Paul Desmond Quotes

When we first started playing we did a lot of rehearsing. We used to write out everything. In fact, that's the way everybody rehearses: we play the tunes and improvise.

Accelerando means in tempo. Don't rush.

Unless you're singing something that's kind of in rhythm with the bass, the melodies, it's just difficult.

But really, anytime, I play on a practice pad as much as I can.

My band can tell you, I'd rather do anything than rehearse.

I'm not a huge practicer, which is probably not a good thing because my band definitely needs to practice.

Whenever you play dance music, it serves a function. It becomes a utility; you have to worry about the tempos and what you're going to play for people. But when you're playing for listening, you're free.

Well, I think writing is basically about time and rhythm. Like with jazz. You have your basic melody and then you just riff off of it. And the riffs are about timing.

There's not much music I'll listen to if it doesn't have pretty heavy swing. Rhythm is so important. Punk rock would have more power and feeling if it had swing.

Every day I look forward to getting with my instruments, trying new things.

I still play the fiddle every day. I'm afraid if I don't, it won't know who I am.

Music rhythms are mathematical patterns. When you hear a song and your body starts moving with it, your body is doing math. The kids in their parents' garage practicing to be a band may not realize it, but they're also practicing math.

When you are studying jazz, the best thing to do is listen to records or listen to live music. It isn't as though you go to a teacher. You just listen as much as you can and absorb everything.

I was messing around with the harmonica... but I was 13 before I got a real good note out of it.

To me, there's no question that using a metronome develops your speed and accuracy. If you're learning scales or you're jamming on parts that you can't quite pull off, it's a must.

I played clarinet for many years.

When practicing, it's great to break a part down into its different elements, start slowly, and then try to build up the speed until you're playing as fast as you possibly can.

I practice more than ever ... mostly scales and arpeggios ... and anything I can't do.

Without him here, it is impossible to know how fast he will play it, approximately.

Some of us are going to play faster than others. Hitting the right notes and getting your technique right is so much more important than speed.

And if I'm ahead, I can sometimes tell. It might mean I'm having a good swim, but pretty much, I'm just focused on how fast I'm going, how fast I'm feeling, and pretty much block everything out, the sounds, the sights, just kind of listen to the rhythm of the water, and just maintaining the same stroke, the same rhythm, the same tempo, and thinking about how I want to get my hand to the wall.

The most necessary, most difficult and principal thing in music, that is time.

Let no one imagine that in owning a recording he has the music. The very practice of music is a celebration that we own nothing.

We don't play slow and we don't play fast, we play half fast

I've never gone to the bedroom when I was starting out and practiced away.