I am a songwriter and I have been writing songs for some years now. But I have began to get into a little blues now and now i want to write some blues songs. Can anyone tell me the lyrical structure of a blues song and any good websites? Musically, the most common form of Blues is the 鈥?2 bar blues.鈥?That refers to the common I, IV, V progression that spans 鈥渢welve measures鈥?or 鈥渂ars.鈥?
The most common Lyrical format that fits a 12 bar blues is the AAB form. This is where the first line (A) is repeated twice and the second line (B) is used only once at the end of a chorus.
For instance:
"I was born in Mississippi, 1941,
"I was born in Mississippi, 1941,
Don't you mess with me. I'm a son-of-a-gun!"
That is a neat simple division of the 12 measures. 12 divided by 3 is 4. So each phrase gets four bars to do its job. Because each phrase is so short, that leaves plenty of room for instrumentalists to embellish little improvised phrases that punctuate the vocals.
It is a shame that this is the only form that most people, even many so-called musicians recognize as "the blues."
The blues actually encompasses a much broader variety of musical and lyrical forms. "The Blues" as an art form, has all the same elements of Jazz: simple short forms, emphasis on improvisation and personal expression, heavy reliance on rhythm and "feeling," etc. That's why laymen often confuse blues and jazz.
The number of measures or 鈥渂ars鈥?in the form defines different types of Blues. I.E.: 8 bar, 12 bar, 16 bar 24 bar 32 bar blues, etc. The type of chord-changes or 鈥減rogression鈥?also classifies blues forms. Chords, in progressions, are identified by Roman numerals that describe the chord鈥檚 relationship to the 鈥渞oot鈥?or 鈥渢onal center.鈥?That is why you see progressions written as I, IV, V, or I, VI, II V. In addition, there are different lyrical formats that fit these various forms. Everything from rhyming-quatrains to haiku has been adapted to blues forms.
Typically, Blues is simpler and "grittier" than Jazz. Although, the best blues artists bring Jazz-like sophistication to their work. All Jazz musicians recognize and respect The Blues, as it is the forerunner or precursor to learning Jazz.
Lyrically, the subject matter of blues is earthy. The Blues is not always about sadness, but there is a human commonality to both the subject and its treatment. Blues lyrics are typically in 鈥渇irst person鈥?to reflect a personal experience. The singer describes a situation, his feelings or tells a story. Common themes like, love, lust, poverty, infidelity, betrayal, partying, or heavy drinking lend to the down-to-earth nature of The Blues. That, and the fact blues forms are short and easy to follow is what attracts most listeners.
Because the two art forms are closely alloyed, it behooves any student to study both Blues and Jazz simultaneously. Some Jazz may seem too complex to the untrained ear, but if you listen to blues in its many incarnations and also listen to Jazz, you will eventually hear the relationship. That鈥檚 the best way I know to learn the lyrical and musical forms of both Blues and Jazz.
By the way鈥?br>
Did you hear about the Blues musician who tried to write a new song?
鈥e couldn鈥檛 get past the first eight 鈥渂ars.鈥?(Hiccup!)
Best Wishes! Heres a great website. Just click on music lists and go to blues.
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/
Heres my personal favorites:
CD - (Muddy Waters & Friends) Fathers & Sons, (BB King) Live At The Regal, (Allman Brothers) Live At The Fillmore East
CLASSIC BLUES SONGS - Stormy Monday Blues, Sweet Home Chicago, Dust My Broom, Drifting Blues, It Hurts Me Too, Its My Own Fault, Everyday I Have The Blues, The Sky Is Crying
GUITAR - Mike Bloomfield, Roy Buchanan, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King, Jimmy Johnson, Duane Allman, BB King, Buddy Guy, T Bone Walker, Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown), Johnny Winter, Peter Green (early Fleetwood Mac), Bonnie Raitt, Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones & John Mayall), Duke Robillard, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
BLUES HARP - Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite, Little Walter (Jacobs) , James Cotton, Norton Buffalo, James Cotton, Magic Dick (J Geils Band), Al Wilson (Canned Heat), John Popper (Blues Traveler), Darrell Mansfield, Big Walter (Horton)
PIANO - Otis Spann
FEMALE VOCALS - Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt (early years), Koko Taylor, Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holliday (jazz), Bessie Smith, Big Maybelle
MALE VOCALS - Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Paul Butterfield, Jimmy Johnson, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Chris Youlden (early Savoy Brown), BB King, Joe Williams, Charlie Musselwhite, Robert Cray, Jimmy Rushing, Charles Brown The basic 12 bar blues lyrics will make statement, like what happened, or when someone left. This is the moment of tension, when you are looking for answers, wondering where your lover is. This line is almost always sung twice. Then comes the resolution. The " reason for it all" is being told. When you sing " My baby left me, she ain't comin' back. My baby let me this morning, she ain't comin' back. If I don't get some relief, gonna' have a heart-attack. ". This is the classic, wonder to yourself , twice, Then the answer. Thats basically it. Then you shout it out loud. Use a I IV V structure when playing Blues songs have lots of different structure, based on tempo, region, number or bars, and style. I'd suggest listening to a small variety of blues musicians, starting with Son House, Skip James, and Robert Johnson. Then go to early Muddy Waters,Lightnin' Hopkins, Little Walter, and John Lee Hooker (some songs are 12 bars, others are 9)..
For electric blues, try Muddy Waters (again), Albert King, Elmore James, B B King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Ronnie Earl, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Philip Walker, Roomful Of Blues, and Robert Cray.
This should give you a sense of variety without overloading you. Most of their albums are easy to get from the library if you don't want to buy a "starter" blues collection. There's more variety in this music than people think, and I hope this is a good place for you to get a foothold in a great American musical art form.....keep an open ear and mind, and rock on!! 12 & 16 Bar blues structure usually are about the same.
It usually goes with a line, which is repeated once and then answered in a final line that rhymes with line 1. Ex.
Here it is 3 oclock in the mornin' and I can't even close my eyes
Here it is 3 o'clock in the mornin' and I can't even close my eyes
You know I can't find my baby, you know I can't be satisfied
~B.B. King "Three O'Clock Blues"
Some of the Mississippi Delta lyrics only repeat one line twice per verse.
Here are some other models:
Boom Boom Boom Boom gonna shoot you right down
Right off of your feet
Take you home with me Boom Boom Boom Boom
~John Lee Hooker - "Boom Boom"
I said, I'm tired of you tellin' me baby about how your man did you wrong
How he used to take your welfare check and leave the kids without a home
But I'm the one who's working, I'm the one trying to give them a home
Yes, I'm the one who's gonna love you baby, I'm the one who's gonna give them a home
~ZZ Hill "Don't Make Me Pay For His Mistakes"
I got a job in a steel mill
Shucking steel like a slave
Five long years, every Friday I come straight back home with all my pay
Have you ever been mistreated? You know just what I'm talking about
I worked five long years for one woman, she had the nerve to put me out
~Various Artists "Five Long Years" (LeRoy Carr)
Well, I wonder what's exactly the matter
You know the time, you know the time
Seemed like just an hour
And everything had changed
But I hold up my hand
Girl, I tried to make you understand
Well now everybody they tells me
Somebody done Hoodoo'd the Hoodoo Man
~Junior Wells "Hoodoo Man Blues" (Sonny Boy Williamson I)
Here are some examples. I don't have any websites. But the most common is the repeated first line rhymed with an "answered" third line. Happy writing! E | E | E | E | A | A | E | E | B | A | E | E |
or
E | A | E | E | A | A | E | E | B | A | E | E |
or
E | A | E | E | A | A | E | E | B | A | E | eeeb | |
