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Back to The Blues: Understanding and Performing an American Art Form

Learner Reviews & Feedback for The Blues: Understanding and Performing an American Art Form by University of Rochester

4.8
stars
606 ratings

About the Course

The blues is an American art form and the most important musical form in jazz. Although there are other formal paradigms of the blues, such as 8-bar or 16-bar, this course focuses on different incarnations of the 12-bar blues. There are considerable differences between Early Jazz blues, Swing blues, Bebop blues, Modal blues, and Post Bop blues. Each type has its unique harmonic syntax, melodic vocabulary and, associated with them, improvisational techniques. While other aspects of jazz performance practice have been constantly changing from one stylistic convention to another, the blues has never lost its identity and expressive power, and continues to exert a powerful influence on the harmonic and melodic syntax of jazz. This seven-week course explores important aspects of the blues, blues improvisation, basic keyboard textures, jazz harmonic and melodic syntax. Topics include: (1) Blues Progressions; (2) Blues and Other Scales; (3) Improvisational Tools, and others. This course will also cover valuable theoretical concepts enabling the student to master the art of jazz improvisation. Each topic will be introduced from a practical perspective with the clearly stated goal: to improve one’s improvisational skills. Jazz improvisation is rooted in spontaneity, creativity, self-expression and, at the same time, self-control and order. A unique pedagogical approach based on a one-to-one musical interaction conducted with different instrumentalists will help to reinforce many of the concepts introduced in this course and realize its stated objectives....

Top reviews

DB

Oct 7, 2016

Such a great course! Even though I am a bass player this course has made me understand patterns and ways in which the Blues can be taken to. Thank you very much for such an amazing experience.

AN

May 9, 2020

This course is really interesting. I would like to recommend this course to those who genuinely loves music. Thanks to the University of Rochester for launching this wonderful masterpiece.

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201 - 225 of 250 Reviews for The Blues: Understanding and Performing an American Art Form

By Ara D

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Jan 20, 2017

Excellent class !

By frédéric d

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Oct 11, 2016

really excellent.

By mike t

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Jul 29, 2025

amazing overview

By Daniel A B D

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May 19, 2021

Incredible!!!!!

By Hernán A B

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Jun 22, 2020

Great course!!!

By Víctor M P O

•

Jul 7, 2019

Excelente curso

By Alberto E M R

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Jun 8, 2016

it´s excellent

By Minh T T

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Aug 10, 2024

Great course.

By Roberto J

•

Aug 15, 2017

Great course

By Maicon R H

•

Apr 11, 2017

Very good!!!

By John R

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Oct 12, 2016

Excellent!!!

By Angel B

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Jun 26, 2016

Really good!

By CARLOS A K P C

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Jul 18, 2016

excelent!!!

By fabian r

•

Nov 10, 2022

Excelente!

By Kelvin B

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Jun 22, 2020

Excelllent

By Pedro B

•

Aug 8, 2016

Muy bueno!

By David Y

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Jun 22, 2022

Educative

By Fabián A P

•

Sep 26, 2020

Excelente

By Chaitanya T

•

May 2, 2020

Excellent

By Laura R V

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Oct 4, 2020

Loved it

By Ernesto D (

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Dec 3, 2016

excelent

By Ricardo C

•

Feb 26, 2018

Great!!

By DHAN K

•

Dec 9, 2024

👍👍👍

By coca_5@hotmail.com

•

May 13, 2016

great

By Paulo G

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Oct 28, 2022