Borns Quotes

These days I can really get the strings to snap if I want.

The only time I'm miserable is when I can't keep an instrument in tune.

The saxophone is an imperfect instrument, especially the tenor and soprano, as far as intonation goes. The challenge is to sing on an imperfect instrument that is outside of your body.

When one puts up a building one makes an elaborate scaffold to get everything into its proper place. But when one takes the scaffold down, the building must stand by itself with no trace of the means by which it was erected. That is how a musician should work.

The way I play, I go through a set in a year. So I put '58 Gibson Jumbo Bass frets on all my necks.

I've never understood people who play up the artifice of music.

I've been playing since I was about 7. I never really used a pick very much. I mean, once in a while, if you're in a festive mood, you might draw a little blood, but nothing significant... But my hands aren't abused, really.

Playing in an orchestra is where I learned the most about music.

Growing up in a bluegrass or acoustic-oriented world, the musicians become so focused on performance, as far as playing. We tend to overanalyze the notes, so you're always trying to sharpen everything up.

I played the flute in elementary school, but when I got into high school, they didn't have any flutes; they gave me a clarinet and said, 'Play it in the same way, just hold in a different position.' I really didn't care much for it.

I think there's a fallacy that's been concocted by the music teachers' profession, to wit: that there's a certain sequence of events necessary in order to have the revealed truth about the way one produces a given effect on a given instrument.

If you watch me for a long time, you'll really understand and appreciate the way I play.

I love the physicality of instruments, and instruments as objects, like dancers are bodies.

It's good to see more young people playing instruments.

When you sit down and see someone play at a piano, you don't think, 'Wow - what a fantastic machine.'

My guitar playing was born from playing in my teenage heavy rock bands.

I play in tune like a cello player and use legitimate vibrato. There are no tricks; it's just all in the hands!

I can count on less than five fingers the things I can do well, so I'm just going to stick to those. It's crazy; it's literally all I've ever wanted to do in life is sing and play and get out there and rock.

When I'm writing for certain instruments, you want to write within what you know about that instrument but also challenge the player. Something like 'Aheym' is very virtuosic - but because I have a history of performing music, I don't like unplayable music.

That's what I wanted to do was play music.

I used to play the drums when I was, like, 5 through 10.

If there was a wrong note, it didn't matter as long as it was rocking.

As far as pedals are concerned, the test for me is if I step on it, do I seem to be playing better?

A lot of people with a range of styles and vocal tones make all kinds of music for all sorts of audiences. I'll be forever grateful for that.

A lot of people think the orchestra is playing and the conductor doesn't do very much, but the conductor's the person that gives shape to the music, gets the phrasing, and if he has really fine musicians in solo spots, the question is does he try to help them phrase, or does he let them go?