Trying to switch in between Blues and Country music singing styles?

[hankfan1950]

Hello, 

I am a new member of this group, and I am seeking some guidance, and help with my singing. I am a solo. gigging guitarist and singer; I sing songs that were made back in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, and I need some help. I started out learning how to sing in the Blues style, I mastered the Blues scale, achieved Vocal Resonance, and could sing all the Blues songs I've ever wanted to sing. I could sing some songs that Jimmie Rodgers, the first country music star could sing because he was heavily influenced by the blues.  About Two years ago, I seriously got into the music of Hank Williams Senior, George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Lefty Frizzell; I thought it would be easy to sing their songs, and its not, its a different style from what I was accustomed to. I know there are fundemental differences in Country and Blues music. 

 

• Country music involves a twang, has a change in accent, and has a set melody that the singer sings along to, while the Blues is more free flowing, with no set melody, except the "blue notes" from the Blues scale, and the feeling you put into the music. 
• Country music revolves around the Major scale, while the Blues is built off of a scale that is made up of what are called "blue notes"

My biggest issue is, I want to be a performer who can sing Blues and Country music, specifically the old stuff from the 1940s and 1950s, and I have issues switching from Blues to Country music. What should I do? I feel like the issue is changing my vowel usage, my accent, and the scale I use. if someone could let me know, and maybe give me some advice, I would appreciate it! 

 

Creighton

[MDEW]

   On both you sing the melody. Singing the melody means matching the notes from one musical phrase to another. Each one may also use different scales from one song to another.

   Work on the songs, one song at a time. Work on the one song. one phrase at a time.

   If you are having trouble with the style a singer sings that particular song LISTEN to that singer singing that song. Hank Williams and Merle Haggard would sing the same song a little different. Hank may have a little "Whine" or "Cry" and Merle May Have a little "Matter of Fact" sound. As if Merle is telling it like is in an Authoritative voice and Hank is crying about it and being depressed.

    What ever song you are going to sing, work on that song. Listen to it one phrase at a time, listing for the "Melody" of the phrase and work on matching that melody. You do not have to know what scale it is when you listen to it and match what you hear. 

[timmayock]

I am new here and have something to contribute to this conversation. I find I slide into notes more when I sing the blues. I record myself and find the blues at bit more challenging. Sometimes I use autotune as a learning tool. This is where I made the observation. It never occurred to me that I was slipping and sliding so much.  There are also many bluesy songs called country or pop. The persona to me is still blues. I think i am recognizing that it is like a vocal whammy bar where just a little in a song is enough. 

I think it is just an overuse of sliding on vowels This is this weeks work for me to make some sense of this and it will be a life time of practice to correct the overuse habit.