--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I sit around and play acoustic guitar…" description: "\"I sit around and play acoustic guitar - usually acoustic, sometimes electric, occasionally piano, but more often guitar, just trying to come up with tu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/colin-hay-16645_acoustic-guitar_i-sit-around-and-play-acoustic-guitar-us_1124793.jpg" --- # I sit around and play acoustic guitar - usually acoustic… ![“I sit around and play acoustic guitar - usually acoustic, sometimes electric, occasionally piano, but more often guitar, just trying to come up with tunes. Ideas kind of pop into your head.” quote by Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/colin-hay-16645_acoustic-guitar_i-sit-around-and-play-acoustic-guitar-us_1124793.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/colin-hay-16645_acoustic-guitar_i-sit-around-and-play-acoustic-guitar-us_1124793.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/colin-hay-16645_acoustic-guitar_i-sit-around-and-play-acoustic-guitar-us_1124793.jpg) > “I sit around and play acoustic guitar - usually acoustic, sometimes electric, occasionally piano, but more often guitar, just trying to come up with tunes. Ideas kind of pop into your head.” [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative ideas emerge spontaneously during informal jam sessions, blending instruments and styles. **In simple terms:** Music ideas pop up while playing. Key Takeaway Embrace improvisation for inspiration. Themes creativity music improvisation Mood reflective inspired Type musical process When to use this quote - songwriting - practice - collaboration - personal exploration Key Concepts spontaneity artistic flow Questions to Reflect On - How can you capture spontaneous ideas? - What role does instrument variety play? A Different Perspective Ideas may be fleeting without structure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acoustic guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acoustic-guitar/) [Acoustics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acoustics/) [Come up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-up/) [Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Guitar Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar-just/) [Guitar Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar-usually-2308233/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Acoustic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-acoustic-375529/) [Pops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pops/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Tunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tunes/) ## Related quotes > [One thing I really hate about people who play both acoustic and electric is if they try to play electric style on an acoustic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-gallagher/one-thing-i-really-hate-about-people-who-play-both-acoustic-and/) [Rory Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-gallagher/) > [You just make different music on a computer. And you can make wonderful music on a computer, but don't pretend that the machinery is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/you-just-make-different-music-on-a-computer-and-you-can-make/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [If you can't play it on an acoustic guitar or a grand piano then it's not a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-cross/if-you-can-t-play-it-on-an-acoustic-guitar-or-a-grand-piano-then-it-s/) [Christopher Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-cross/) > [I even played bass for a while. Besides playing electric guitar, I'd also get asked to play some acoustic stuff. But, since I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/i-even-played-bass-for-a-while-besides-playing-electric-guitar-i-d/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [I'd say it's harder to play with an acoustic guitar strapped over your shoulder for a few hundred people than it is to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-zander/i-d-say-it-s-harder-to-play-with-an-acoustic-guitar-strapped-over/) [Robin Zander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-zander/) > [If you play acoustic guitar you're the depressed, sensitive guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-smith/if-you-play-acoustic-guitar-you-re-the-depressed-sensitive-guy/) [Elliott Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-smith/) > [The classical guitar has a dynamic to it unlike a regular acoustic guitar or an electric guitar. You know, there's times when you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-vai/the-classical-guitar-has-a-dynamic-to-it-unlike-a-regular-acoustic/) [Steve Vai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-vai/) > [If your going to learn to play lead guitar, get an electric guitar .. it doesn't have to be an expensive one .. acoustic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-van-halen/if-your-going-to-learn-to-play-lead-guitar-get-an-electric-guitar-it/) [Eddie Van Halen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-van-halen/) > [I don't touch electric guitars. It's just not my thing - I stick with acoustic guitars only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/i-don-t-touch-electric-guitars-it-s-just-not-my-thing-i-stick-with/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [This band - because this is myself on electric and acoustic guitars - we've done three tours together now and I really, really like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-armatrading/this-band-because-this-is-myself-on-electric-and-acoustic-guitars-we/) [Joan Armatrading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-armatrading/) > [In certain ways I still feel like I'm finding my way. I feel pretty comfortable playing acoustic guitar and singing, but then I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/in-certain-ways-i-still-feel-like-i-m-finding-my-way-i-feel-pretty/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I suppose ever since I was about 14, I remember listening to "Sgt. Pepper's," and I remember thinking, "how do you possibly write songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-suppose-ever-since-i-was-about-14-i-remember-listening-to-sgt/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I've always been an acoustic guitar player, and I've pretty much continued to play acoustic guitar throughout all of the Sonic Youth periods. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ranaldo/i-ve-always-been-an-acoustic-guitar-player-and-i-ve-pretty-much/) [Lee Ranaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ranaldo/) > [I worked out the keyboard parts on the progressive rock classic 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' and somehow managed to play it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gilbert/i-worked-out-the-keyboard-parts-on-the-progressive-rock-classic-the/) [Paul Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gilbert/) > [And I only really like to play the acoustic guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-gass/and-i-only-really-like-to-play-the-acoustic-guitar/) [Kyle Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-gass/) ## More by Colin Hay > [I don't walk off and come back for encores. I figure I can add four weeks to my life that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-don-t-walk-off-and-come-back-for-encores-i-figure-i-can-add-four/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [In certain ways I still feel like I'm finding my way. I feel pretty comfortable playing acoustic guitar and singing, but then I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/in-certain-ways-i-still-feel-like-i-m-finding-my-way-i-feel-pretty/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I feel pretty comfortable in a lot of different musical styles. I like rhythm, and I like melody and so forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-feel-pretty-comfortable-in-a-lot-of-different-musical-styles-i-like/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I used to drink a lot. I had to stop drinking because it was getting the better of me, and I replaced that