The blues is a type of American music that became popular in the early 1900s. It is closely related to jazz. Instrumental music is important in the blues. Guitar, piano, and harmonica are typical blues instruments. But singing plays the key role in many songs. Rather than simply tell a story, blues singers express their feelings. These feelings are often sad.
Often the blues singer sings the first part of a line of music. The instruments then repeat or “answer” the part the singer sang. Blues performers make up parts of the music while performing it, within certain rules. This is known as improvisation.
