I dig the blues

The Blues is a musical form described as 12 bars in 12/8 (shuffle) time based on the progression I IV I V IV I which is fancy musician speak for root, fourth and fifth chords of any key. One of the other key elements of the blues is the use of only five notes in the major scale. This is called the pentatonic scale and is well documented elsewhere on the web.

I've been told these limitations make the blues boring to play. After all how much can be done with only five notes?

Guess the answer is in the blues.

Nothing is set in stone with the blues. You can play the most basic melody or a complex variation of notes and tonics and still get the blues. The blues itself is emotion in music. Whether it's sadness or anger or just the energy of life running through your fingers the blues touches the players and the audience on an individual level.

And on a good night a this connection can be with the line of a song or a single note held and pulled and mauled until every nuance is found.

And that's the blues.