--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any…" description: "\"I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any more would have been less.\" — Artie Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/artie-shaw-18387_can-do_i-did-all-you-can-do-with-a-clarinet-any_1577811.png" --- # I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any more would have… ![“I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any more would have been less.” quote by Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/artie-shaw-18387_can-do_i-did-all-you-can-do-with-a-clarinet-any_1577811.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/artie-shaw-18387_can-do_i-did-all-you-can-do-with-a-clarinet-any_1577811.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/artie-shaw-18387_can-do_i-did-all-you-can-do-with-a-clarinet-any_1577811.png) > “I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any more would have been less.” [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A performer should know limits; excess diminishes quality. **In simple terms:** Know your limits. Key Takeaway Avoid overdoing. Themes self-discipline artistry moderation Mood introspective practical Type advice musical When to use this quote - solo performance - recording - teaching - creative work Key Concepts music theory performance practice Questions to Reflect On - When have you overreached? - How to balance ambition and restraint? A Different Perspective Pushing beyond can hurt art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [That's the clarinet I used to use... but it's just a piece of wood, you know, with holes in it and they put these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/that-s-the-clarinet-i-used-to-use-but-it-s-just-a-piece-of-wood-you/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Benny Goodman plays the clarinet. I play music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/benny-goodman-plays-the-clarinet-i-play-music/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [ Listening to Benny \[Goodman\] talk about the clarinet was like listening to a surgeon get hung up on a scalpel. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/listening-to-benny-goodman-talk-about-the-clarinet-was-like-listening/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [When I first met Benny Goodman he wouldn't talk about anything but clarinets, mouthpieces, reeds, etc. When I tried to change the subject, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/when-i-first-met-benny-goodman-he-wouldn-t-talk-about-anything-but/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [I'm not conditioned to be an entertainer. An entertainer pleases others while an artist only has to please himself. The problem with that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/i-m-not-conditioned-to-be-an-entertainer-an-entertainer-pleases/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Yeah, musically, from a production standpoint my favorite is probably 'Have a Little Talk with Jesus'. Just the way it turned out production wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/yeah-musically-from-a-production-standpoint-my-favorite-is-probably/) [Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/) > [I began with dance, doing ballet at 3, then tap, jazz, modern. Then I sang in church choirs, learned how to play clarinet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-barks/i-began-with-dance-doing-ballet-at-3-then-tap-jazz-modern-then-i-sang/) [Samantha Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-barks/) > [Ted Lewis could make the clarinet talk. What it said was put me back in the case!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-condon/ted-lewis-could-make-the-clarinet-talk-what-it-said-was-put-me-back/) [Eddie Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-condon/) > [“Heath holds the door to the band room open for me, and I get to my chair without falling, snapping together my clarinet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-mcginnis/heath-holds-the-door-to-the-band-room-open-for-me-and-i-get-to-my/) [Mindy McGinnis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-mcginnis/) > [My eyes are too big, my nose is too flat, my ears stick out, my mouth is too big and my face is too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/my-eyes-are-too-big-my-nose-is-too-flat-my-ears-stick-out-my-mouth-is/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [The oboe sounds like a clarinet with a cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/the-oboe-sounds-like-a-clarinet-with-a-cold/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [We decided to do some of Merle's things with modern instrumentation. We used a flute, a bass clarinet, a trumpet, a clarinet, drums, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-ernie-ford/we-decided-to-do-some-of-merle-s-things-with-modern-instrumentation/) [Tennessee Ernie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-ernie-ford/) > [Clarinets, like lawyers, have cases, mouthpieces, and they need a constant supply of hot air in order to function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/clarinets-like-lawyers-have-cases-mouthpieces-and-they-need-a/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [So the ideology was that: use sounds as instruments, as sounds on tape, without the causality. It was no longer a clarinet or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-ferrari/so-the-ideology-was-that-use-sounds-as-instruments-as-sounds-on-tape/) [Luc Ferrari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-ferrari/) > [I started off playing the clarinet, after I was inspired by listening to my dad's Benny Goodman records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-lee/i-started-off-playing-the-clarinet-after-i-was-inspired-by-listening/) [Alvin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-lee/) ## More by Artie Shaw > [I'm not comfortable with categories, and I distrust most definitions. The word 'definition' is based on the word 'finite,' which would seem to indicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/i-m-not-comfortable-with-categories-and-i-distrust-most-definitions/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [ It \["Begin the Beguine"\] became such a hit that it superseded anything that any band had ever had. It was the first time that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/it-begin-the-beguine-became-such-a-hit-that-it-superseded-anything/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [An audience is in many respects no more than a mob under loose control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/an-audience-is-in-many-respects-no-more-than-a-mob-under-loose-control/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Dance music-as I keep saying, you can dance to a windshield wiper... a windshield wiper that's fairly steady gives you a beat and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/dance-music-as-i-keep-saying-you-can-dance-to-a-windshield-wiper-a/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [I'm not conditioned to be an entertainer. An entertainer pleases others while an artist only has to please himself. The problem with that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/i-m-not-conditioned-to-be-an-entertainer-an-entertainer-pleases/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Shoot for the moon - if you miss you'll end up in the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/shoot-for-the-moon-if-you-miss-you-ll-end-up-in-the-stars/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [There's such a cynicism about the phrase 'I laughed all the way to the bank.' It's as though money is what you're doing, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/there-s-such-a-cynicism-about-the-phrase-i-laughed-all-the-way-to-the/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [“Presumption is the mother of all fuck-ups.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/presumption-is-the-mother-of-all-fuck-ups/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [People ask what those women saw in me. Let's face it, I wasn't a bad-looking stud. But that's not it. It's the music; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/people-ask-what-those-women-saw-in-me-let-s-face-it-i-wasn-t-a-bad/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [When I first met Benny Goodman he wouldn't talk about anything but clarinets, mouthpieces, reeds, etc. When I tried to change the subject, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/when-i-first-met-benny-goodman-he-wouldn-t-talk-about-anything-but/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Any more would have been less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/any-more-would-have-been-less/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [If I could have done anything more, it would have been less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/if-i-could-have-done-anything-more-it-would-have-been-less/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [The bandleader is a musician trying to sell a mass commodity; and in order to do so successfully he must accommodate himself to mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/the-bandleader-is-a-musician-trying-to-sell-a-mass-commodity-and-in/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [You have no idea of the people I didn't marry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/you-have-no-idea-of-the-people-i-didn-t-marry/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [ Listening to Benny \[Goodman\] talk about the clarinet was like listening to a surgeon get hung up on a scalpel. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/listening-to-benny-goodman-talk-about-the-clarinet-was-like-listening/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) [Explore all 35 Artie Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) ## More Can do quotes > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did all you can do with a clarinet. 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