What's the difference between Jazz and Blues?
- Thread starter RayKnight
- Start date
cool-beans
New member
Err. Listening to jazz pieces and blues pieces can easily let you tell the difference.
Jazz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMmeNsmQaFw
Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSZuwTZaTjk
there are many types of jazz and blues tho. those 2 are just the 1st 2 examples of jazz and blues that came to my mind. hope this helps!
Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSZuwTZaTjk
there are many types of jazz and blues tho. those 2 are just the 1st 2 examples of jazz and blues that came to my mind. hope this helps!
billthegeek
New member
Generally speaking, jazz is more complicated, more diverse, and less restrictive than blues.
i agree with u on those points but although jazz is less restrictive, both genres emphasize on improvisation a lot compared to others.
jazz also uses chromaticism and dissonace more and blues just uses the blues scale which is neither major nor minor.
and lastly, just listen to jazz/blues classics and read up on wiki to find out la. it'll probably tell u more than what we can.
EugeneSmasher
New member
Blues and jazz are obviously different, in fact there are many subgenres of jazz as well, and they all sound different, but to be honest I have no idea how to explain the differences haha. Perhaps the difference can be explained using music theory but in laymans' terms (I don't know music theory), I can't put it into words.
Jazz has more scat singing though. There's also more improvisation I think. There's jazz improvisation as well as song-based jazz, so jazz on its own is really, really diverse. The drums in jazz are also very different - a lot more complicated, lots of accents, etc. On the whole I'd say jazz is far more complicated than blues though blues can be quite complicated too.
Don't take my word for it, though. Like I said, explaining the difference in laymans' terms is difficult for me...
Jazz has more scat singing though. There's also more improvisation I think. There's jazz improvisation as well as song-based jazz, so jazz on its own is really, really diverse. The drums in jazz are also very different - a lot more complicated, lots of accents, etc. On the whole I'd say jazz is far more complicated than blues though blues can be quite complicated too.
Don't take my word for it, though. Like I said, explaining the difference in laymans' terms is difficult for me...
Jumpin'Jellybean
New member
The common point of jazz and blues is clear : they are never played in singapore radio. That's why we have such questions around here. Moreover, i see a lot of musicians thinking they "play" jazz because they us a G13 instead of a G7.
For an in depth coverage of blues structure ( traditional, minor blues and parker-bop blues ) get your guitar and contact me for a crash course on blues.
For an in depth coverage of blues structure ( traditional, minor blues and parker-bop blues ) get your guitar and contact me for a crash course on blues.
Don't Blues use the minor pentatonic with the blues note?
its neither major nor minor cos u can play the A blues scale over a progression in Am or major?
or am i horribly wrong about this? haha..
EugeneSmasher
New member
Check out Lush 99.5. They have quite a bit of jazz and stuff of that type.
Jumpin'Jellybean
New member
DominaCatrina
New member
The historic differences - jazz and blues - are a) socio-economic b)socio-economic, and c)musical
a) and b) - African influence on European music began with the importing of slaves into America. Not all Africans coming to America were enslaved to pick cotton and invent the blues. Some were the enslavers. This started the 'rich black landowner' sub-culture in America that you can see in movies like 'The Color Purple' and in shows like 'Bill Cosby'. Not all Africans who came to America were slaves, nor poor.
These not poor ones being well versed in music - classical of both European persuasion and African - invented jazz. They called themselves names like "Duke" Ellington, "Count" Basie..... ("Domina" Catrina heehee)
It is a snob music but we can steal from them now. Like they stole from others - the blues - and african music - and classical music - jazz is now ripe for artistic theft simply because.
a) and b) - African influence on European music began with the importing of slaves into America. Not all Africans coming to America were enslaved to pick cotton and invent the blues. Some were the enslavers. This started the 'rich black landowner' sub-culture in America that you can see in movies like 'The Color Purple' and in shows like 'Bill Cosby'. Not all Africans who came to America were slaves, nor poor.
These not poor ones being well versed in music - classical of both European persuasion and African - invented jazz. They called themselves names like "Duke" Ellington, "Count" Basie..... ("Domina" Catrina heehee)
It is a snob music but we can steal from them now. Like they stole from others - the blues - and african music - and classical music - jazz is now ripe for artistic theft simply because.
centralcatchment
New member
Blues is like stock. The starting point is the 12 chord structure, the blue note (in between the minor 3rd / major 3rd).
This stock can be used to make many different types of soup. Not only jazz, but also R+B, rock and roll, all contains elements of the blues.
Jazz, there are many different types. The most common type of jazz simply means everybody agrees on a sequence of chords, and the musicians masturbate over them one by one. That is why the word bop also means masturbation. Quite often, a jazz piece will have a lot of blues flavour but not necessarily so.
Both Jazz and blues are to be mostly found in the USA, although the French and Japanese have a lot of jazz fans.
The real way to understand jazz and blues is to listen. For jazz, best first album is "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis. Because both the serious listeners of bebop and the wankers who listen to soft jazz can find something to appreciate about it. Charles Mingus also relatively friendly.
For swing, can listen to Duke. Also good to listen to Frank Sinatra Capitol era, because if you don't like it, you can still find somebody who will buy it off you.
For blues, there are the old Robert Jordans, BB King, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Lightning Hopkins, etc etc etc.
If you don't get it, listen a few more times because jazz is not that easy to figure out. Blues is easy to understand but difficult to play with the right feeling.
This stock can be used to make many different types of soup. Not only jazz, but also R+B, rock and roll, all contains elements of the blues.
Jazz, there are many different types. The most common type of jazz simply means everybody agrees on a sequence of chords, and the musicians masturbate over them one by one. That is why the word bop also means masturbation. Quite often, a jazz piece will have a lot of blues flavour but not necessarily so.
Both Jazz and blues are to be mostly found in the USA, although the French and Japanese have a lot of jazz fans.
The real way to understand jazz and blues is to listen. For jazz, best first album is "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis. Because both the serious listeners of bebop and the wankers who listen to soft jazz can find something to appreciate about it. Charles Mingus also relatively friendly.
For swing, can listen to Duke. Also good to listen to Frank Sinatra Capitol era, because if you don't like it, you can still find somebody who will buy it off you.
For blues, there are the old Robert Jordans, BB King, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Lightning Hopkins, etc etc etc.
If you don't get it, listen a few more times because jazz is not that easy to figure out. Blues is easy to understand but difficult to play with the right feeling.
parablue74
New member
I like to mixed Jazz and Blues together in my playing.. as well, some rock riffs co-blend well too...
