Based on the results of singularity confinement we derive bilinear exp
ressions for the discrete Painleve equations. In these cases where a b
ilinear expression is not sufficient we obtain trilinear or higher mul
tilinear expressions. We show that the bilinear approach provides a na
tural framework for the derivation of Backlund and Schlesinger transfo
rms for the discrete Painleve equations.