George Leonard Quotes

Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

I write songs, and I sing them. I never formulated a plan; I can't tell anyone else how to do this. But it feels right, so I just kind of enjoy it and get on with it.

I try to do things that keep me interested. And play music that moves me. I like to move around and play in a lot of different ways.

Music was like my first real toy. I was an only child for a while, and I was alone a lot of the time - and I liked it. I still like being alone.

With human beings it could be argued that all music-making is, in essence, grounded in improvisation.

When I started doing music, it was out of despair and boredom. I got passionate about it, and I felt that it allowed me to become somebody: an artist who explores her different identities.

I'll write songs wherever I am.

Acting, I get to explore other people and other characters; with music, I get to express and explore myself.

It's nice just to be able to go out and, basically, be able to play other types of music and not have any pressure to almost explain it and justify why you did. I just do it because I like to have some fun.

I didn't know how to play lead guitar. There was a freedom in not knowing how to do it.

The way I did the first album... the way I wrote 'Church'... was just to trust my instincts with the music and let it kind of do what it does.

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

'Tongue' is literally just one piece of the puzzle. This album is something I've worked on over the course of my entire career and something I've been discovering myself in it.

As we develop, I just see us following our heart on this musical journey.

I find it quite useful to be alone when I'm making music, but also in general, in life.

The truth is, I've got a naturally outgoing nature, and I still have a great love for experimentation.

My music is written with one goal in mind: to improvise. It's like explaining a great story in words, but without words, much faster than you could with words. It's like a direct line of instantaneous communication where you don't have to wait for the end.

I always wrote songs. Elementary school, middle school. It didn't feel more creative than speaking. It was just normal to do that.

I like that people are still trying to guess what kind of music I'm making.

Improvising is writing, too - there was no music and now there's music. So that's composition. And any time you take any sort of a performance liberty, you're making a compositional choice. I don't know a serious performer who hasn't made compositional decisions, who hasn't engaged in the art of composition.

I think, a lot of time, when I'm making art, I'm trying to get into a state of childlike play, where I'm not self-conscious; I'm not worried about what the outcome is going to be. I'm just having fun.

I see my music as a visual thing. When I'm on stage I am very expressive with my face and through my performance - kind of like an actress but not really, it just rises up from inside with the music.

I like to keep things moving; when I say moving, I mean different. I like to keep things changing in my life all the time, so sometimes it might be drama; sometimes it might be drama. At some point, I might get the chance to do something musical.

When I play guitar, it's automatic. I don't try to do something; I just do it. And it's already so ingrained in what I do, I don't think about it. I don't try to do something - I just do it. And the more I do it that way, the more I surprise myself. And if I surprise myself, that's the best thing.

For me, music is just one road. I dont have a specific pursuit; generally. I just try to be more aware of myself.