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I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.

John Coltrane

All a musician can do is to get closer to the sources of nature, and so feel that he is in communion with the natural laws.
JOHN COLTRANE

Law Music Nature Source
I never even thought about whether or not they understand what I’m doing, the emotional reaction is all that matters as long as there’s some feeling of communication, it isn’t necessary that it be understood.
JOHN COLTRANE

Communication Emotional Feeling Necessary Reaction Thinking Understand
The reason I play so many sounds, maybe it sounds angry, is because I’m trying so many things at one time, you see? I haven’t sorted them out. I have a whole bag of things that I’m trying to work through and get the one essential.
JOHN COLTRANE

Essential Myself Play Reason Sound Time Work
The main thing a musician would like to do is to give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things he knows of and senses in the universe.
JOHN COLTRANE

Himself Listening Musician Picture Universe
There is never any end, There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at. And always, there is the need to keep purifying these feelings and sounds so that we can really see what we’ve discovered in its pure state.
JOHN COLTRANE

Discover End Feeling Imagination Purify Sound State
Damn the rules, it’s the feeling that counts.
JOHN COLTRANE

Count Feeling Inspirational Rule
Sometimes I wish I could walk up to my music as if for the first time, as if I had never heard it before. Being so inescapably a part of it, I’ll never know what the listener gets, what the listener feels, and that’s too bad.
JOHN COLTRANE

Bad Escape Feeling Listening Music Myself Time Walk
I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.
JOHN COLTRANE

Known Myself Play Thinking
I want to be the force which is truly for good.
JOHN COLTRANE

Force Goodness Myself True
I think I was first awakened to musical exploration by Dizzy Gillespie and Bird. It was through their work that I began to learn about musical structures and the more theoretical aspects of music.
JOHN COLTRANE

Aspect Awake Learning Music Myself Thinking
My goal is to live the truly religious life, and express it in my music. If you live it, when you play there’s no problem because the music is part of the whole thing. To be a musician is really something. It goes very, very deep. My music is the spiritual expression of what I am – my faith, my knowledge, my being.
JOHN COLTRANE

Expression Goal Knowledge Life Live Music Myself Religious True
Change is inevitable in music – things change.
JOHN COLTRANE

Change Music
All of the technique doesn’t matter only if the feeling is right.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Right Technique
Sometimes I think I was making music through the wrong end of a magnifying glass.
JOHN COLTRANE

End Music Myself Thinking Time Wrong
Don’t ever get so big or important that you can not hear and listen to every other person.
JOHN COLTRANE

Important Listening Person Yourself
All a musician can do is to get closer to the source.
JOHN COLTRANE

Close Musician Source

I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.

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I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.

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