Writing the Blues

Ya gotta start somewhere

I think most people who write songs, especially for themselves or their own band, just write what comes out. I know I've done it. What you write on will be based on what you know and what's familiar to you. However, if you like a certain style of music but have no idea how to play it, you probably won't be able to write it. You may be able to mimic it, but how well you are able to do this will depend on how knowledgeable you are about it.

For me, the music that moves me the most, the one that I feel reaches to my core, is the blues. Despite what some people think, there is a lot to the genre. I've previously discussed some of the studying I've done of some artists. What I've also done is to focus on writing pure, straight, blues tunes. I've actually ignored some ideas I've had that looked to be other types of songs, because I want to focus on the blues songs for now. My goal is to make the blues part of the core of what I write so that when I write something that's not pure blues, it comes out "bluesy." I want to write songs that are blues songs without even trying, just what comes out naturally.

To be honest, I don't even know if it's possible. Now that I think of it, it kind of sounds like I'm trying to program myself or something like that. I guess it doesn't matter, though, as long as I write good songs and learn in the process while I'm at it.

Posted 2008 07 23 at 11:01 AM

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