🍻 A cheap bar 🎹 Energetic jazz style

barrelhouse

8.3

A lively piano style of blues often played in bars

noun
/ˈbɛrəlˌhaʊs/

: estilo barrelhouse

You can still hear barrelhouse rhythms in some modern blues performances.
barrelhouse piano

Examples

She loved the energetic beat of barrelhouse, especially when performed live at her favorite venue.
The pianist played a lively barrelhouse tune that filled the room with energy.
Many early jazz musicians were influenced by the barrelhouse style of piano playing.
The band played a lively barrelhouse tune last night.
We danced to the barrelhouse music all evening.
The lively sounds of barrelhouse music filled the club, making everyone get up and dance.
At the local bar, the band played some classic barrelhouse tunes that had the audience clapping along.

Synonyms

blues

vsbarrelhouse

85 3.4

A style of music with a sad sound, often with guitar and soulful singing

is more upbeat and energetic, often played lively in bars or clubs

boogie

vsbarrelhouse

75 7.5

Lively blues music played on piano with a strong, fast beat

leans more toward lively piano improvisation in social venues rather than just dance rhythm

boogie-woogie

vsbarrelhouse

4 8.1

A lively blues style played on the piano with a strong repeating bass and improvised melodies

focuses on energetic bar or club performance rather than only piano

How Energetic

boogie-woogie

4 8.1

barrelhouse

8.3

to jazz

1 4.2

piano music

3 1.8

Surface Forms

barrelhouse singular

barrelhouses plural

Morphology

barrelhouse = barrel + house (opaque) = barrel + house

Although the form is a compound of 'barrel' and 'house', those parts do not let a learner predict the specialized meaning of a blues or jazz style.

Etymology

Barrelhouse for the music comes from the same club name, because pianists in those noisy barrelhouses played loud, punchy blues that could be heard over the crowd. That's why barrelhouse now means a lively, energetic style of blues or jazz piano.