CHAPTER TWELVEAs Jesse became embroiled in social upheaval, he and Butch continued playing guitar and writing songs together almost every day at 1114 West Wayne Street. It was a musical escape from the news.
Their fingertips got good and calloused, and their vocal harmonies began to blend well. Butch mainly came up with the chord progressions and Jesse helped with melodies and wrote most of the lyrics. Writing for the paper left him at no loss for words.
Butch was beginning to teach Jesse how to play barre chords, a major step in the development of any guitarist. He also taught Jesse how to change the strings on his guitar. At first, Jesse tried to wiggle out of the task, but Butch wasn’t having it.
“You’ve got to change your own strings. It’s the best way to get in touch with your inst
