Succinct Shots #5: Playing The Blues, An American Privilege
Gaining appreciation for the rhythms of a classic music form
This is part of a series called Succinct Shots. It’s based on a practice of stream-of-consciousness writing. It’s my own variation on The Artist’s Way Morning Pages, a journaling technique to trigger creativity. Most of these are from a reflective period and sway towards self-help sentiments.
Why are the blues such a positive force? How do these notes and licks embed in your psyche to create a magical feeling? How does playing the fretboard translate into strong sensations in the mind and soul?
It is a wonderful rhythmic trance to pick out single notes of clarity that share a complexity with your inner self. The thumping and downbeats provide a baseline to riff off of and create a sound that resonates with your being. Even the simplest pattern of plucking strings evokes strong emotion. It is a wonderful combination of music and mind melding that courses through your fingers and body up to your charged brain.
The fact that the Blues was born off the tortured souls of slavery just emphasizes its importance to the American musical landscape. The raw talent sprung from the rawness of lives of American slaves and the hardships that were endured each day.
It is astonishing to realize that the Blues art form has brought so much joy and good feeling, despite its origins. It is a testament to the perseverance and fortitude of the original practitioners. Each note and each song lays down the tracks of our tragic history as a nation built on the backs of ‘coloreds’.
The images are hidden and mostly forgotten, but that sound, that constant beat is what keeps the perspective alive. The influence of the Blues is a part of the national soul for anyone who picks up a guitar. It cross pollinates music and art forms to create a world of sound. The Blues linger in our minds as a reminder of the struggle, the beauty, the strength and the sheer force of a people downtrodden at every turn.
The Blues is America. It encapsulated a lot about our character. It speaks to the hardscrabble life, the injustice and the enormous will of the marginalized to fight, to overcome, to make it right.
There is nothing that satisfies the deep recesses of the soul than tapping into the deep history, the deep pain and the pleasure of plucking the Blues. Ironically, it frees the mind to play riffs and licks that exude creativity, that showcase talent, that flow without chains to harness its power.
Playing the Blues is an American privilege. It deserves our highest level of respect.