Allan Holdsworth Quotes

It didn't even occur to me that I'm the last person in the world who should play salsa or Brazilian music.

I have absolutely no musical talent of my own!

The more I come to understand music, the more I feel like a numbskull because there is always more to learn. The more I do it, the more I'm humbled. I'm just always trying to get better at it. I pick up a few tricks along the way.

Someone who knows only music, understands nothing about it.

How could I? I only know two tunes. One of them is Yankee Doodle. The other isn't.

I love music, and I can play a little. But anyone can see the difference between someone who's talented and someone that's not.

The man who realizes his ignorance has taken the first step toward knowledge.

When you're working with music that is invariably better than you are, it's difficult to become swell-headed.

I despise people who revel in the ignorance of not being able to play their instrument.

I was born, for instance, incapable of appreciating music.

I don't play music very well, so I've always surrounded myself with people who played a lot better than I did. I'm a loyal person, and I just tend to leave it to the experts.

Music has nothing to do with your technical ability.

I took the rhythm place, which a lot of people didn't know how to do the way I could, and this was really the first time that Johnny had a rhythm guitar player.

The first step towards knowledge is to know that we are ignorant.

So by the time I taught myself the bass guitar at the age of 14, my hands were already pretty nimble.

The thing about music is it's not an obscure pursuit, it's a very natural thing for human beings to do. Once you put in the effort, the learning curve is very fast.

Maybe if I knew music I couldn't do what I am doing.

You can't go to the store and buy a good ear and rhythm.

Hopefully, I have a certain amount of what you call musical talent.

I was a lucky kid. You could have got 10 kids to be in The Byrds who were better than I was.

Don't let your heart get big because of your knowledge. Take counsel with the ignorant as well as with the scholar.

I'm not a complete moron like most musicians whom I've met.

It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.

Music has always been part of my family's life. My brother, sister, and I all have the same ability to pick up an instrument and play.

It was such a wake-up call going to music school and being one among so many that are really good at singing.