This month’s focus is on one of the very few truly American art forms, the blues. As you may already know, PBS is airing a seven-part series on the blues, with individual films directed by Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, among others.

My growth as a well-rounded musician included a major breakthrough when I understood what the blues were about, musically speaking. It was a visceral understanding, another world from the more intellectual classical or jazz worlds. If you were in college in the ’60s, you may have been part of the blues revival. In which case the PBS series will be a bunch of groovy flashbacks. If not, and this is your first exposure to this folk/urban /universal art form, you may also find that your appreciation for your favorite styles of music are enhanced by immersing yourself in a bit of the blues.

Blues has influenced pop, rock and jazz, as well as hip-hop. You could argue that certain slow, blues/rock jams by Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa planted seeds that flowered in the evolution of many New Age artists. And you’d be right.

The Blues is a Feelin’

The blues is a feeling, but it’s much more. Structurally, it’s usually a 12-bar pattern (four beats to each measure or bar) that repeats a cycle of the three principal chords in any key signature.

The pattern begins with four bars of the I chord (the tonic), followed by two bars of the IV chord, the subdominant. Two more I chord (tonic) followed by one V chord (dominant), one more IV chord (sub dominant) followed by two more I chord, at which point it starts all over again, and again. Coming back to the I chord in the middle and near the end of the cycle feels like coming home. The V chord is part of the turnaround, when the tonal centers have gone as far away from “home” as possible, and begin to return.

The turnaround often reaches orgasmic profundities, simulating orgasm via guitar or voice — but that’s another column. The very beauty of the familiarity of the structures is also what makes it so constrictive.

Breaking free of those restrictions was what musicians like Iasos, Paul Horn and myself were doing in 1969 and 1970, along with many other visionary artists. In fact, on the album Connections featuring Paul Horn and me, there is a wonderful example of this synergy in the song Tao Home Blues. You can find Connections on my website at www.stevenhalpern.com.

I’ve been focusing on the instrumental aspects of the blues. The lyrics are a whole other discussion. Let it be said, though, that not all blues are downer, “my baby left me,” negative affirmation songs. There is a lot of uplift that can be obtained, when you know how to listen. In fact, there is a subgenre of sound healing called “blues healing.” It’s more cathartic than relaxing, but might just be what certain circumstances call for.

Your homework is to either watch some segments of the PBS series, or buy them after the broadcast. Or just listen to the CDs of the shows that are already in almost every music store. Search until you find one or two songs that really “do it” for you. Listen to them at least once a day for three days, and notice how you feel.

Try singing along with them, especially in your car. Send me an email if you’ d like to share your experiences.

Yours for those ol’ cosmic blues,

Steven Halpern

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Steven Halpern is one of the world's leading composers of music for healing, wellness, and inner peace. His latest recordings include PERFECT ALIGNMENT, featuring Grammy award winner Paul McCandless, and INNER PEACE II, with Madeleine Singer. Look for them at Borders, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, your neighborhood independent retailer, or online at www.innerpeacemusic.com. For a free catalogue call 1-800-909-0707

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