How to Compare Blues & Country Music
Two music styles that have been around for decades and are still heard today are blues and country, and they both happen to be a form of American folk. These two styles have many similarities, but there are also some qualities about each one that make them unique from the other.
When looking at country and blues music and listening to their sound, here are a few things that set them apart and make them different from each other.
- Origins – Blues music originated during the end of the 19th century in the Deep South from African American communities. Many songs were sung as work songs or spiritual songs. Country music didn’t develop until the 1920s, also from southern states. Its style is said to have stemmed partly from blues music but also from several other influences.
- Instruments – To distinguish between blues and country music, one can also look at the typical instruments that are heard in songs. Blues music often incorporates the harmonica, saxophone, and trumpet into its music. Country music usually involves several types of guitars: acoustic, electric, bass, as well as the fiddle and banjo.
- Lyrics – Those singing the blues often sung about hardships in their life like oppression or losing a loved one. Many blues songs often related to troubled experiences faced by African Americans. Often times a single line in the lyrics would be repeated three or four times. Looking at country music, its lyrical content usually consists of emotions or experiences whether good or bad, and country music usually has a twang sound in the vocals. Some county vocalists have better twang than others.