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Old 07-07-2009, 11:05 AM   #87 (permalink)
Gavin B.
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I think the human voice is the primary blues insturment. Most people choose guitar but the guitar nearly always plays off the singer. Blues originated from the field hollers, chain gang songs, African tribal chants and the gospel music of African Americans. All of which only required a human voice to sing.

When Charley Patton and Robert Johnson finally came along, their guitar playing was simply a counterpoint which imitated and enhanced the vocalization of the song. Here's an example:



It's pretty clear that the guitar is subordiante to the vocal on Stones in My Passway, as is the case with all of Johnson's music.

Indeed Robert Johnson's innovation as a guitarist was crafting his playing to compliment his powerful singing voice. There would have been no blues without the human voice.
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