--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The audience is like my instrument. It's…" description: "\"The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.\" — Bobby McFerrin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bobby-mcferrin-12039_audience_the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s_296862.png" --- # The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up… ![“The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.” quote by Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bobby-mcferrin-12039_audience_the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s_296862.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bobby-mcferrin-12039_audience_the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s_296862.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/bobby-mcferrin-12039_audience_the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s_296862.png) > “The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.” [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Performing is a shared experience; the audience contributes to the music as much as the performer. **In simple terms:** Music is a collaboration between artist and audience. Key Takeaway Engage listeners as partners. Themes collaboration performance audience music Mood connected creative energetic Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - live concerts - workshops - community events - teaching music Key Concepts shared creation feedback loop Questions to Reflect On - How can you invite audience input without losing focus? - What role does silence play in collaboration? A Different Perspective Audience participation can be unpredictable and may distract the performer. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) ## Related quotes > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [If you like an instrument that sings, play the saxophone. At its best it's like the human voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-getz/if-you-like-an-instrument-that-sings-play-the-saxophone-at-its-best/) [Stan Getz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-getz/) > [If the spirit comes through in a Madame George type of song, that's what the spirit says. You have very little to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/if-the-spirit-comes-through-in-a-madame-george-type-of-song-that-s/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [When I was banned for nine months I had an opportunity to focus on something else and I needed to focus on something else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/when-i-was-banned-for-nine-months-i-had-an-opportunity-to-focus-on/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [One interesting thing - I play bass and guitar and stuff like that. I know those instruments really well. But I don't know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jherek-bischoff/one-interesting-thing-i-play-bass-and-guitar-and-stuff-like-that-i/) [Jherek Bischoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jherek-bischoff/) > [The harmonica is the most voice-like instrument, you can make it wail, feel happy, or cry. It's like singing the blues without words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-musselwhite/the-harmonica-is-the-most-voice-like-instrument-you-can-make-it-wail/) [Charlie Musselwhite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-musselwhite/) > [I want to sound like an instrument. I want my voice and my words to marry the beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-want-to-sound-like-an-instrument-i-want-my-voice-and-my-words-to-2/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [Having the facility to have this multitrack at home, I could try experiments with sort of all of the instruments, giving them different treatments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/having-the-facility-to-have-this-multitrack-at-home-i-could-try/) [Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/) > [I wanted to play it for a very long time. I was like, 'What's the one instrument that none of my neighbors are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-russell/i-wanted-to-play-it-for-a-very-long-time-i-was-like-what-s-the-one/) [Taylor Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-russell/) > [An actor is like an instrument, tune them, play them the right way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-schroder/an-actor-is-like-an-instrument-tune-them-play-them-the-right-way/) [Ricky Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-schroder/) > [“Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and-2/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [People shouldn't knock the synthesizer. It's an aid, and it depends on how you use it, just like any other instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusty-hill/people-shouldn-t-knock-the-synthesizer-it-s-an-aid-and-it-depends-on/) [Dusty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusty-hill/) > [I like computers as a tool. I like them as an instrument. I think they're just pretty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-roberts/i-like-computers-as-a-tool-i-like-them-as-an-instrument-i-think-they/) [Dallas Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-roberts/) > [I want to sound like an instrument. I want my voice and my words to marry the beat. I go with the rhythm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-want-to-sound-like-an-instrument-i-want-my-voice-and-my-words-to/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [As a musician, language is almost like another instrument. Every word has a sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/as-a-musician-language-is-almost-like-another-instrument-every-word/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) ## More by Bobby McFerrin > [The true musician is to bring light into people's hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-true-musician-is-to-bring-light-into-people-s-hearts/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument. Because it's the voice. It sings talks, it cries, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-voice-gets-to-the-soul-of-a-person-more-than-any-other-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Then I left that school and I went to Cerritos College, which was in southern California; they had one of the best big band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/then-i-left-that-school-and-i-went-to-cerritos-college-which-was-in/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I have a lot of albums yet to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-have-a-lot-of-albums-yet-to-do/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/here-s-a-little-song-i-wrote-you-might-want-to-sing-it-note-for-note/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [When we listen to improvisational jazz, or solo classical violinists, the way they phrase and inflect melodies feels vocal, like they’re talking to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/when-we-listen-to-improvisational-jazz-or-solo-classical-violinists/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I do a lot of performing, but don't get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-do-a-lot-of-performing-but-don-t-get-a-chance-to-go-to-the-studio/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-use-the-audience-as-my-color-palette-my-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-prepared-five-songs-i-sang-them-and-he-hired-me-i-started-working/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-love-the-song-my-songs-are-like-my-children/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/my-biggest-musical-influences-are-probably-my-parents/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I’m not a scholar or a psychologist, so I don’t really think about why. But I do think about what it means to sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-m-not-a-scholar-or-a-psychologist-so-i-don-t-really-think-about-why/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Remembering that life can be full of surprises is useful in any part of your life. You can try a new way of singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/remembering-that-life-can-be-full-of-surprises-is-useful-in-any-part/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [If I sing "you broke my heart, you left me flat," everyone knows exactly what that means - they know the story. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/if-i-sing-you-broke-my-heart-you-left-me-flat-everyone-knows-exactly/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) [Explore all 56 Bobby McFerrin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The audience is like my instrument. 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