Blues/microtonality

From the great blues masterwork "Deep Blues," by Robert Palmer, talking about how Muddy Waters uses his slide: "A musician trained in, say, the classical music of India, which puts a premium on the ability to hear and execute fine microtonal shadings, would recognize in the astonishing precision and emotional richness of the variously flattened thirds and fifths sprinkled through the solo something very close to his own tradition." (p103) And, commenting on the vast influence and importance of Delta blues: "It's important because because Delta guitarists were the first on records to deliberately explore the uses of feedback and distortion. It's important because almost everyone who picks up a harmonica, in America or England or France or Scandinavia will at some stage in his development emulate either Little Walter or a Little Walter imitator. It's important because bass patterns, guitar riffs, and piano boogies invented in the Delta course through a broad spectrum of Western popular music, from hard rock to singer-songwriter pop to disco to jazz to movie soundtracks." And more...(p 16-17)

Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon, Ike Turner, Robert Jr.Lockwood, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker, BB and Albert King, and even Elvis Presley (originally from Tupelo Mississippi) were Delta musicians who have forever deeply influenced musicians from all over the world in many different styles of music...without their contributions today's music would be unimaginably different...Hstick www.microstick.net

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