African American Music Essay

In the Beginning of the 16th century, Africans were enslaved and brought to the United States of America. Separated from their history and language, African Americans somehow managed to preserve their spirit for music. The music helped to increase productivity in the daily task and reduce the feeling for sadness. The blues was created by African American communities in the deep South of the United States. It started in the 19th century and continued to make its way in the future. The blues was everywhere in rural areas, small towns and big cities such as New Orleans.
The blues is set up in a 12 bar structure. The songs are usually played where four beats that are found in each measure. The drums help to create tension in the music which
Group such as the Ku Klux Klan and the pro-segregation Jim Crow laws encouraged many African Americans to leave the South and travel to Northern cities. Over a million African Americans migrated to cities such as Chicago, Detroit and New York. It was in these cities that black musicians developed the rhythms of the Jazz. African American artists began to experiment with different styles and sounds of music. These sounds mixed together to create a new kind of music, which is known today as Jazz. The style was danceable and upbeat. This genre of music was popular in America, England and Australia.It was appreciated by the general public not just by African Americans. Technology has played an important role in the development of Jazz. By the 1930’s radios were present in most households. The microphone enabled singing to be amplified for the first time and improved both radio broadcast and live performances. Musicians used bass guitars, amplified guitars, harmonicas and drum kits. All of the instruments including the electric ones helped to lead the development of blues rock. Which led to rock