I'm new here in the Cafe. So be gentle with me. By way of intro, I'm a harmonica player, primarily Blues and Jazz. I'm also a student of its history, a collector of early, vintage free reed instruments, as well as an educator. (Not that I give lessons on how to play, rather as a speaker/player at children's venues. I'm always trying to stretch the harp into different musical forms, zydeco, classical, etc. This 'What is Blues' thread is a lot to bite off. First I'd share my observations about a few of the earlier posts. I haven't read them all, some of my opinions may be redundant.

I agree that blues as a musical form is easily recognizable. Technically, one can identify the flatted notes in a blues scale and viola, its the blues.

Do disputes and definitions that divide folk music not exist with the blues? Au Contrair (sp?) witness a subscription to Blues-L, a List Service where only blues is discussed ad infinitum, ad nauseum. The hair splitting of what is, or is not blues, is like splitting an atom, and just as explosive. Difficulties arise where "true blues" overlap with other forms such as jazz, country, rock, and pop.

Is Blues Folk music? I think so, certainly in its origin. I think folk music is music of the people, until it becomes music of 'the industry'. To me folk music is when people decide what they want to play or listen to. Folk (and Blues and everything else) loses its vitality when the industry decides what will be played and listened to.

Caitrin............You nailed it. Blues has more to do with the feeling that inspired the music, and the feeling it leaves the listener with than with any specifics.

Who is to say that every "country" song about unrequited love is not blues. It may not meet the technical requiremnets of certain flatted notes, but the feeling is exactly the same.

Many posters, question whether we are talking about the musical form or the emotion involved. I'm not sure you can separate the two. Either one qualifies as blues.

Well that's it for my first official post. (I sent one earlier as a guest)