Blues music is a unique musical genre steeped in sultry melodies and lyrical emotion. It has had a lasting and profound impact on the music of the UK, United States, and beyond.
It’s no surprise that many singers want to try this genre and be adept at it. However, while some vocalists can get into different music genres quickly and are highly versatile, others can’t instill some music styles into their minds.
If you wonder how to sing the blues like a professional singer, we’ll share with you nine tips that can help improve your blues-singing:
- Scales of blues
- Blues mood
- Blues feels
- Blues notes
- Blues jamming
- Remain authentic but not overly sentimental
- The simpler, the better
Our post will give you a deep understanding of how to embark on this musical form and move it into your comfort zone.
What Is Blues Music?
The blues music has a rich yet bittersweet background. The genre initially originated as a genuine expression of those frustrating and suffering as an American slave referred to as the deep South. Such expressions are naturally heartbreaking but healing as well.
The core feature, also what makes the genre unique, is that the singer sings about their sorrows to feel better. That sounds breezy but, of course, is not that straightforward. You can easily overdo it.
Learning this musical form’s history is critical to understanding its different aspects deeply. Should you dream of being a professional blues vocalist, you need to understand how the prior experts perform.
The first and foremost step to master the genre is listening to many songs within its spectrum with great concentration.
Listen to the lyrics and feel the singers’ emotions in their songs. How do they add passion when singing? How do they immerse themselves into the songs?
Soon, you’ll be able to connect to the music style and catch some feelings about it. Another tip before diving into the detailed techniques is to upgrade your style.
You don’t need to replicate a famous artist’s style or force your singing to sound as “blues” as possible. Simply indulging yourself in it is perfect for making you sound unique.
Also, try creating your original artwork. The tip is to write a song keeping a sad story or memory in mind.
That way, it will be easier to create perfect music, and you can convey the sadness while singing entirely and emotionally.
How To Sing The Blues? 7 Techniques To Master It
A misconception is that blues is only for innate talent, and those not born with such a gift can’t learn to sing it.
However, this belief is wrong because you can learn it and even be good at it with the correct methods. So, don’t worry, beginners!
Continue reading the strategic guide below. It will help turn you into an authentic blues artist.
#1. Blues Scales
First thing first, it’s imperative to get used to or familiarized with the scales of the musical form. This one is far from other genres due to its blue notes.
These notes are lower than other regular registers in an identified scale, giving your singing more quality. Also, they make you sound lonely and blue, which is the core feature of this genre.
Thus, study the scales and notes of blues to get used to the style and the secret behind singing it well first.
#2. Blues Mood
Another thing to get used to when taking up the style is the mood. As the term implies, the music genre reflects depressions, frustrations, and sorrows about death, loss, and poverty.
As mentioned, if this style interests you, learn about its background first.
It’s possible to write your songs and lyrics, incorporating your sadness into the songs. Remember that this music is generally in a low interval when making an original.
That’s why a composer should concentrate on the low registers and sing the scales in as low a vocal as possible, adapting yourself to the ranges more flexibly.
#3. Blues Feels
It’s easy to get the feel of this musical form, but you’d better determine if it is right for you because there’s rarely someone who can sing about sorrows all the time.
Start to feel it and spread the feeling throughout your soul.
Close your eyes to feel the words and melodies to execute this technique. There’s no need to apply mouth shaping or any other deep technique.
However, should you wish to enhance your skill, it’s necessary to employ your diaphragm since the sound will come from the emotions deep inside. And using the diaphragm helps you focus on your feelings.
If you fail to feel it naturally, it’s probably better to think again about the intention of pursuing blues. Other genres, like R&B, pop, or ballad, may apply to you more.
We recommend depending on this video of “Why I Choose to Sing the Blues” to discover why a man fell in love with this music genre:
Singing this genre is undoubtedly a way of expressing your feelings.
A good way to sound blue is to hear how famous jazz artists, like Vaughan, Ray Charles, Sarah, or Ella, perform their songs.
We promise you’ll get valuable lessons from listening to these vocalists and somehow duplicate their style of conveying sadness.
