This document provides an introduction to the blues style of music. It discusses the origins of blues among African American slaves and how it combined African rhythms and melodies with European folk music. The document outlines that an activity and objectives to develop chord playing skills on keyboard and understanding of where and how the blues style originated through listening and practical exercises on common chords.

1. Starter Activity
• Think of a sentence to clearly explain what a
CHORD is
• Use the sentence to work out the notes in the
chords of C major, F major and G major
• What fingers do you use to play triads with
your right hand on the piano/keyboard?

2. Lesson Objectives:
• Today you will develop your....
• Knowledge of the background/history of blues
• Skills by developing your playing of chords on
the keyboards
• Understanding of where, how and why the
style originated

3. Where did the Blues start?

5. Blues
• Blues is folk music of
the African-Americans.
• It originated from slaves
who worked on the
plantations of southern
USA and who sang
about their feelings and
problems.

6. • Rhythms and
melodies were
brought by slaves
from Africa on slave
ships.
• African music
combined with the
folk music and
religious music of the
white European
settlers to produce
new styles of music

7. Before Blues
• Early types of African American music
included Spirituals (religious songs using vocal
harmony) and Work Songs (songs sung by
slaves and after 1865 by prisoners and poor
workers while they worked)

8. Listening activity
• Listen to the worksong and answer the
questions on the worksheet

9. Practical activity
• Develop your playing of chords on the
keyboard
• Practise the chords of C Major, F Major and G
major on the keyboards
• Put the chords together to create the 12 Bar
Blues chord pattern

10. Key words
• Chord
• Worksong
• Spiritual
• Call and response
• Unison
• Harmony