by George F Pecoraro

Created on: May 28, 2008

Rhythm'nBlues, R&B, Rhythm and Blues, (however you wish to title it), is akin to free verse in poetry. As free verse sheds the constraints placed on so called, "classic poetry," an adherence to set and prescribed meter; or cadence; or form; so it is with R&B.

R&B sheds the European concept of the dominance of melody and harmony in its musical compositions for the more profound and moving effects of rhythm and timbre by use of African polyrhythm as opposed to the European linear rhythm.

The questions of why, and how this difference is present in R&B can and is to be found in its historical roots.

Art, whatever the medium chosen by the artist; to express what ever it is the artist wishes to convey; is directly influenced by the cultural, social, and environmental circumstances he or she finds themselves in. Historically this cannot be truer then when we speak of the origins of R&B.

Up rooted and transported into the chaotic world of slavery, forced into never ending labor, an African, male or female, would strive to find someway to not just survive, but also maintain some semblance of individuality. Music would be essential to this end. Not being allowed to learn how to read or write, music would become the means by which slaves would learn to communicate with each other. To express themselves.

The rhythmic tones, chants, and percussive beats, once used to convey masculinity or sexual prowess in rituals of music and dance in their native Africa, became work songs, synchronized with the rhythm of the work and thus became the foundation on which the vocalization called the Blues would attach itself to. Hence, herein is where we find the true origin of R&B.

How might this translate into the modern usage of the term R&B?

We need only look back into the past once again and examine the lives of slaves. More accurately the lives of slaves AFTER the civil war primarily, and the official abolishment of slavery in 1865. Free now to move around the country, many southern blacks migrated to urban centers. With them, they brought their own music. A music, which was born of personal experience, not learned in an academic venue. Not hampered or restrained by rules or unwavering definitions. The only limitation placed on this music was what each and every individual placed on it himself or herself. It was allowed to grow, to accept outside influence, or to reject it. It was, like the new black artists, free.

Free to join; or to take from; and more importantly; to ADD to other

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