--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm working on new ideas, musically…" description: "\"When I'm working on new ideas, musically much of what's played is guided by a visual appearance or shape.\" — Bill Ward" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/475/bill-ward-6313_appearance_when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically_892322.jpg" --- # When I'm working on new ideas, musically much of what's… ![“When I'm working on new ideas, musically much of what's played is guided by a visual appearance or shape.” quote by Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/475/bill-ward-6313_appearance_when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically_892322.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/475/bill-ward-6313_appearance_when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically_892322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/475/bill-ward-6313_appearance_when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically_892322.jpg) > “When I'm working on new ideas, musically much of what's played is guided by a visual appearance or shape.” [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Visual concepts guide musical creation, shaping sound through imagined shapes. **In simple terms:** Seeing shapes helps make new music. Key Takeaway Use visual imagination to inspire compositions. Themes creativity music visualization inspiration process Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - film scoring - sound design - improvisation Key Concepts synesthetic composition cross‑modal creativity artistic workflow Questions to Reflect On - How do you turn a visual idea into a melody? - What visual shapes inspire you most? A Different Perspective Not all musicians can translate visuals into sound effectively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [New ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-ideas/) [Visual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visual/) ## Related quotes > [My intentions have been, and are always, to just really get behind what my ideas are musically and to just ride this thing out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-adams/my-intentions-have-been-and-are-always-to-just-really-get-behind-what/) [Ryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-adams/) > [I am able to write musically about the visual. I can pick up tones, I can pick up themes. And I find visual art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-weschler/i-am-able-to-write-musically-about-the-visual-i-can-pick-up-tones-i/) [Lawrence Weschler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-weschler/) > [I've created, directed and choreographed for Lady Gaga since the beginning, so 'Born This Way,' this was musically such an amazing evolution and such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/i-ve-created-directed-and-choreographed-for-lady-gaga-since-the/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [“In another country where the buildings don't stop rising until they pinthe clouds to the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-gardner/in-another-country-where-the-buildings-don-t-stop-rising-until-they/) [Sally Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-gardner/) > [You get a lot of fame, but haven't created anything musically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-styrke/you-get-a-lot-of-fame-but-haven-t-created-anything-musically/) [Tove Styrke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-styrke/) > [I'm very ambitious, musically - I want to create great things, not mediocre work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-vincent-mcmorrow/i-m-very-ambitious-musically-i-want-to-create-great-things-not/) [James Vincent McMorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-vincent-mcmorrow/) > [Musically, I want to graduate and become one of the greatest. You can't do that just spitting punchlines. I respect those people who say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/musically-i-want-to-graduate-and-become-one-of-the-greatest-you-can-t/) [Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/) > [In any situation that we find in our lives, when there is something that we feel should be better, we must exert effort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-coltrane/in-any-situation-that-we-find-in-our-lives-when-there-is-something/) [John Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-coltrane/) > [No, we'll never get back together. We'll remain friends, but I see her going in a completely different direction than me musically. But she'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wozniak/no-we-ll-never-get-back-together-we-ll-remain-friends-but-i-see-her/) [John Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wozniak/) > [I think it's always so magical when there's some sort of thing like that where an artist contributes musically, but also has a role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/i-think-it-s-always-so-magical-when-there-s-some-sort-of-thing-like/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [Musically, I would never run dry. Any time I sit down to an instrument, I could write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/musically-i-would-never-run-dry-any-time-i-sit-down-to-an-instrument/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I have a constant kind of soundtrack going on at all times. I almost always have a song in my head. I'm very musically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-davie/i-have-a-constant-kind-of-soundtrack-going-on-at-all-times-i-almost/) [Erin Davie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-davie/) > [Reuniting with my brothers musically has been really incredible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-jonas/reuniting-with-my-brothers-musically-has-been-really-incredible/) [Joe Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-jonas/) > [I've been called 'musically schizophrenic,' and some people think that's a cool thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-clark-jr/i-ve-been-called-musically-schizophrenic-and-some-people-think-that-s/) [Gary Clark, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-clark-jr/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) ## More by Bill Ward > [“Hatred and food were served up in equal proportions at the Connor dining table as he was growing up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/hatred-and-food-were-served-up-in-equal-proportions-at-the-connor/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [It's hard to be a hungry young man when you're not hungry anymore. We were very hungry young men when we wrote 'Black Sabbath'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/it-s-hard-to-be-a-hungry-young-man-when-you-re-not-hungry-anymore-we/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [Black Sabbath has always been noncompliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/black-sabbath-has-always-been-noncompliant/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [Gene Hoglan is one of my friends, and when I watch him play, I'm blown away; I can't believe what his body can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/gene-hoglan-is-one-of-my-friends-and-when-i-watch-him-play-i-m-blown/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [I don't know about all this 'speed metal' and everything... It's all metal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/i-don-t-know-about-all-this-speed-metal-and-everything-it-s-all-metal/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [I wanna play hard rock. 