12 bar blues
All songs can be identified through their bars, chords, form, rhythm, and structure. Differences and similarities arise when songs belong to different genres. On this note, the 12 bar blues has similarities with the AABA songs but slightly different from the ragtime songs.
There are differences between 12 bar blues, AABA, and ragtime music. One difference lies in the period that the music was created. The 12 bar blues and AABA were composed during the slavery period (sang by Black slaves) while ragtime music emerged in the mid-1890s and was mainly played by the White people. While working in the fields, African slaves sang the African-inspired church music that transformed into Jazz. Moreover, the impact of 12 bar blues and AABA was huge since approximately 210,000 Africans-Americans head to New Orleans to learn about this music. On the contrary, ragtime music was more popular among the White communities in areas like Kentucky, Virginia, and other Midwestern states. Ragtime mainly involved the Piano and unlike 12 bar blues and AABB, involved syncopated rhythms. All in all, these three types of music were effective and represented different messages throughout their daily routines.
There exist similarities between 12 bar blues and AABB. The 12 bar blues song consists of several phrases formed in progression. In essence, there is a convergence of African five notes/phrases that form a harmonious melody (rock and roll) sound. For instance, the song ‘Rock and Roll’ by Led Zeppelin is an example of a 12 bar blues song. As the title suggests, the song has a 12 bar blues progression in A and Easy Blues Riffs. This means that it is 12 bars long that are similar to those used in the greatest rock songs of all time. Similarly, the AABA genre of songs utilizes the same structure and form known as the 4/4 signature measuring four phrases or notes per section. Moreover, poses, messages, and rhythm that appear in these types of songs are similar to 12 bar blues symbolized by a split of two bars to make four to eight measurement parameters. An example of an AABA song is ‘Over the Rainbow’ that is a ballad sang in 32 A’s and B’s (verse sections and bridge respectively). In this case, bars were split into two in the same signature as 12 bar blues songs.
To conclude, AABA, 12 bar blue song genres incorporated different styles that appealed to different audiences. More importantly, the messages in these genres depended on the bars and chords that created the required melody. All in all, these genres of songs are similar and different in their various poses and paces.