Damn Right I Got The Blues! by Monica Yasher

And now...a word from the female perspective...

I know what all you men out there are thinking. Women are always whining anyway so we may as well hear about the blues too! Right? And, for the women out there, we know how it is. Damn right I got the blues! So let me share my thoughts on the blues with you!

It is way cool that this forum is open for me to write about whatever! In the study of the history of the blues, women were the originators of the blues. They were the first performers, recorders, they WERE the blues! I would like to keep the woman perspective alive for blues performers, songwriters, and fans of today.

OK. So who am I? Musically, I would like to think I am a songwriter first. I would love to say to all of you readers that I only write the blues. But songwriting is like the blues. You never know where it will take you or how you will get there. You just know that you are going through something and have to work through it and where you end up you just end up. So, when I write, I’m not sure if it will end up blues, country, pop, bluegrass, or a rock song. It is what it is. And, yes, those twists and turns have captured a blues tune once or twice from my heart.

As for performing, I never said I was a performer. I have found that as many people that like you….there are those that don’t. So, you just have to go out and do what you do regardless of what others think of you. I find as a songwriter it is a must do. You must perform. The words in those songs are mine and I will convey them to everyone like no one will. So I try to get out there and do, just because I have something to say and I can.

As a person, I am a daughter, a sister, a mom, a wife, a friend, a project manager, and a writer. I am influenced by the past, the present, and what I think can happen in the future. I laugh, I cry, I get mad, I get sad. See how much we have in common already?

So why do I want to write about the blues? I wouldn’t be where I am musically without the blues. What is cool about the blues is you can make up your own lyrics as you go and allow it to mean what you want it to mean. This helped me develop as a songwriter. For the blues if you feel like singing a high note, you do. If you feel like singing a low note, you do. If you want to cut the note short or hold it, you can. It all works. Typically you have to sing a rock or country song note for note as the artist that originated the song. That is what your listening audience is looking for. This is not true for the blues. The blues allowed me to discover what I can do with my voice. Play with a song. It allowed people to feel what I have to say about the blues. Just go out to Youtube and type in a blues song and see all the different interpretations of the same blues song. I guess when it gets down to it; we all have the same blues but just live it a bit differently.

I look forward to adding this blog to my musical journey. Without music I would not have the friends that I have. I hope to share my thoughts with you. And, likewise, read what you have to say. Hopefully pick up a few new friends along the way. There is so much to talk about. I think each paragraph I wrote today could be expanded into a separate topic. There’s history of the blues, writing the blues, singing the blues, and the blues as a nurturing environment for artist development. And, there is so much more not yet said. Until next week go out and live the wild blue yonder!

SONG OF THE WEEK: Damn Right I Got the Blues
Check it out on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeI2ULUUS20

Copyright © 2009 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.