Jake Gray

I posted this as a Twitter thread - but you can read it in its entirety here. Jake Gray on songwriter (a thread) Are you wondering how to get started or are you just stuck? Or do you need some new ideas? I’ve been there – here’s what I learned First – I often get asked, “Do you start with music or lyrics?” Yes. I always start with one of those options. I mostly write music on guitar. Sometimes I have come up with a lick or interesting chord progression that I will build a son

How does songwriting happen for you? For me it happens in a couple ways - sometimes I sit down intentionally and think “Ok – let’s write something”. Other times I’m noodling around on the guitar coming up with chord progressions or licks that might one day be a song. But in the sometime surprising, serendipitous moment songwriting just “happens”. The “magic” that happens (mostly) all at once. Take the example of “Pour Some Whiskey on my Grave” – a release we’re planning with

I was going through some pictures looking for something else and came across the picture on the left. This was one of the few that survived the house fire when I was in high school. Something that the guitar in that picture did not survive. When I look at the picture I think about that person – comparatively, I barely knew how to play that guitar. And any songs I wrote at that time were shit. Which I understand is OK, as “they say” you need to write 100 bad songs before you g