--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In OK Computer, the guitar was already…" description: "\"In OK Computer, the guitar was already moving towards a tone generator as well as a riff generator.\" — Colin Greenwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/colin-greenwood-14766_computer_in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-mo_1408928.png" --- # In OK Computer, the guitar was already moving towards a… ![“In OK Computer, the guitar was already moving towards a tone generator as well as a riff generator.” quote by Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/colin-greenwood-14766_computer_in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-mo_1408928.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/colin-greenwood-14766_computer_in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-mo_1408928.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/colin-greenwood-14766_computer_in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-mo_1408928.png) > “In OK Computer, the guitar was already moving towards a tone generator as well as a riff generator.” [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes how the guitar's role was evolving to include electronic sound creation alongside traditional riff playing. **In simple terms:** Guitar was becoming both a tone and riff generator. Key Takeaway Embrace hybrid musical techniques. Themes innovation technology music evolution Mood reflective optimistic Type observational analytical When to use this quote - studio production - live performance - songwriting - sound design Key Concepts synthesis electronic integration instrumental adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How does technology change musical expression? - What balance should be struck between analog and digital sounds? A Different Perspective May overlook the expressive nuance of pure guitar tones. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Tone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tone/) ## Related quotes > [OK, so the computer has understood, but what about me ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/ok-so-the-computer-has-understood-but-what-about-me/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [OK Computer? More like No Thank You Computers. They killed my father, and I hate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/ok-computer-more-like-no-thank-you-computers-they-killed-my-father/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Almost every song on OK Computer revolves around how I am afraid computers get up at night and attempt to choke me with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/almost-every-song-on-ok-computer-revolves-around-how-i-am-afraid/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [OK Computer,' 'Sign o' the Times,' all my favourite records are about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/ok-computer-sign-o-the-times-all-my-favourite-records-are-about-life/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [When 'OK Computer' came out, that was so crazily different from anything that I'd ever heard; it was just amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/when-ok-computer-came-out-that-was-so-crazily-different-from-anything/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I would still give my left ball to write anything as good as OK Computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-martin/i-would-still-give-my-left-ball-to-write-anything-as-good-as-ok/) [Chris Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-martin/) > [The album that really got me interested in how to create weird sounds, and pretty much changed my life, was 'OK Computer.' Funnily enough,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/the-album-that-really-got-me-interested-in-how-to-create-weird-sounds/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [At the end of OK Computer we were playing big, big arenas and it wasn't right. You can do those things occasionally but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-brien/at-the-end-of-ok-computer-we-were-playing-big-big-arenas-and-it-wasn/) [Ed O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-brien/) > [I'm not a craftsman of graphics or art or film. I'm more of an idea generator and manufacturer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-m-not-a-craftsman-of-graphics-or-art-or-film-i-m-more-of-an-idea/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [ History is opaque. You see what comes out, not the script that produces events, \[...\] The generator of historical events is different from the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/history-is-opaque-you-see-what-comes-out-not-the-script-that-produces/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Without faith to act as a governor, the human mind is a runaway worry generator, a dynamo of negative expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/without-faith-to-act-as-a-governor-the-human-mind-is-a-runaway-worry/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [To the extent that movies get released, they are generally not big box-office generators. Hollywood is clearly focusing on their holiday releases coming up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-arnold/to-the-extent-that-movies-get-released-they-are-generally-not-big-box/) [Tom Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-arnold/) > [What are the top 20 universities in the world that do good materials research that might create carbon fibers to do jet stream kites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/what-are-the-top-20-universities-in-the-world-that-do-good-materials/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The nuclear generator of brain sludge is television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-nuclear-generator-of-brain-sludge-is-television/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [ With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests \[for hiring\], I worry about filtering out people with mental health… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/with-recidivism-algorithms-for-example-i-worry-about-racist-outcomes/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) ## More by Colin Greenwood > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [As you get older you realize how important your emotional response is to any kind of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/as-you-get-older-you-realize-how-important-your-emotional-response-is/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [It would be really nice to be able to put out releases that wouldn't be conditional upon an album format, and just put out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-would-be-really-nice-to-be-able-to-put-out-releases-that-wouldn-t/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [I've seen the Mass For The End Of Time in concert but my brother's the more musical one really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/i-ve-seen-the-mass-for-the-end-of-time-in-concert-but-my-brother-s/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [We try to treat everywhere we play differently and that's really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/we-try-to-treat-everywhere-we-play-differently-and-that-s-really/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Occasionally I play the music for my mother when she demands to hear it and she always just says, 'Who is that singing? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/occasionally-i-play-the-music-for-my-mother-when-she-demands-to-hear/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [I think the biggest problem we have is taking too long over things. Not in terms of getting it right, but sometimes we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/i-think-the-biggest-problem-we-have-is-taking-too-long-over-things/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [With our website we didn't want people to come to our site and find out about Radiohead. We wanted them to come to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/with-our-website-we-didn-t-want-people-to-come-to-our-site-and-find/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [It takes so long to make a record and then it takes so long again to release it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-takes-so-long-to-make-a-record-and-then-it-takes-so-long-again-to/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [You should approach a sequencer like you would a Dobro guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/you-should-approach-a-sequencer-like-you-would-a-dobro-guitar/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [People need to focus on bigger issues instead of whether George Bush is an idiot or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/people-need-to-focus-on-bigger-issues-instead-of-whether-george-bush/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [A cardinal rule of bureaucracy is that it is better to extend an error than to admit a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/a-cardinal-rule-of-bureaucracy-is-that-it-is-better-to-extend-an/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [We are kind of one step removed, not really in the center of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/we-are-kind-of-one-step-removed-not-really-in-the-center-of-things/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [I mean, I'm in a band, we're reasonably successful, I've got a very nice suit - I'm not even a bad person- so why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/i-mean-i-m-in-a-band-we-re-reasonably-successful-i-ve-got-a-very-nice/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [When we rehearse, we're always trying to aim for something else. But we never quite succeed in getting there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/when-we-rehearse-we-re-always-trying-to-aim-for-something-else-but-we/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) [Explore all 45 Colin Greenwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) ## More Computer quotes > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) Jen-Hsun Huang > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/in-nine-months-a-group-of-children-left-alone-with-a-computer-in-any/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) > [Why do you do what you do? Why do you dress the way you dress?Why do you do what you do with your time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-conway/why-do-you-do-what-you-do-why-do-you-dress-the-way-you-dress-why-do/) [Tim Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-conway/) > [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) [Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In OK Computer, the guitar was already moving towards a tone generator as well as a riff generator.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colin Greenwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-moving-towards-a-tone-generator/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Computer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-moving-towards-a-tone-generator/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/colin-greenwood-14766_computer_in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-mo_1408928.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/colin-greenwood-14766_computer_in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-mo_1408928.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/colin-greenwood-14766_computer_in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-mo_1408928.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In OK Computer, the guitar was already moving towards a tone generator as well as a riff generator.” — Colin Greenwood", "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": "Colin Greenwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In OK Computer, the guitar was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-moving-towards-a-tone-generator/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/in-ok-computer-the-guitar-was-already-moving-towards-a-tone-generator/#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 } } ] } ```