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You can if you want to; it's going to ruin the song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/you-can-t-play-a-backbeat-in-black-sabbath-you-can-if-you-want-to-it/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [Ultimately, I'd say a lot of my vocal influences are jazz-based, people like Ella Fitzgerald, or Fred Astaire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/ultimately-i-d-say-a-lot-of-my-vocal-influences-are-jazz-based-people/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [If there's some longevity with Black Sabbath, then I'd like to be a part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/if-there-s-some-longevity-with-black-sabbath-then-i-d-like-to-be-a/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [I heard about twenty, twenty-four bars of one track - one track - on '13,' and I listened to it, and I just didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/i-heard-about-twenty-twenty-four-bars-of-one-track-one-track-on-13/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [I based my tuning on Gene Krupa, Buddy and Joe Morello. I knew how I wanted the drums to sound and we did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/i-based-my-tuning-on-gene-krupa-buddy-and-joe-morello-i-knew-how-i/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [“There can be no greater motivator for evil than a huge sense of injustice!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/there-can-be-no-greater-motivator-for-evil-than-a-huge-sense-of/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [I'm a visionary drummer and I have been for a long, long, long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/i-m-a-visionary-drummer-and-i-have-been-for-a-long-long-long-time/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [I found very early on that I lacked the ability to be able to play as a timekeeper. I have a really tough time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/i-found-very-early-on-that-i-lacked-the-ability-to-be-able-to-play-as/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [When I write, there's always an image, sometimes a color attached to what's being created. I am delighted with the captured expressions - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/when-i-write-there-s-always-an-image-sometimes-a-color-attached-to/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) [Explore all 99 Bill Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) ## More Appearance quotes > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [We must, however, note that what are usually called the high religions made their appearance within about twenty-five hundred years - most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/we-must-however-note-that-what-are-usually-called-the-high-religions/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [You can have a nice body, dress with the latest fashion. But if you don't have self-confidence sweetheart, forget about looking sexy, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/you-can-have-a-nice-body-dress-with-the-latest-fashion-but-if-you-don/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I'm OK with my appearance. I have made my peace with it after a long and frankly exhausting battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-m-ok-with-my-appearance-i-have-made-my-peace-with-it-after-a-long/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Appearance records are pretty special. Mine means a lot to me, not only because I love stats, but because it shows that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/appearance-records-are-pretty-special-mine-means-a-lot-to-me-not-only/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [Every man would fall in love with their voice, their lovely appearance, but no man would ever get past that. They'd never really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/every-man-would-fall-in-love-with-their-voice-their-lovely-appearance/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I already know what things look like - I don't want description. People believe in appearances, and I don't believe in appearances at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-already-know-what-things-look-like-i-don-t-want-description-people/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) Browse all 2,446 Appearance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm working on new ideas, musically much of what's played is guided by a visual appearance or shape.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Ward" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically-much-of-what-s-played-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appearance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically-much-of-what-s-played-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/475/bill-ward-6313_appearance_when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically_892322.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/475/bill-ward-6313_appearance_when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically_892322.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/475/bill-ward-6313_appearance_when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically_892322.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I'm working on new ideas, musically much of what's played is guided by a visual appearance or shape.” — Bill Ward", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Ward", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I'm working on new ideas,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically-much-of-what-s-played-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/when-i-m-working-on-new-ideas-musically-much-of-what-s-played-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```