I hope I am not the only one with this “issue”, but whenever I pick up my instrument (most of the time guitar) with a specific genre or style in mind, I struggle to write just something like that.
To give a little background info: I listen mostly to blues rock, hard rock, and alternative/garage rock I’d say. But for the longest time my music leaned more towards the blues rock side; slower (e. g. 80-100 bpm), very focused on the blues scale. These days, I want to create songs more in the vein of Guns N Roses, Van Halen, Motley Crue and the like but I struggle with the general feeling of those styles.
What are your tips regarding this? When I look up some actual songs, it’s just I-III-IV power chord stuff or basic pentatonic scales again. So why do my powerchords not sound like that as well? Phrasing it that way makes it sound ridiculous, but I hope you get the point. It feels like I am missing the point that distinguishes let’s say sleaze rock from classic heavy metal. Maybe I’m m overthinking it but it annoys me that my writing process seems to be very trial-and-error.
i’m not sure if you’re asking more about writing or the sound. the different bands and guitarists probably have a lot of differences in gear and guitar settings used (not to mention production, on officially released records) that contribute to how they ultimately sound, beyond knowing the chords or notes. but in terms of writing, i’ll just offer up listen more often and learn to play more covers in the style you want to play and write in. that’s the only way i can think of getting a literal feel for something on the guitar. by literally playing it over and over. good luck. if you figure it out, come back and tell us how you did it.