with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-used-to-drink-a-lot-i-had-to-stop-drinking-because-it-was-getting/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I can't remember too much about the '80s, to be honest with you... I wish that weren't true, but it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-can-t-remember-too-much-about-the-80s-to-be-honest-with-you-i-wish/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I don't think I'm going to change jobs at this point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-don-t-think-i-m-going-to-change-jobs-at-this-point/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I'd love to have a hit record. I don't believe anyone that says they wouldn't like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-d-love-to-have-a-hit-record-i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-says-they/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I just want to be a better guitar player, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-just-want-to-be-a-better-guitar-player-really/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [Well, my thoughts about California are kind of mythological. To me, as well as being a real place, it's a place where people go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/well-my-thoughts-about-california-are-kind-of-mythological-to-me-as/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I like to let the songs speak so that they can go through some kind of rebirth as you play them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-like-to-let-the-songs-speak-so-that-they-can-go-through-some-kind/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I just found over the years that it's very hard to change people's perception of what it is that you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-just-found-over-the-years-that-it-s-very-hard-to-change-people-s/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I was brought up west southwest coast of Scotland and my mother and father had a music shop, and so I was surrounded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-was-brought-up-west-southwest-coast-of-scotland-and-my-mother-and/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [There's a fine line between character building and soul destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/there-s-a-fine-line-between-character-building-and-soul-destroying/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I tend to write, either myself, or I sometimes write with a co-writer, my friend that lives up the road. It's usually a relatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-tend-to-write-either-myself-or-i-sometimes-write-with-a-co-writer/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [The Men at Work thing is always there, it's always going to be there. It's not something I consciously think that much about anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/the-men-at-work-thing-is-always-there-it-s-always-going-to-be-there/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) [Explore all 39 Colin Hay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) ## More Acoustic guitar quotes > [With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' That's the litmus test. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-colvin/with-my-songs-the-question-is-always-can-you-pull-it-off-live-alone/) [Shawn Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-colvin/) > [I learned tabla for three years when in school, then started picking up the basics of the acoustic guitar when in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupam-roy/i-learned-tabla-for-three-years-when-in-school-then-started-picking/) [Anupam Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupam-roy/) > [One thing I really hate about people who play both acoustic and electric is if they try to play electric style on an acoustic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-gallagher/one-thing-i-really-hate-about-people-who-play-both-acoustic-and/) [Rory Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-gallagher/) > [Much of the music I remember from camp was unofficial: the songs a counselor would play for us on acoustic guitar or that an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/much-of-the-music-i-remember-from-camp-was-unofficial-the-songs-a/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [My first synthesizer was the VCS3. I got it in Bristol in the late Sixties, long before Pink Floyd used them. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-jarre/my-first-synthesizer-was-the-vcs3-i-got-it-in-bristol-in-the-late/) [Jean-Michel Jarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-michel-jarre/) > [“Other freshmen were already moving into their dormitory rooms when we arrived, with their parents helping haul. I saw boxes of paperbacks, stereo equipment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/other-freshmen-were-already-moving-into-their-dormitory-rooms-when-we/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [My first review in NOW Magazine - I played one machine, so I went to a soloist night, where everyone else played acoustic guitar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peaches/my-first-review-in-now-magazine-i-played-one-machine-so-i-went-to-a/) [Peaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peaches/) > [I collect as many acoustic guitars as I need for a specific purpose. Acoustic guitars are really just tools for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/i-collect-as-many-acoustic-guitars-as-i-need-for-a-specific-purpose/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [I practice on the acoustic guitar a little bit, but I think I have reached the peak of my talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hudson/i-practice-on-the-acoustic-guitar-a-little-bit-but-i-think-i-have/) [Tim Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hudson/) > [When we did the 'Skin and Bones' tour I didn't even own an acoustic guitar, I had to borrow one from my friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-smear/when-we-did-the-skin-and-bones-tour-i-didn-t-even-own-an-acoustic/) [Pat Smear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-smear/) > [It all started in a local park in El Paso called Madeleine Park. At a ditch, a very small ditch, that everybody used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-bixler-zavala/it-all-started-in-a-local-park-in-el-paso-called-madeleine-park-at-a/) [Cedric Bixler-Zavala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-bixler-zavala/) > ['Flying In A Blue Dream' was quite automatic. I was working on another song, and I took a break and picked up my acoustic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-satriani/flying-in-a-blue-dream-was-quite-automatic-i-was-working-on-another/) [Joe Satriani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-satriani/) > [In certain ways I still feel like I'm finding my way. I feel pretty comfortable playing acoustic guitar and singing, but then I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/in-certain-ways-i-still-feel-like-i-m-finding-my-way-i-feel-pretty/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [One of the signature things about Heart was the acoustic guitar in a rock format, which you didn't hear that often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-wilson/one-of-the-signature-things-about-heart-was-the-acoustic-guitar-in-a/) [Nancy Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-wilson/) > [My stuff was more of a folk coffeehouse thing, with more acoustic guitar, just me doing a single, and then adding on instruments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hicks/my-stuff-was-more-of-a-folk-coffeehouse-thing-with-more-acoustic/) [Dan Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hicks/) [Browse all 174 Acoustic guitar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acoustic-guitar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I sit around and play acoustic guitar - usually acoustic, sometimes electric, occasionally piano, but more often guitar, just trying to come up with tunes. 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