In the mood for some inspiring quotes about making music? Us too.
Music in and of itself is one of the most inspiring things out there. Few things can evoke an emotion faster than simply listening. Live or on Spotify, the beats, tones, and words all blend to create unique and sometimes addicting experiences. With such a seemingly magical result, it’s no surprise that the act of making music can also be a magical experience. And a complex one!
Whether you’re a musician, on your way to becoming one, or just a lover of all things music, the following are some of our favorite inspiring quotes about making music.
1. “Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.” -Pablo Casals
2. “It’s that element of surprise. When you lose control, you discover new things.” -Daniel Lanois
3. “Music is my religion.” -Jimi Hendrix
4. “For a songwriter, you don’t really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take them apart and see what they’re made of, and wonder if you can make one, too.” -Tom Waits
5. “If you had a sign above every studio door saying, ‘This Studio is a Musical Instrument,’ it would make such a different approach to recording.” -Brian Eno
6. “Music changes, and I’m gonna change right along with it.” -Aretha Franklin
7. “It’s very helpful to start with something that’s true. If you start with something that’s false, you’re always covering your tracks. Something simple and true, that has a lot of possibilities, is a nice way to begin.” –Paul Simon
8. “I have a structured songwriting process. I start with the music and try to come up with musical ideas, then the melody, then the hook, and the lyrics come last.” -John Legend
9. “There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot.” -John Cage
10. “When the ideas are coming, I don’t stop until the ideas stop because that train doesn’t come along all the time.” -Dr. Dre
11. “Live for what you create, and die protecting it.” -Lady Gaga
12. “Music is…a higher revelation than all wisdom & philosophy.” -Ludwig van Beethoven
13. “I don’t force it. If you don’t have an idea and you don’t hear anything going over and over in your head, don’t sit down and try to write a song. You know, go mow the lawn… My songs speak for themselves.” -Neil Young
14. “You make your mistakes to learn how to get to the good stuff.” -Quincy Jones
15. “Music is the shorthand of emotion.” -Leo Tolstoy
16. “For me, songwriting is something I have to do ritually. I don’t just wait for inspiration; I try to write a little bit every day.” –Sean Lennon
17. “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” -Miles Davis
18. “I think the hardest thing to overcome is judging yourself and being your own worst critic.” -Nile Rodgers
19. “I wish I were one of those people who wrote songs quickly. But I’m not. So it takes me a great deal of time to find out what the song is.” -Leonard Cohen
20. “I don’t think about commercial concerns when I first come up with something. When I sit down at the piano, I try to come up with something that moves me.” -Lamont Dozier
21. “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” -David Bowie
22. “It is only natural to pattern yourself after someone… But you can’t just copy someone. If you like someone’s work, the important thing is to be exposed to everything that person has been exposed to.”
–Bob Dylan