#4. Blues Jamming
Keep in mind that practicing and performing are two different aspects or terms of singing.
The moment you stand in front of a crowd, you realize that real performances will contribute significantly to your evolution and development.
Notably, this style requires solid maturity and confidence to convey the message to your listeners with deep feelings. Or else, you’ll sound nervous rather than emotional.
A general habit of beginner blues singers when going to some bars or nightclubs is to perform those blue songs to practice.
It’s a good idea to join blues jamming when reaching live music venues like nightclubs since you can get the chance to perform in front of a crowd.
Plus, you can perform with support from a live band and engage with the audience.
Those places are also where you can meet and interact with many musicians, including seasoned professionals and amateurs.
#5. Blues Notes
The unique characteristic of this musical form is the utilization of the blue notes. Those keys separate the blues scales from the primary scale.
Some veteran musicians would refer to these notes as the flatted 7th and flatted 3rd. When discussing major scales, those musicians deem them diatonic scales containing eight notes called 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
Let’s take the Cm scale as an example. This major scale goes like this: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. We can see that the third is E-flat, and the seventh is B-flat.
It’s possible to convert major scales into blues scales by flattening the 7th and the 3rd notes in the scale.
Jazz singers and more sophisticated blues artists add blue notes to modify their singing by changing some notes in the major scale.
Typically, they incorporate the flatted 9, raised 9, sharp 5, flatted 5, D-flat, and D-sharp in the Cm scale.
Using the blue notes helps train your ears and voice, leading to a naturally emotional vocal sound.
#6. Remain Authentic But Not Overly Sentimental
Blues is all about feelings, sadness, frustration, depression, and “blue” deep inside. With this genre, you’re simply letting your emotions run and expressing them through your singing.
However, after a long way, the conception of this singing style has become widely popular and so overused that you may find it arduous to define the fundamental essence now.
With high hope of sounding intensely blue, some vocalists strive to feel the mood but happen to sound trite and inauthentic.
If you want to gain authenticity, the must-do work is to hear the instrumental parts and chords carefully until you can sink your mind into the genuine feeling. Ask yourself: How does the music affect and make you feel?
The ultimate essence of this musical form is the passion for sharing your authentic feelings, not mimicking sadness or depression.
Simply let the audience know your true story and emotion. This way, you can instill your voice into their minds and hearts.
Once you succeed in keeping the initial essence of the genre in your singing, we believe you’ll become an authentic and revered singer.
#7. The Simpler, The Better
The bittersweet and rich style is the unique characteristic of blues. The form itself originated from the desire to release the sufferings through the music of black African slaves in America.
Therefore, it is about heartbrokenness and exhibiting somewhat healing simultaneously. The genre’s psychologically cathartic element is that you can get rid of it from your life if you sing your sadness out.
Thus, while it’s cathartic, performing this style is a big challenge for any singer.
The simplicity mentioned above does not mean being lazy or less creative and lacking enthusiasm or energy in singing.
In essence, simplicity means not mimicking or overdoing. Simply be true and sincere to your emotion without pretension.
In other words, simple singing means letting the beauty and meaning of the words come out and be apparent.
A clear sign of simplicity in this style is the 12-bar progression. It doesn’t require any fancy form, refusing any virtuosity.
Simply allow the artistic side within you to naturally touch the listeners’ hearts through your voice.
#8. Write Your Blues
As said, the points are simplicity and feelings, so why not sing about your feelings or “blues.”
This task is much easier for a penniless or struggling street artist since they have so many pains to express. However, you can get inspiration from your loneliness, tedious job, or your sorrow when seeing your loved ones cry.
The beauty is that you can express your problems or tell a story about what makes you down in the dumps. This way, you’re being simple, authentic, and emotional simultaneously.
The Bottom Line
Of course, learning how to sing the blues is far from straightforward, yet if you put your entire soul and heart into it, the music will flow naturally out of you.
After all, as long as you have the willingness and desire to share your blues and commit to singing your unique voice, the journey to mastering this style will end with success.
Let’s keep the blues alive!
