Andy Summers Quotes

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

The right notes mean more than 1,000 mph arpeggios.

The soprano turned out to sound to me like the right hand on the piano.

Scales played in the correct musical way are very exciting and rewarding.

If the orchestra's not enjoying itself, the concerto will not succeed, with the players confined to using half an inch of bow.

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?

Gonna wind it up on my guitar. Gonna make that silver sing.

There's no performance where I never have to think about setting up a phrase or making a technical adjustment while I'm performing.

Violin playing is a physical art with great traditions behind it.

No two notes are ever the same volume. With the guitar, you really have to model in your mind this wider thing; you're trying to create the illusion of a bigger dynamic range.

The value of music is to be able to play one note at the right time in the right way.

It's been a thrilling journey - I have had to really learn that an orchestra is an entity - it's a creature. I have been calling it the dragon and the conductor is the dragon tamer. And you just have to... ride and don't let go and you will be fine.

One learns how to change gears within a concert repertoire.

A conductor can do wild things which can feel forced, but if you're directing from within the orchestra, you can't do that, things have to feel natural.

Mozart is always a bit of a challenge - you know, even though it is often given to very young singers, it is actually the most complicated to sing in many instances.

I read and write classical piano and percussion, also guitar.

I can't read music. That's not where I come from musically. I come strictly from feeling, and that feeling comes from rock & roll.

A melody is not merely something you can hum.

There is a world of difference between a Mahler eighth note and a normal eighth note.

The advice I am giving always to all my students is above all to study the music profoundly... music is like the ocean, and the instruments are little or bigger islands, very beautiful for the flowers and trees.

I'm an intuitive musician. I have no real technical skills. I can only play six chords on the guitar.

There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a conductor say, 'Play softer,' as they're waving their hands in huge gestures.

A good interpreter can take a piece of bad music and make it sound pretty decent, while a bad interpreter can take good music and make it sound cheap. I can tell that some people have a bad taste, and unlike on the piano, they smear around a lot, that is bad taste.

You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.

Can't you read? The score demands 'con amore', and what are you doing? You are playing it like married men!