Quotation blog
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So far in BB Kings biography, I have learned about the early life of BB King. King was born in Mississippi, September 16th 1925. Kings parents split when he was young, leaving him to live with his mother. She then died when King turned nine, resulting in him being found by his father, Albert King. King then spent his time working at different cotton plantations where he first began to hear the blues. He stated that when working on the fields, people would sing and dance the blues. The blues was something that was deeply ground into BB Kings head. In a Living Blues interview, King stated that when he played the blues, he could hear those sounds and songs that he had heard when he was a kid.
King explained what the blues does for the mind and soul. Everything that he mentioned related right back to the body and the soul. Nothing in relation to the mind or education like that of music styles such as jazz. He talked a lot about how he used the blues to get through struggling points in his life. For example how the blues aided him after the death of his mother at the age of 9 years old. He mentioned that the blues was the only thing around him that he could grasp as a way to cope and connect with his own emotions. In a broad way, King stated the quote I placed down below as the center of this quote blog. I thought that this quote was a great quote, because not only does it describe some of the defining features of the music style, but it also explains how the blues is an emotion that one feels. One can feel blue. Each person has a different cure for this feeling and a different way of expressing it. For King, singing and playing the blues on the guitar was his own way.
"Blues is a tonic for what ever ails you. I could play the blues, then not be blue anymore." (44)
This is also my way of helping myself relax and picking myself up. Ever since I discovered the blues, I have been obsessed. It is my number one favorite music style as well as the style that I am best at. When I play the blues, I feel as though I disconnect from what ever is going on in my life and what is going on around me. I feel as though I connect to myself and my emotion. I then can express my emotion in what ever way I want too. The big difference that I have found between the blues and other styles of music is that blues is based on feel and soul where other styles are based on the big picture idea. Jazz is about one unique sound being portrayed as an attitude. Funk and Rock are all about the big picture idea. How the music sounds as a whole. Blues is about the call and response. The soloist/ the one expressing themselves finds it their job to communicate to the band what they want to say. The band then responds to their feeling. It is funny in some sense. In psychology I learnt that just talking about your feelings with a good listener can have a huge impact on improving your mental health. The blues is incredibly similar to this concept because it allows one to express their feelings to anyone who listened. It also allows that person listening to feel the same emotions that they are feeling.
Here is one of the oldest known pictures of BB King.
So far in BB Kings biography, I have learned about the early life of BB King. King was born in Mississippi, September 16th 1925. Kings parents split when he was young, leaving him to live with his mother. She then died when King turned nine, resulting in him being found by his father, Albert King. King then spent his time working at different cotton plantations where he first began to hear the blues. He stated that when working on the fields, people would sing and dance the blues. The blues was something that was deeply ground into BB Kings head. In a Living Blues interview, King stated that when he played the blues, he could hear those sounds and songs that he had heard when he was a kid.
King explained what the blues does for the mind and soul. Everything that he mentioned related right back to the body and the soul. Nothing in relation to the mind or education like that of music styles such as jazz. He talked a lot about how he used the blues to get through struggling points in his life. For example how the blues aided him after the death of his mother at the age of 9 years old. He mentioned that the blues was the only thing around him that he could grasp as a way to cope and connect with his own emotions. In a broad way, King stated the quote I placed down below as the center of this quote blog. I thought that this quote was a great quote, because not only does it describe some of the defining features of the music style, but it also explains how the blues is an emotion that one feels. One can feel blue. Each person has a different cure for this feeling and a different way of expressing it. For King, singing and playing the blues on the guitar was his own way.
"Blues is a tonic for what ever ails you. I could play the blues, then not be blue anymore." (44)
This is also my way of helping myself relax and picking myself up. Ever since I discovered the blues, I have been obsessed. It is my number one favorite music style as well as the style that I am best at. When I play the blues, I feel as though I disconnect from what ever is going on in my life and what is going on around me. I feel as though I connect to myself and my emotion. I then can express my emotion in what ever way I want too. The big difference that I have found between the blues and other styles of music is that blues is based on feel and soul where other styles are based on the big picture idea. Jazz is about one unique sound being portrayed as an attitude. Funk and Rock are all about the big picture idea. How the music sounds as a whole. Blues is about the call and response. The soloist/ the one expressing themselves finds it their job to communicate to the band what they want to say. The band then responds to their feeling. It is funny in some sense. In psychology I learnt that just talking about your feelings with a good listener can have a huge impact on improving your mental health. The blues is incredibly similar to this concept because it allows one to express their feelings to anyone who listened. It also allows that person listening to feel the same emotions that they are feeling.
Here is one of the oldest known pictures of BB King.
Is it really true that if you play the blues you can't be blue? I know music is cathartic, but I feel like when I'm sad, sad-type music doesn't help. It makes me more sad! Even talking a lot about sad things only gets me so far. I need to turn my mind/attitude to something positive, like Violet, to feel better.
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