Post 5: Jazz and Blues influence on Bluegrass and Psychedelic music

Although Bluegrass and Psychedelic music originated in different time periods, they both have influences in Jazz and Blues music. In Bluegrass the tonality and song structure are influenced by Blues, while the rhythmic stress of the up-beat as well as improvisational solos and the ensemble pattern are based on Jazz music. In Bluegrass the harmonic accompaniment usually involves the chord progression I, IV, I, V, I, which is identical to the twelve bar Blues progression. In the instance of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys there is a large stylistic influence on how each instrument was played. The fiddle was usually played with very fluid melodic lines; the bass was strong and clear; and the mandolin was played with a very choppy and jazz-like style.

Psychedelic music, like other rock styles, is influenced mainly by Blues. Blues has influenced rock harmonically by being subdominant oriented (IV-chord instead of V-chord). Some Psychedelic music consisted of blues riffs (which would most likely be in the twelve bar form). One of the main contributors to Psychedelic music, Jimi Hendrix, was influenced greatly by Blues musicians such as Muddy Waters and B.B. King. In his song “Purple Haze” Hendrix uses many Blues features such as, “the basic falling shape of the vocal, the repetitive phrases and short motifs, the somewhat tuneless melodic line, the call-and-response between the vocal and guitar.” In other songs Hendrix also makes use of other stylistic Blues features like the repetition of phrases and motifs and Blues scales.

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