How to Create a Simple Blues Song

Follow these instructions and you will be able to develop your own songs in the style of blues music.

Though not insanely difficult, an understanding of the blues and of some music terms will greatly help.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar
• Guitar picks
• Paper (or other lyrical recording device)

Instructions

1. Tune guitar to the proper tuning. For blues in the realm of Eric Clapton and BB King, use standard tuning. For Stevie Ray Vaughn blues (heavier blues) tune down by a half step. That would be Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb.

2. Decide the song's tone. Not all blues songs need to be sad or depressing. Types of tones - uplifting, heavy, depressing, political.

3. Following the A-A-B-C formula, develop lyrics. A-A-B-C refers to the lyrical lines. The first line is repeated twice, followed by two consecutive different lines, though all should remain on the same subject. An example from "Texas Flood" by Stevie Ray Vaughn:

   "It's floodin down in Texas, all the telephone lines are down, (A)
   Yeah, it's floodin down in Texas, all the telephone lines are down, (A)
   I've been tryin' to call my baby, (B)
   But I can't get a single sound." (C)

4. To match the A-A-B-C lyrics, develop an A-B-A-C chord progression. Those are not the actual chords, but it refers to the type of chord. For instance, you could play a G chord, followed by an E chord, followed by a G chord, and ending with an A chord.

   That will let your repeated lyric ring with two different musical sounds, hammering it in more effectively.

5. Using the blues scale, develop a deep solo. A Standard blues scale can be found below. Use any combination of these notes to develop a solo appropriate for the song's tone.

   E------------------------------5---8----
   B------------------------5-7-8----------
   G--------------------5-7----------------
   D----------------5-7--------------------
   A------- 5--6--7------------------------
   E---5--8--------------------------------

6. Use the BLUE NOTES! In the scale above, the 6th fret on the A string and 8th fret on the B string are known as blue notes, because they are off-key and really provide that blues-y feel.

7. Combine everything and voila! Making your own blues song is not rocket science. It can be tough to make a great one, but follow these steps and practice, and you will be able to say you have your own blues song.

Tips & Warnings

• Blues solos are not meant to be played ridiculously fast. The key to the blues is for the audience to feel the emotion you put into the notes.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish