History 2132A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Twelve-String Guitar, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Alan Freed
13 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
First cultural idiom created by blacks entirely emerged in mississippi delta. Perfect cradle for the blues documents blacks encounter with the world. Blues originates from same musical traditions as jazz. These aa were heirs to many of these traditions that newcomers drew upon. When working on plantations as salves and cotton fields they combined many styles: new hybrid that was aa and european, came from efforts to relieve them from boredom, people would work and sing. Leader would call out and others would respond. With the end of slavery music became ore individualistic. Freed men started to become sharecroppers they would imitate singer would repeat line not call and response style anymore. Still about miserable experience but more personal. Pushed further by availability of instruments = especially guitar (it became affordable) Early songs reflected misery: an escape songs maintained a way to cope. Some would slide a knife up their guitar. If humour appeared in this music it was ironic.
