Where blues comes from
Blues came from African American communities in the Deep South in the late 19th century. Delta players such as Robert Johnson influenced Chicago’s electric blues (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf), which in turn shaped rock and roll.
What makes a track sound like blues
- Shuffle or slow 12/8 feel
- Bent "blue" notes
- Call-and-response fills
- Raw, live tone
Typical structure
Repeated 12-bar choruses with a turnaround at the end of each, guitar fills between vocal lines and a solo chorus.
Vocals in blues
Blues singing is raw and expressive, with bent notes and lines answered by the guitar. Ask for "gritty male blues vocals with guitar answers" and write lyrics in the classic repeated-line pattern.
Prompting tips
Choose "Delta blues" for acoustic slide, "Chicago blues" for electric band and harmonica, or "slow blues in 12/8" for emotional ballads.
Over-polished production undercuts blues. Ask for "live room" and "amp grit".
Prompts to start from
Chicago electric blues shuffle at 110 BPM, gritty guitar, harmonica fills, walking bass and piano
Slow 12/8 blues ballad, expressive bent guitar solo, Hammond organ pad, live room sound
Acoustic Delta blues with bottleneck slide guitar, foot stomps and a dusty field-recording feel