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Original message:54 days 15 hours 21 minutes ago

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Member: Kevin

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ok, so here's the deal, I've been playing for 14 years (i'm 21) and in about the last 5 years I've really focused a lot on songwriting. I feel fairly confident in my abilities as a songwriter. I write a lot of different types of music but my specialty is hard rock. My song usually have a sound that is kind of like modern hard rock with a feel that resembles oldschool van halen. I do play a lot of bluesy lead bits but I'm trying to write a bit more in blues forms. I play a lot of blues, and I can work a 12 bar as a jam and some of the other stuff as well, but I can't seem to write in this style. It either sounds too cliched or it gets too complicated and turns into just another rock tune with a bluesy solo. I can't believe that such a simple musical form would be so damn hard to write. So if anyone could help me out i'd appreciate it. Also, if it helps, my influences that I'm trying to work with are: Stevie Ray Vaughn (duh), Hendrix (double duh), Rory Gallagher, and Robin Trower. I'm also trying to mix blues-rock with funk rhythms kind of like old lenny kravits or stevie wonder circa talking book.

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Reply:54 days 15 hours 6 minutes ago
Member: shanejohnson2002

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Study up on some chord substitutions, and learn minor-key progressions as well. That should open up a lot for you.

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Angels of mercy, guardians of time, shackled and chained to the eternal flame, the hammer will slowly arise.

Reply:54 days 14 hours 31 minutes ago
Member: Johnny Caine

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I feel like if you feel your lyrics are too cliche then they probably aren't. I know that the person who preforms the art is always harder on himself. So if you feel something go with it.

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Reply:54 days 12 hours 32 minutes ago
Member: Fred Kraus

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When it comes to song writing it's very much an individual thing. I like being honest in my songs. I like it when people say it like it is. It's something everybody thinks, but nobody ever says it for one reason or another. "Yes" their musical abilities aside, never really appealed to me. Their lyrics were never down to earth for my taste. I think that's a big part of blues. In blues songs they might sing about a woman who was so damned mean not only did she leave him, but she shot the dog and burned his house to the ground. Throw in a pentatonic scale and you have a song.

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"The cruelest lies are often told in silence" -Robert Lewis Stevenson

Reply:54 days 4 hours 18 minutes ago
Member: bachmirage

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478
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well it sounds to me like you need a change of scenery musician wise. perhaps you should look for a good keyboard player and maybe a horn player or two. maybe even a good percussionist. those kinds of players will move you into some different directions and maybe open up some more interesting avenues song wise for ya. and they will definitally be able to allow you to get funk out as well........

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