St. Louis blues is a type of
blues music. It is usually more
piano-based than other forms of the blues, and is closely related to the
jump blues,
ragtime and
piano blues. It is sometimes performed to a "Saint Louis shuffle" beat; a drum rhythm with heavy on-the-beat accents. It can often be made up of a small number of singers, a pianist and a few other
musical instruments (used primarily for
rhythm) to make up a
band, but it is also common for guitarists to take the lead, even to play parts normally played on piano.