Blues music theory and the songs of Robert Johnson: ladder, level and chromatic cycle

Curry, Ben

doi:10.1017/s0261143015000276

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Subsetting and clustering further dissected the three "blue note" clusters identifying individual note targets; these targets are most likely the just intonation minor third (319.1 ≈ 6/5 = 315.6 cents), tritone (582.8 ≈ 7/5 = 582.5 cents), and two forms of a minor seventh (most common 1037.9 ≈ 9/5 = 1017.8 cents, and 979.1 ≈ 7/4 = 968.8 cents). Just intonation blue note targets have been predicted previously by music theorists/ethnomusicologists van der Merwe (1989), Kubik (1999Kubik ( , 2005Kubik ( , 2008 and Curry (2015Curry ( , 2017. The common denominator of these frequency ratios suggests the "blue note chord" may be represented as the harmonic half diminished seventh chord (Wright, 2009), with integer multiples 5:6:7:9.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…This is the next chord up in the harmonic series from the harmonic dominant seventh chord with integer multiples 4:5:6:7 commonly heard in barbershop quartet harmony (Averill, 2003). Curry (2015) and Henry (2000) discuss in detail the close relationship of the blues to barbershop quartet harmony, which is also likely of African American origin (Abbott, 1992). The half diminished seventh chord is frequently heard in barbershop quartet arrangements as a rootless dominant ninth chord (Barbershop Harmony Society, 1980;Krumbholz, 2015;personal communication, May 1, 2017).…”

Section: New Blue Note Conceptionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Music theorists van der Merwe (1989), Kubik (1999Kubik ( , 2005Kubik ( , 2008, and Curry (2015Curry ( , 2017 propose that the three blue notes are ranges surrounding acoustic targets of just intonation derived from the harmonic series. This study largely confirms this overarching hypothesis.…”

Section: Three Blue Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Inclusion of the fifth harmonic of I (386 cents) helps explain the large "margin of tolerance" for the flattedthird note of the scale, also called the "neutral third". Curry (2015Curry ( , 2017 provides an extensive synthesis of these conceptions and adds chromatic elements from ragtime styles which occur later in the eclectic progression of the blues. Curry also points out a likely close association of the blues with the early African American derived barbershop quartet tradition based in just intonation (2015, pp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microtonal Analysis of "Blue Notes" and the Blues Scale

Cutting

2019

EMR

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Microtonal evaluation of blue notes in the early blues scale by empirical pitch measurement and statistical characterization has not yet been performed in existing research. To address this, fifteen recorded classic blues performances by acknowledged early masters of the blues were studied. Computer based methods were used to collect the audio frequencies of note samples from each performance. Each note had its frequency ratio with respect to the average tonic tone for the performance converted to microtonal cents format. Cluster analysis was performed on these note collections to identify individual note clusters. The fourth and fifth were clearly identified. Three principal "blue note" clusters were isolated with means of 319.1, 582.8, and 1037.9 cents. These values corresponded closely to the harmonic half diminished seventh chord (i.e. 1, b3, b5, b7 with harmonics 5:6:7:9). The "neutral" third was confirmed to occur in this sample. A similar blending of the perfect fourth and tritone was demonstrated in this study. The flat 7th presented as three separate clusters. Several clusters idiosyncratic to individual performers were also identified. Findings are discussed with regards to the array of theories proposed to explain the blues.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: New Blue Note Conceptionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Three Blue Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microtonal Analysis of "Blue Notes" and the Blues Scale

Cutting

2019

EMR

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“…For an account of the difficulties entailed by reinscribing the idea of the ‘blue note', see Weisethaunet () and Curry ().…”

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confidence: 99%

Two Approaches to Tonal Space in the Music of Muddy Waters

Curry

2017

Music Analysis

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The music of Muddy Waters is steeped in the blues tradition of the early twentieth century but also plays a key role in the development of the rock music of the 1960s and '70s. The importance of Waters's music can be understood more fully by exploring its engagement with blues music's harmonic and melodic characteristics. This article posits two approaches to blues tonal space: the networked and the laddered. The first is underpinned by the cyclical potential of equal temperament and is characterised by descending chromatic motions. The second is underpinned by the harmonic series and is characterised by the microtonal shaping of pitch content within the framework of a ladder that approximates an equal-tempered major-minor seventh chord.After explaining the details of these approaches with reference to an early blues recording by Alberta Hunter and Fats Waller, the article examines the ways in which Muddy Waters favours the laddered approach but develops novel ways of referencing the networked system, often combining or synergising aspects of each. This analysis yields insight into the potential for interchange in blues between networked and laddered tonal space. This interchange exploits (1) the structural importance of the major-minor seventh chord, (2) the special weight afforded the sonority of the minor third and (3) the affinity between microtonal and chromatic step motion in this genre.

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Mediant Mixture and “Blue Notes” in Rock

Temperley

Ren

Duan

2017

MTO

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Rock features extensive use of mediant mixture, that is, the use of both scale-degrees3̂and ♭3̂within a song; it also has been said to employ “blue notes” that fall between these two degrees. In this study we explore these issues, seeking to gain a better understanding of the use of mediant mixture and blue notes in rock. In addition to conventional aural analysis, we use an automatic pitch-tracking algorithm that identifies pitch contours with high accuracy. We focus on the Jackson 5’s “ABC”; several other songs and sections of songs are also considered briefly. Our tentative conclusions are that choices between3̂and ♭3̂in rock are complex but principled, guided by a small set of interacting preferences, and that blue notes are uncommon but do occasionally occur.

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Blues music theory and the songs of Robert Johnson: ladder, level and chromatic cycle

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Microtonal Analysis of "Blue Notes" and the Blues Scale

Microtonal Analysis of "Blue Notes" and the Blues Scale

Two Approaches to Tonal Space in the Music of Muddy Waters

Mediant Mixture and “Blue Notes” in Rock

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