Listen to It: Son House, "Death Letter Blues"

Listen to the Blues: Son House, "Death Letter Blues"
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Here is another example of a blues recording by Son House. This is a stunning example of the blues performance style along with moving and poignant lyrics. Here are a few things to notice about the performance:

1. He performs on a metal body guitar (National resonator guitar) and uses a copper slide to help bend many of the notes he plays. The use of a slide is characteristic of the Delta blues style.

2. The tempo is moderate, slightly leaning toward fast.

For the Module Exam

For the EXAM you will need to listen to this song and answer the following two questions:

1. What are the lyrics about?

2. Are the lyrics organized in an AB, AABA, AAB, ABAB or ABC pattern?

Note: AB refers to the first line of the verse is different from the second line of the verse or stanza. AABA means the first line of the verse repeats and is followed by a different line, which is followed by another repeat of the first line. ABC refers to three different lines in the verse. AAB refers to the first line repeating followed by a different line. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdgrQoZHnNY Links to an external site.