"The blues - the sound of a sinner on revival day"

This quote by William Christopher Handy speaks with the power of the blues as a musical category. The blues is a form of music that originated in the African American neighborhoods of the southern United States. It is identified by its usage of the minor pentatonic scale, its lyrical styles of sadness and challenge, and its often improvisational nature. Convenient's quote suggests that the blues is a kind of musical expression that catches the feeling of a sinner on revival day. This might describe the sensation of redemption and hope that comes with being saved from one's sins, or it might describe the feeling of despair and hopelessness that comes with being unable to be saved. In either case, Handy's quote suggests that the blues is a powerful form of musical expression that can capture the full variety of human feeling.