Tips on Producing Your Own Blues Album

Recording a blues record isn't as difficult or any easier than recording per say a rock album. In fact, a lot of rock stars use blues progressions in their music. Take for instance Aerosmith. Listen to the guitar tabs used. So rather you want to do a strict blues record, or branch off into other blues infused genres, recording and promoting follow the same rules.

Writing in a blues melody or progression uses a lot of 12 measure progressions. The 12 measure progression repeats through melody. For those of you who know a little on music theory, the progression generally follows as I-IV-I-V7-I. Though this is just a common way to write a blues song, the old saying goes "When you've learned the rules of songwriting, you're allowed to bend them." Additional variations are accepted to give the song a new twist or attitude. You can start with a melody, or a chord progression, but however you do it, each need to compliment one another. You can start by writing a melody and find chords that go underneath it, thus being able to get an idea of how the song will sound.

Recording a blues song will usually include a guitar. There are several plug-ins you can use, or hardware that can apply a special effect to give you that blues authentic sound. Writing your progression comes first, then you can effectively build around the rhythm. Blues king B.B. King has great many songs that showcase that blues rock sound such as "The Thrill is Gone," or "When Love Comes to Town" featuring U2. Take a listen and understand how he constructs a song.

Publishing is a very complex issue. The Songwriter's Market book contains several places where you can try and strike a contract to help pitch songs for that certain style of music. Often times you can be your own publisher and keep all the rights to your songs while maxing out your profits. You can create an association name on sites such as ASCAP or BMI and control your publishing. The New Songwriter's Guide to Music Publishing is an interesting book to pick up as it tells details on how about getting publishing deals, and starting your own publishing affiliation.