I am playing the violin, that's all I know, nothing else, no education, no nothing. You just practice every day.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of practice over formal education in mastering a skill.
Itzhak Perlman's quote highlights that true expertise in any art form, particularly music, doesn't solely rely on formal education but rather on dedicated practice and commitment. He suggests that the simplicity of focusing on the daily act of playing leads to mastery, reinforcing the idea that effort and perseverance are key elements to success, regardless of oneβs background or academic credentials.
In practice
This quote could be used during a motivational speech to young musicians.
I say to string players in small chamber orchestras, 'it's always easy to become a passenger on the journey in sound, just adding volume to the whole. But if you play in an individual way, it makes the difference between good and great sound in an orchestra.'
In difficult times, people just like to hear music. They like to be moved by what they hear. And music speaks different languages.
Sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.
For every child prodigy that you know about, at least 50 potential ones have burned out before you even heard about them.
Whenever I play recitals, the part where I talk about music and my experiences of music, audiences always like it. They feel more involved with an artist who talks to them. It's a nice experience for me as well.
Israel is the country of my birth. When I come here, I feel I'm coming home.
It's not about battling the original artists when I record these songs, it's about paying tribute to them.
There was this moment when we made 'Superunknown': the Seattle music scene had suddenly ended up on an international stage with huge success.
I don't know why I write really depressing songs. I'm a kind of melancholy guy, I suppose. But I figure I'm about normal.
We do two shows a night for five weeks. A lotta times we'll go upstairs and sing until daylight - gospel songs. We grew up with it...It more or less puts your mind at ease. It does mine.
If it screams truth rather than help, if it commits itself with a courage that it can't be sure it really has, if it stands up and admits that something is wrong, but doesn't insist on blood, then it's rock n' roll.
Making a record? You've got to have the song, then you create a record. I think it's the same with a live performance. If the material is strong, you're already 90% there. I always tell young people it's all about the music, the songs. Work on the songs, work on the songs, work on the songs.
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