Emanuel Ax Quotes

I'd just as soon be on a good Steinway or Yamaha just as well.

Since I first picked up the violin, I've been very interested in tone and texture: I would have very visceral reactions to the texture of a snare drum or a pedal steel guitar or a violin.

The Steinway piano is such an incomparable instrument. Due to its virtues, I am able to express all my musical feelings.

The Steinway piano - with its beauty and power - is the perfect medium for expressing the performer's art, drama and poetry.

O my enormous piano, you are not like being outdoors

But I find that the keyboard is the complete instrument you know?

I love the sound and temperament of an upright piano.

The piano is the instrument I can play the most.

There is nothing like having your hands on a keyboard. Or an acoustic piano. Those are the things you can't really replace.

The pedal is the soul of the piano.

I have owned and played a Steinway all my life. It's the best Beethoven piano. The best Chopin piano. And the best Ray Charles piano. I like it, too.

To be honest, I'm one of the least-technical guitar players around. I just want a guitar to feel good and sound good. That's it, period.

I remember when I was little, my mom asked me, 'Would you like to play the violin or the piano?' I looked at that giant monster and said to myself - I am not going to lock myself on that bench the whole day. This is small and lightweight. I can play from standing, sitting or walking.

You can muck around with different guitars for certain bits, but you have to have your own sound. That's your benchmark, that's your sound. I also play a Black Beauty. It sounds amazing.

I had a very strong interest in music, specifically the piano from a very small age.

The cello is a hero because of its register - its tenor voice. It is a masculine instrument, whereas the violin is feminine because of its soprano pitch. When the cello enters in the Dvorak Concerto, it is like a great orator.

You think it matters to the kids whether they're learning to play on a Steinway or a normal piano?

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

For the most part, pianos are female to me. Sometimes they're dykes, and they're always good fun.

I've always wanted a C trumpet on top, to have that same kind of facility without shouting.

For me it's the instrument. If I want to think of a flute and the state of the arts I hear a vibrato; I don't know what a flute is unless the person plays it for me.

My dad played a little bit of piano and guitar, but not that professionally. I saw him play, and I said, 'I want to play. I want to try this instrument.'

I feel like piano is my main instrument. I'm most comfortable on the piano.

I love my Fender Rhodes. It's been a part of my family since that keyboard came out, and I've had it reworked so that it's in the best condition it's actually ever been in. That is my baby.

I've played the guitar since I was 12, I've played the piano since I was 15.