Making Music by Jesse Bailey

I had a celly back in 2015 that ask me if he could mess around on my guitar. He had never played one before a wanted to learn.

So over the next month or so I showed him a few things. He picked it up really fast.

He had been thinking about buying an instrument for awhile before he moved in. After some talks about music he settled on getting a keyboard.

About 6 long months go by waiting on him to save up for the keyboard. See, he only earns $52 a month.

The wait was just as hard for him as it was for me. I was getting exited too because with this keyboard I can plug my electric guitar and processor into it and play through it. We can now play together at the same time. Awesome!

Time passes and another 4 months go by. We’re both getting pretty good at and we are comming up with some pretty cool songs.

I have taught myself how to play the Guitar. Its been a few years since I have had it. Its been a slow road but I have gotten pretty good. Having the keyboard also available to me helped me understand some thing that I didn’t quite understand before about music.

I was learning how to make beats. He had started to show me a few things with the keyboard. I was playing some cool licks to his songs. Things were awesome.

We were both feeding off each other with what to play and how to play it. On each instrument.

My old celly, I call him DJ. He has come up with some pretty bad ass stuff with that keyboard. Sounds alot like something Lil Wayne’s or Kanye West would rap to.

Its a year later now and this kid has gotten really good now. I kinda wish there was a music room or a place we could go to hang out and continue to make music in our spare time.

Its people like this that make one really bad choice in life and now this is their life. Sitting in this cold place for decades.

DJ is only 26, and for the next 30+ years he’ll be locked up in here. I wonder if he found this talent sooner for instruments and hearing music like he does, would he be in this situation he’s in now?

One will only wonder about that.

I believe this kid has a future in music.

Jesse Bailey
DOC #879476