BRASS

Brass instruments were involved in the blues very early on. W C Handy (the father of the blues) was a cornet player and this was a popular instrument when the blues were developing. Often brass and wind instrument players would play along with the blues and occasionally take the lead which suited the blues as skilled musicians could bend the notes in much the same way as blues vocalists would. It was more common however to find brass feature as backing and accompanyment, and despite the romantic image of the lone blues saxophonist, this is largely still the case. Probably the main reason is the expense, a cheap saxophone costs the price of eight cheap acoustic guitars so it is clear what the beginning young musician (or their family) will choose to learn in most instances.