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Songwriting - Recipe for a simple blues song

Song writing Lesson.
Recipe for an easy blues song.

3 lines per verse. First and second lines are the same words.

The third line ends in a word that is a rhyme or near rhyme for the last word in the first lines.

The third line resolves or answers or somehow completes what was said in the previous 2 lines.

The first line is often about 12 syllables give or take a few syllables. The third line is about the same.

Classic example from John Lee Hooker

The chord structure shown can be used for many songs/
Here, I is a G, IV is a C and V is a D.

I read your (I) add this morning,
you said you want a real good man.

I read your (IV) add this morning,
you said you want a real good (I) man.

Now I’m (V)here for you honey and (IV) I wanna
know your (I) plan. (V)

Near rhyme – different song – same pattern:
If the river was whiskey and I was a diving duck. (x2)
I would swim to the bottom, drink my way back up.

Duck and up are NEAR RHYMES.

2 to 4 verses is a nice length
Songs often end by repeating a verse at the end.

Practice verses- you write the 3rd line:

I got a 3 string, a 4 string,
a deuce and a diddley bow. (x2)
__________________________________________

3rd line has to end in a rhyme or near rhyme for bow.
So: The grass is gittin long, I gotta go out and mow.
Better: I got 4 cbgs and I want to build some more.

I got tuners from Gitty
and a tail piece made of brass. (x2)

______________________________________________

I want to loop like bemuzic and pick like keni lee (x2)

__________________________________________

I want a Brickdust haircut and a hat like Uncle John (x2)

_________________________________________________________

Hope you get the idea, hope you have some fun.

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Comment by Uncle John on January 10, 2012 at 7:16am: Belinda! Good hat. Good song. Rockin good beat. I think you have the recipe. ;)

Comment by bemuzic on January 10, 2012 at 3:43am: I've tried the recipe, and it works : -)

Comment by Slowpaw Steve T on January 9, 2012 at 7:35pm: ...is the Blues song an American answer to the Irish Limerick..? (-;

The essential themes and objects mentioned by Madurobob can be included in the Blues song, many shared with Country songs, add; - Dog, Catfish, Levee, Swamp, Guitar, Lost my Babeey, Granpaw, Woman, Whiskee...the list goes on and on...! (-;

...great topic UJ ! (-:

Comment by Ron "Oily" Sprague on January 8, 2012 at 1:13pm: Well, UJ traded MJ, now she sore as she can be
Yeah now, UJ traded MJ, she as sore as she can be
Tuned her anger up to F sharp, beat him wif dat CBG!

Betrayal and violence: where would the blues be without 'em? ;-)

Comment by bemuzic on January 8, 2012 at 9:23am: There once was wise man, they called him Uncle John X 2

Well he taught us all how to write a good blues song : -)

Comment by Uncle John on January 8, 2012 at 8:13am: Pretty good, Oily. Joel I saw your verse in Wes Carl's blog. :) I am failing to come up with much, so to just throw one out:

I had a gal named little Mary Jo,

I had a gal named little Mary Jo.

Traded her for some tuners and a disc pee-ez-zoh.

Comment by Sharecropper on January 8, 2012 at 7:53am: Thanks , Uncle John . Nice recipe for a blues song . Simple and fun ! Hats off to you

for posting .

Comment by Ron "Oily" Sprague on January 8, 2012 at 5:03am: Oops...that should read

"Gets mah po' dawg likkered up, be in trouble wif Da Man."

Comment by Ron "Oily" Sprague on January 8, 2012 at 5:00am: Mah woman treat me wrong, yeah, dat gotta be her plan
Said mah woman treat me so wrong, jus' gotta be her plan
Makes mah po' dog take t' drinkin', he in trouble wif Da Man.

>-:E