican named Chris Blackwell, the rest of the world might not have come to know this Jamaican brand of music. Blackwell, a record distributor, moved his label to the U.K. in 1962 and began releasing records there on various labels, including the Island label. His early artists included the Skatalites, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. Blackwell’s international breakthrough came in 1964 when his artist Millie Small hit the U.S. airwaves with My Boy Lollipop.

Back in Jamaica, as American R&B and soul music became slower and smoother in the mid-1960s, ska changed its sound and evolved into… rocksteady.

Rocksteady 

Songs that described dances were very popular now in the U.S. and U.K, as well as Jamaica.  In the U.S., we had The Twist, The Locomotion, The Hanky Panky and The Mashed Potato. One popular dance-song in Jamaica was The Rock Steady by Alton Ellis. The name for this entire genre may have been based on that song title.

The only noteworthy difference between ska and rocksteady was the tempo. Both styles had the famous Jamaican rhythm guitar complemented by drums, bass, horns, vocals and a groove that kept you on your feet moving, but the drum and bass are played at a slower, more relaxed, pace and the rhythm is more syncopated.

Rocksteady arose at a time when Jamaica’s poverty-stricken youths had become disillusioned about their futures after Jamaica gained independence from Britain. Turning into delinquents, these unruly youths became known as “rude boys”.  Rocksteady’s themes mainly dealt with love and the rude boy culture, and had catchy dance moves which were far more energetic than the earlier ska dance moves. Many bass lines originally created for rocksteady songs continue to be used in today’s Jamaican music.

As a musical style, rocksteady was short-lived, and existed for only about two years. Some of the more well-known rocksteady artists were Alton Ellis, Justin Hinds and the Dominos, Derrick Morgan, The Gaylads, The Kingstonians, Delroy Wilson, Bob Andy, Ken Boothe, The Maytals and The Paragons. 

Continuing to evolve, Jamaica’s musical tempo slowed, bass patterns became more complex, and the piano gave way to the electric organ, giving birth to… reggae, which eventually became the most popular music genre in the world!



By: Theresa Goodell

By Thompson….”A Shot of Rhythm Blues”. Recorded for the BBC by a group called the Beatles in August of 1963, this song was never released until 1994. … shot of rhythm and blues beatles john lennon rock guitar music ruotze

This method aims to teach blues guitar to beginners or to rock players wishing to acquire knowledge of the blues. It is part of the National Guitar Workshop series and comes complete with a quality CD where the author plays all the book’s examples for you.

The book follows two main threads that cover both rhythm guitar and soloing techniques. Both are presented in a very complete and clear manner and are clearly illustrated with examples.

Rhythm Playing

After a short introduction to some blues music theory the book kicks off with some rhythm guitar basics. Building from these you’ll learn all about different blues styles such as shuffle, boogie-woogie, Chicago blues, Texas swing, minor blues and slow blues. There are great example songs to get your rhythm chops up to scratch in all of these styles.

Going Solo

The soloing chapters of the book provide an equally complete presentation of electric blues guitar skills. This starts out with an introduction to the blues scales and a number of ways to use them to build licks and solos. The essential blues techniques of hammer-on and pull-off, slides, bends, and vibrato are all given a thorough treatment.

The soloing material is topped off with some signature licks from blues greats such as T-Bone Walker, BB King, Albert King, and Albert Collins as well as advice on improvisation to help you build your own solos.

A Touch Of Class

Not content with an already excellent coverage of blues rhythm and solo playing, the book adds the finishing touches with some great intros, turnarounds and endings that will give your blues playing a classy edge.

You’ll also find a final chapter with advice on planning and organizing your guitar learning, as well as recommendations for some backing tracks to accompany your practice.

Conclusion

This is an excellent method for guitarists with a little experience wanting to learn electric blues guitar. The book’s presentation is very clear and the writing style makes it easy to follow. The author’s knowledge and enthusiasm for blues guitar comes across clearly.

Complete newcomers to the guitar might find it a little hard going, but if you’re willing to work then it really does contain all you need to know for a long while.

If you’re interested in playing acoustic blues guitar then this is not the best book for you. You might, however, still enjoy it if you’re looking to understand playing blues in a band or jam with other musicians.

The very complete coverage will keep you busy learning for a long time making this method excellent value for your money. When you get through with it you’ll have all the knowledge you need to play blues songs in a variety of styles with other musicians. If that’s your goal then this book is highly recommended.

