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Gary Jones on Songwriting

Gary Jones started playing the guitar as a young child at the age of 8. He grew up in Huffman, AL, where he attended Huffman High School. Although he never made it big as a songwriter, he enjoys writing and recording in his spare time. I sat down to talk to him about songwriting and the process, and what usually works the best.

Q: So, how did you get started writing music?

A: Well, I actually didn't write music for a long time. I had started playing at the age of 8, and I probably didn't even start writing until after I got out of college; probably at about 25 or 26 years old or so. I started writing because a few of my buddies and I thought it would be a fun idea to start a band, and we got tired of covering the same songs over and over.

Q: What did you decide to name your band?

A: The Gary Jones Band, original, huh (laughs)?

Q: And what kind of music influenced your songwriting?

A: I'd say the music I write has a lot of rock influences, with maybe a little bit of acoustic and country thrown in there at the same time. Stuff like Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Eagles, Doobie Brothers, and Eric Clapton

Q: All of them are excellent songwriters. Which do you think comes first, melody/music, or lyrics?

A: For me, it's definitely the music. I mean, I've never met a writer who can just spit the lyrics out or just start writing without some musical ideas. Sometimes I'll just pick up a guitar and start strumming, and I'll find some chords that go together that I really like. That's about the time I believe most writers start thinking about words; when all the hard work is done finding the music that fits

Q: I'd imagine that you're a firm believer in "the math," then, am I correct?

A: Oh, certainly. Music theory was definitely composed the way it was for a reason; to make up a formula that makes it easier for musicians to write. Chord progressions are the backbone to almost all songs, even the most popular songs. In some cases, you won't have to think about (music) theory, it'll just happen as you're playing.

Q: Do you ever get writer's block?

A: Yeah, and that's just a part of the whole process in my opinion. There are going to be times when you just don't want to write. You can't sit down and try during those times. You just gotta put down the guitar and take a break for a while; clear your mind of everything that's keeping you from coming up with ideas, and then come back to drawing board.

Q: How often do you sit down to write?

A: Well, between being a working man and a father, it's limited. But usually in my free time on the weekends when I have nothing else going on and I have some clear ideas as to what I want to talk about. But, about an hour of sitting and writing, and i'm done for the day. Most of it will just come to me when I'm not trying to write though, it's funny how that works.

Q: How do you record your ideas?

A: If it's lyrics, I'll try to jot it down on a notepad. But if it's an instrumental idea, I have this awesome recorder that I plug my guitar into so I can remember what I was thinking about later on.

Q: What's the most frustrating part about songwriting?

A: Not being able to finish a song, I'd have to say. There's nothing more frustrating than starting a song that you think will have potential, and you take a long time to finish. It's almost like the anticipation for Christmas as a kid; you're so ready for it to finally happen.

Q: How many unfinished songs do you have lying around?

A: So many. About a dozen; it's pretty dissapointing to see all of those potential songs sitting around waiting to be written. But, I know they'll be completely finished some day