--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Playing pentatonic scales over orchestral…" description: "\"Playing pentatonic scales over orchestral music is not something I want to do or listen to.\" — Bryce Dessner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/bryce-dessner-9086_listen_playing-pentatonic-scales-over-orchestra_2478341.png" --- # Playing pentatonic scales over orchestral music is not… ![“Playing pentatonic scales over orchestral music is not something I want to do or listen to.” quote by Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/bryce-dessner-9086_listen_playing-pentatonic-scales-over-orchestra_2478341.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/bryce-dessner-9086_listen_playing-pentatonic-scales-over-orchestra_2478341.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/bryce-dessner-9086_listen_playing-pentatonic-scales-over-orchestra_2478341.png) > “Playing pentatonic scales over orchestral music is not something I want to do or listen to.” [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author dislikes blending pentatonic scales with orchestral textures, finding it unappealing. **In simple terms:** Dislikes mixing pentatonic with orchestra. Key Takeaway Avoid forced genre combos. Themes musical taste genre blending artistic integrity Mood critical skeptical Type opinion personal preference When to use this quote - film scoring - live performance - studio recording Key Concepts aesthetic preference cultural context Questions to Reflect On - Why does the author reject this mix? - Could it work in a different context? A Different Perspective Some listeners may appreciate the contrast. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Orchestral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchestral/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Pentatonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pentatonic-835125/) [Pentatonic Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pentatonic-scales-835124/) [Playing Pentatonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-pentatonic-835123/) [Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scales/) [Scales Orchestral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scales-orchestral-835122/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) ## Related quotes > [It is based off the pentatonic scale, which is a five-note scale in music. And there are five of us. We were going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstin-maldonado/it-is-based-off-the-pentatonic-scale-which-is-a-five-note-scale-in/) [Kirstin Maldonado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstin-maldonado/) > [Play the pentatonic blues scale, just for fret- and pick-hand dexterity and to mesh them both together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimebag-darrell/play-the-pentatonic-blues-scale-just-for-fret-and-pick-hand-dexterity/) [Dimebag Darrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimebag-darrell/) > [What I love about film music is the variety. On one movie, you might be asked to do a completely electronic score, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/what-i-love-about-film-music-is-the-variety-on-one-movie-you-might-be/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [Classical - perhaps I should say 'orchestral' - music is so digital, so cut up, rhythmically, pitchwise and in terms of the roles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/classical-perhaps-i-should-say-orchestral-music-is-so-digital-so-cut/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [You need a platform upon which to release an orchestral record, otherwise it's just going to be an obscurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/you-need-a-platform-upon-which-to-release-an-orchestral-record/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [In superficial terms, to have an orchestral career is to be better than others, or at least to be chosen over others on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/in-superficial-terms-to-have-an-orchestral-career-is-to-be-better/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [For some reason, as a kid, I felt outwardly embarrassed to say that I liked rock music. I don't know where that came from.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/for-some-reason-as-a-kid-i-felt-outwardly-embarrassed-to-say-that-i/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [It is against the spirit of our non-discriminating times to openly prefer one sort of music to another, so let's just say that hearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/it-is-against-the-spirit-of-our-non-discriminating-times-to-openly/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [“The orchestral music is glorious but I wish they'd stop playing for a minute: it's very hard to eavesdrop properly over a grand piano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-smale/the-orchestral-music-is-glorious-but-i-wish-they-d-stop-playing-for-a/) [Holly Smale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-smale/) > [I never liked opera growing up. I always liked chamber music or solo music even more than orchestral music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-never-liked-opera-growing-up-i-always-liked-chamber-music-or-solo/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I think my playing has been orchestral throughout the years, and this is another way of expressing that. But I primarily see it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-williams/i-think-my-playing-has-been-orchestral-throughout-the-years-and-this/) [Tony Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-williams/) > [I was classically trained. But more than just the fact that I play violin, there's a lot of classical elements in the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-stirling/i-was-classically-trained-but-more-than-just-the-fact-that-i-play/) [Lindsey Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-stirling/) > [I suppose I was affected by raw sounds and timbres more than a lot of other composers. Had I been involved with orchestral composing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-carlos/i-suppose-i-was-affected-by-raw-sounds-and-timbres-more-than-a-lot-of/) [Wendy Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-carlos/) > [One would always like things to get other performances. With the lack of publishing here it's almost impossible to have an orchestral work done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kinsella/one-would-always-like-things-to-get-other-performances-with-the-lack/) [John Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kinsella/) > [I feel at home in an orchestral score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/placido-domingo/i-feel-at-home-in-an-orchestral-score/) [Placido Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/placido-domingo/) ## More by Bryce Dessner > [Obviously there are pieces of classical music that are some of the most beautiful music ever written, for me anyway is a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/obviously-there-are-pieces-of-classical-music-that-are-some-of-the/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [You don't come to our shows if you want to look cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/you-don-t-come-to-our-shows-if-you-want-to-look-cool/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [Typically, people think, 'Oh the hippies and the punks hated each other,' or that those things don't go together musically. Sometimes that is true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/typically-people-think-oh-the-hippies-and-the-punks-hated-each-other/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [Art is a way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/art-is-a-way-of-life/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [When I'm writing instrumental music, I try to find musical and non-musical inspirations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/when-i-m-writing-instrumental-music-i-try-to-find-musical-and-non/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [With 'Boxer,' we made the kind of music we wanted to make and didn't really worry about what the expectation was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/with-boxer-we-made-the-kind-of-music-we-wanted-to-make-and-didn-t/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [I like to write on tour busses and airplanes. Something about moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/i-like-to-write-on-tour-busses-and-airplanes-something-about-moving/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [In terms of the music, it feels almost like trouble's a good thing - you never know when a song is going to surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/in-terms-of-the-music-it-feels-almost-like-trouble-s-a-good-thing-you/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [When we learned to play in bands, what we were covering was equal part the Velvet Underground and the Grateful Dead. That would defy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/when-we-learned-to-play-in-bands-what-we-were-covering-was-equal-part/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [I love the physicality of instruments, and instruments as objects, like dancers are bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/i-love-the-physicality-of-instruments-and-instruments-as-objects-like/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [Me, who's educated classically, I went toward rock music 'cause it was sort of a natural evolution from where I was playing with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/me-who-s-educated-classically-i-went-toward-rock-music-cause-it-was/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [My background in music is classical - I did graduate school in music. At that time, I was studying composition, but I was studying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/my-background-in-music-is-classical-i-did-graduate-school-in-music-at/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [I've got this diverse education, growing up in classical music and existing between that and music that is more visceral, so for sure, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/i-ve-got-this-diverse-education-growing-up-in-classical-music-and/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [A good song is a nice set of chords and some good lyrics; a great song is a song that reinvents itself over time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/a-good-song-is-a-nice-set-of-chords-and-some-good-lyrics-a-great-song/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [The thing I realised about composition is, we remember most composers for four bars of music. Four singable bars of music. 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But if you can keep quiet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi-kirby/i-can-t-promise-the-universe-is-gonna-tell-you-what-to-do-with-your/) [Jessi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi-kirby/) > [“Our first teacher is our own heart. When we begin to tune in and listen to our heart we can bring our thoughts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-l-white/our-first-teacher-is-our-own-heart-when-we-begin-to-tune-in-and/) [Victoria L. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-l-white/) > [Hmm, on my downtime, I take a shower or listen to the Bible on tape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/hmm-on-my-downtime-i-take-a-shower-or-listen-to-the-bible-on-tape/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. 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