I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any more would have been less.
Artie ShawRead
That's the clarinet I used to use... but it's just a piece of wood, you know, with holes in it and they put these clumsy keys on it and you're supposed to try to take that and manipulate it with throat muscles and chops... and try to make something happen that never happened before. And when you do, you never forget it. It beats sex, it beats anything.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the profound emotional impact of creating music, highlighting its uniqueness and the challenges involved.
Artie Shaw reflects on the clarinet not just as an instrument but as a vessel for creativity and expression. He acknowledges the intricate physical demands of playing, while simultaneously emphasizing that the joy and fulfillment derived from producing music are unmatched by any other experiences. This underscores the power of art to evoke strong emotions and create unforgettable moments.
Themes
MusicCreativityExpressionClarinetArt
In practice
Example use cases
During a music workshop, I shared this quote to inspire young musicians.
More from Artie Shaw
All quotes βSimilar quotes
The writer is the visionary of his people... He anticipates, he warns.
Wole SoyinkaRead
I hope that there are many more women out there writing bits of feminist sci-fi. And men, also - men are allowed to write feminist things.
Naomi AldermanRead
There's an ancient connection between movement and music. Most languages don't make a distinction between the words 'music' and 'dance.' And we can see that in the brain. When people are lying perfectly still but listening to music, the neurons in the motor cortex are firing.
Daniel LevitinRead
The one thing a writer has to have is a pencil and some paper. That's enough, so long as she knows that she and she alone is in charge of that pencil, and responsible, she and she alone, for what it writes on that paper.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
My dedication to trying to be a poet started very, very young, and I was very well encouraged by good teachers and by older friends and so on, so I think it is a benediction, and I also think it is a calling, a duty.
Derek WalcottRead
On acting to daughter Isabella Rossellini: Keep it simple. Make a blank face and the music and the story will fill it in.
Ingrid BergmanRead