Copyright (c) 2008, Gary Fletcher



By: Gary Fletcher

In 1954 Bill Haley recorded the first Rock n Roll record, “Rock Around the Clock.” Not to say that that Rock n Roll was not recorded before that time. What I am saying is that generally “Rock Around the Clock” is considered the first. Prior to Bill Haley’s hit song, Rock n Roll music was considered Rhythm and Blues and only making a mild impact on popular music of the day. However, by 1955 a generation of WWII baby boomers were about to become teenagers and reject the music of the preceding generations. Combining Rhythm and Blues along with Country Music, mid 1950s singers and song writers created Rock n Roll. In its new form Rock n Roll caught the imagination of young people. What Bill Haley started in April of 1954, Elvis Presley finished in August of 1954 when he recorded “That’s All Right Mama”. Rock n Roll was here to stay.

So just what did several generations of teenage baby boomers do with all the Rock n Roll 45 RPM records and 33 1/3 RPM albums they purchased in the 1950s, 1960s. No, they did not trash them! They were carefully put away when record players disappeared off the market. It’s time to dig all your old records out of hiding and bring them into the digital age.

Convert all of your old 33, 45 and 78 RPM records into amazing quality digital recordings with a USB Turntable. A USB Turntable lets you digitize your favorite music records on your PC, via the USB port. All the software and cables needed come with the turntables. Convert records into CD’s that you can play anywhere including in your car. Archive to MP3 and play on any digital media player. Several different brands are available, prices range from $99.00 to $300.00.



By: Glyn Farber

The Rolling Stones is an internationally acclaimed English band. First introduced in the U.S. on their American tour in 1969, the band is recognized as one of the most successful and longest-running groups in music industry.

The Rolling Stones have produced and performed 40 years of impressive, captivating music. Originally the Rolling Stones was a rock and roll, rhythm and blues band, but later they switched to blues, psychedelic, country music and even reggae.

The Formation of the Rolling Stones

Harmonica player and guitarist Brian Jones formed the band around 1962. As the leader, Jones recruited Mick Jagger for vocals, Ian Stewart for piano and Geoff Bradford for guitars. Jagger invited Keith Richards to join the band. The Rolling Stones’ original lineup also included Dick Taylor for bass and different drummers, such as Carlo Little, Tony Chapman and Mick Avory.

Since Bradford was not pleased about playing rock and roll, he immediately left Rolling Stones and was replaced by Bill Wyman. Taylor also left to attend art school and was soon replaced by Charlie Watts.

When The Beatles heard about Rolling Stones, they helped the new band to get in touch with famous manager Andrew Oldham. George Harrison even contacted Decca Records to get the Rolling Stones to sign a record deal.

Rolling Stones Albums that Became Legendary

The Rolling Stones’ first album, entitled “Rolling Stones (England’s Newest Hitmakers)” under Decca Records was released in 1964. It was then followed by a UK tour that gave way to a new rhythm and blues style.

The follow-up album, entitled “The Rolling Stones No.2,” still included cover songs. Around 1963, the Rolling Stones toured the U.S. after the Beatles’ introduction to the British Invasion.

There the Rolling Stones received their first big hit with “Time is on my Side.” However, in June 1965, the band released their third album, “Out of Our Heads,” which featured the “Satisfaction” U.S. song cover that gave way to the band’s hit-making streak.

In 1996 the album “Progression” was released, featuring compositions of Richards and Jagger. However, the 1997 “Between the Buttons” album clearly demonstrates the major influences of the band’s contemporaries like The Kinks and The Who.

After the release of the “We Love You” single, Rolling Stones then released “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” which became criticized for riding with the Beatle’s mania.

On the “Beggars Banquet” album, the Rolling Stones came back to their original rock and roll sound, despite personal tension between Richards and Jones. In June 1969, however, Jones was forced to leave the band for good after continuous absences from recording sessions. He was replaced by Mick Taylor for guitars. Jones drowned on his home pool two days before the Rolling Stones’ performance at Hyde Park Concert.

In 1969 Rolling Stones ended their contract with Decca Records and set up their own recording company. “Sticky Fingers” of 1971 and “Exile on Main St.” were released after Mick Jagger left his hometown. Even after Jagger and Richards had separate social lives, the album “Goats Head Soup” was released in 1973.

While Jagger and Richards would continue their power struggle for years, they eventually patched things up and buried the hatchet upon the release of the “Steel Wheels” album in early 1989.

Rolling Stones continued to produce amazing rock and roll music without too much controversy on albums like “Voodoo Lounge” of 1994, “Stripped” of 1995, “Bridges to Babylon” of 1997, “Forty Licks” of 2002 and “A Bigger Bang” of 2005.



By: Diana Christy