Musical Motivation Quotes

I'm a crap guitarist and I find it really hard writing on my own.

When I pick up Hank Williams' guitar or that first suit that Johnny Cash wore on stage, it empowers me.

Just based on the primary adage of the necessity breeding innovation, it was just like 'Well, what makes me the guitar player that I am?' and I feel like I listen to so much different music, and I'm a student of so many genres of music, and I feel like it's fun to apply those things and anything super applicable to any type of music.

I ended up starting guitar because I didn't want to just be the lead singer.

When I heard BB King's 'Sweet Sixteen,' I knew I wanted to play bass because that was the thing that made that record: the bass player.

Once we went into the basement and learned a song, we felt successful. Then we learned two songs, and then we got a gig, and on and on - and that's the way musicians think. I don't know about other people - I mean, I don't know about all musicians either - but some are more driven than others.

I think there are so many ways to become interested in music. I believe signs of sustained interest gives a sense of the right time. Music, if thought of as a language, would perhaps indicate that as early as possible is not so bad. I do believe that a really nurturing first teacher that makes the child love something is crucial.

I have to be inspired to write a song.

When you love the music that you're going to play, of course you're going to do your best.

I don't get my inspiration from a specific source. It's more like if you listen to a good tune, it gives me inspiration to write a better tune.

Learning an instrument isn't about becoming a star anymore than learning to swim means you want to become a haddock

Music is entirely subjective. I was thinking that for myself, for songwriting and what I like to listen to, to help motivate me as a songwriter, as a musician, there are certain things I lean towards and certain things I don't.

I have a piano and a guitar, and I tend to switch back and forth between those two instruments to help me get inspired.

People in Russia learned English off the Beatles. People in Japan learned English off the Stone Roses. Noel Gallagher says music can't change the world, but the Roses made him want to start a group, so it changed his world.

I don't want you to play me a riff that's going to impress Joe Satriani; give me a riff that makes a kid want to go out and buy a guitar and learn to play.

I love the idea of waking up to a song. It could be any song.

Something happens when the music starts, and all that tiredness just goes away. When it's going like that, I'll take on any 20-year-old hot-shot drummer who wants to try me.

Actually, music gave me the support when I needed it. I would never have gone to college unless I'd gotten a piano scholarship. And now I'm so glad I got to learn to play the cello, which is a different experience, you're flexing a different muscle, but it's beautiful because it is music.

When I heard Bjork's debut, that was when I first realized that I could be a singer, even with my unusual voice.

Anything with music, you got to have inspiration. You got to have inspiration to do good music.

I know a beat is good for me when I can just start rapping. It's usually hard for me to do that.

I love the music of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu and more recently the music of Laura Marling. All these women share a strength and a wisdom in their voices and music that really makes me want to make music and sing.

I'm always pulling and really feeding off of my inspirations. I think most musicians do.

I feel like there are things that inspire the music, and then there's the music itself. I don't feel like I always need to force them together.

When I first wanted to play guitar it was because I had seen Brian Setzer. He's so good! I mean I was just blown away.