I've never understood what's exactly "blues"

It's not jazz, it's folk. Just get a compilation of old delta blues stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRY4fla4ZcI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSZuwTZaTjk&index=1&list=PL71C18EF3D6784BF2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NuJhUp9DSo&list=PLp8oXTv1PUtEJ4yZrETsKOMwZSNSj3_oF

>>75059567
Yeah, it's folk.
Listen to Robert Johnson, Son House, Lonnie Johnson, Elizabeth Cotten, Lightnin' Hopkins, Blind Blake, John Fahey, Mississippi John Hurt, Gary Davis, Lead Belly, Skip James, Willie McTell, Bill Broonzy, Sam Collins, Buddy Moss, Blind Boy Fuller, Tampa Red and Memphis Minnie. These aren't all, but when you start listening you'll discover much more.

>>75059567
When you got the blues you know, it ain't music it's a feeling. Come home and your wife done left you cuz you can't pay the bills, that's the blues

>>75059834
This is one of my favourite quotes from any Blues-man:
"I left her hanging on the gatepost, with her father tellin' me to come back so we could plow some more." - Son House

Blues is one of the best genres (if you can even call it that ) of the music, it's simply about emotions.

>>75059864
Sounds pretty gay

>>75059567
Also, if you play a guitar, or any other instrument you'll appreciate the music much more.

>>75059944
When you say it that way, it does. fuck

I personally don't get why folks like Clapton or SRV tend to be placed within blues rather than rock. How is the distinction made?

>>75059944
this desu senpai

>>75059567
Blues originated as black-american folk music, with similarities to the american folk music of the time (which became 'Country') but distinct from it.
It began in the late 19th century, but by the mid-late 20th century had grown and influenced many other genres such as jazz and rock and roll.

>>75059971
It's basically same, but they do it with "more feeling", bunch of crap. Those two guys are totally overrated.
Also, they play MUSIC called "Blues", and those old guys played the Blues.

>>75059567
well, it's usually sad, but that's not the defining feature

it's ultimately a combination of tradition and theoretical form - even jazz tradition has a trouble separating between the afro-american tradition and other people who have been inspired by it, the blues is an even bigger mess because any modern rock or rock-based style such as metal styles will find their roots in the blues

there is a thing known as the "blues scale" - it's a pentatonic scale of notes with one added "blue note", it's easy to make cool, bluesy sounding compositions around that

there are "forms" - this means the overall structure of a song or track - probably the most common form of all forms in folk or popular music is the "12 bar blues". In classical music you have forms for symphonies and quartets and ballets and whatever - all that that means that it's the overall structure, in rock and jazz that 12 bar blues is the most common form, making it probably the most common form how musical compositions go in any genre.

That said, the blues form is so common that it's hard to talk about it in general and a lot of blues recordings is so primitive that they never cared for this kind of formal shit to begin with...

So, you start with the basics - starting with the blues is really the best way to get into rock guitar. Learn the blues scale - learn to solo on top of blue backing tracks - learn a lot of blues based riffs!

The blues scale is simple, just dive in! Take a backing track like this and just play on top: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cmfo2uQ1S0

Also study classic rock riffs based on the blues - take everything played on an electric guitar on the first 4 Black Sabbath albums, first 4 Led Zeppelin albums and Cream from Fresh Cream to Wheels of Fire for example.

Please, play acoustic guitar, not electric.

>>75059567
Learn about Robert Johnson mythos.