--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was first aware that I couldn't…" description: "\"When I was first aware that I couldn't read music I didn't know I couldn't read because I could play the music that was in front of me.\" — Dave Brubeck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/dave-brubeck-10370_aware_when-i-was-first-aware-that-i-couldn-t-r_2718797.jpg" --- # When I was first aware that I couldn't read music I didn't… ![“When I was first aware that I couldn't read music I didn't know I couldn't read because I could play the music that was in front of me.” quote by Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/dave-brubeck-10370_aware_when-i-was-first-aware-that-i-couldn-t-r_2718797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/dave-brubeck-10370_aware_when-i-was-first-aware-that-i-couldn-t-r_2718797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/dave-brubeck-10370_aware_when-i-was-first-aware-that-i-couldn-t-r_2718797.jpg) > “When I was first aware that I couldn't read music I didn't know I couldn't read because I could play the music that was in front of me.” [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He realized he could play music without reading notation, trusting intuition over formal training. **In simple terms:** He could play music without reading it. Key Takeaway Trust intuition in learning. Themes intuition learning music Mood reflective inspirational Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - music education - self‑teaching - performance preparation Key Concepts embodied knowledge creative improvisation Questions to Reflect On - How does intuition guide your practice? - When might reading music become necessary? A Different Perspective Relying solely on intuition may limit technical growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aware/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Couldn Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-read/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/front/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-didn/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-music/) [Read Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-music/) [Read Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-play-409527/) ## Related quotes > [Most of the best songwriters that ever lived couldn't read music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/most-of-the-best-songwriters-that-ever-lived-couldn-t-read-music/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [All I had was the will and the love for music. I couldn't read music or write it. No connections, no car, no money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-white/all-i-had-was-the-will-and-the-love-for-music-i-couldn-t-read-music/) [Barry White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-white/) > [All of my music teachers gave up on me one by one because I couldn't read music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-ridings/all-of-my-music-teachers-gave-up-on-me-one-by-one-because-i-couldn-t/) [Freya Ridings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-ridings/) > [I wanted to play music. I didn't think about where it would go or what it would do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-simpson/i-wanted-to-play-music-i-didn-t-think-about-where-it-would-go-or-what/) [Charlie Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-simpson/) > [I didn't play music, nobody in my family had an instrument or played music, we didn't even have any books at my house. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-didn-t-play-music-nobody-in-my-family-had-an-instrument-or-played/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [You read the play that's in front of you. You don't try to look back; you don't look forward. You deal with the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-gasol/you-read-the-play-that-s-in-front-of-you-you-don-t-try-to-look-back/) [Marc Gasol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-gasol/) > [If I could read it, I could play it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-king-cole/if-i-could-read-it-i-could-play-it/) [Nat King Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-king-cole/) > [I like to read the play. Some of it's luck, being at the right place, right time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-gaudreau/i-like-to-read-the-play-some-of-it-s-luck-being-at-the-right-place/) [Johnny Gaudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-gaudreau/) > [“He raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get this? Is our Anne Boleyn suddenly from Mars?" He chuckled. "I always thought she hailed from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/he-raised-an-eyebrow-where-did-you-get-this-is-our-anne-boleyn/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [When you read a play, the words speak to you. When you read a script, there's no way you can tell if that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judge-reinhold/when-you-read-a-play-the-words-speak-to-you-when-you-read-a-script/) [Judge Reinhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judge-reinhold/) > [I like to hang out with my friends, go to the theatre, watch DVDs, read, play with my niece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-ryan/i-like-to-hang-out-with-my-friends-go-to-the-theatre-watch-dvds-read/) [Michelle Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-ryan/) > [When I think about it, I was working very hard the summer before I applied to graduate school. I was going to the library…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii/when-i-think-about-it-i-was-working-very-hard-the-summer-before-i/) [Yahya Abdul-Mateen II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii/) > [I always just read the play and find a world. That world must honour the play, enhance it, and maybe shine some new light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/i-always-just-read-the-play-and-find-a-world-that-world-must-honour/) [David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/) > [When I was in school, in eighth grade, someone recognized something in me. She was an English teacher, and we read a play out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morse/when-i-was-in-school-in-eighth-grade-someone-recognized-something-in/) [David Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morse/) > [Every so often you read a play and a character just speaks to you - almost seems to speak through you, in fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/every-so-often-you-read-a-play-and-a-character-just-speaks-to-you/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) ## More by Dave Brubeck > [I think the church should strive to give parishioners good music. Music is as necessary for worship as a building with a beautiful altar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/i-think-the-church-should-strive-to-give-parishioners-good-music/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [My own Brubeck Institute in California is turning out fantastic young jazz players, and I know great things will happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/my-own-brubeck-institute-in-california-is-turning-out-fantastic-young/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [You have to be taught to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/you-have-to-be-taught-to-hate/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [When I was 20, Shostakovich was my favorite composer. I still find his Fifth Symphony wonderful, with its outstanding themes and rhythms. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/when-i-was-20-shostakovich-was-my-favorite-composer-i-still-find-his/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [Every individual should be expressing themselves, whether a politician or a minister or a policeman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/every-individual-should-be-expressing-themselves-whether-a-politician/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [If I told you all the people that have secretly told me I've influenced them, you'd never believe it, and you'll never see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/if-i-told-you-all-the-people-that-have-secretly-told-me-i-ve/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [If there's a deadline, I work late. If not, I like to have normal hours, and get up early and work. When things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/if-there-s-a-deadline-i-work-late-if-not-i-like-to-have-normal-hours/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [My mother Elizabeth Ivey Brubeck was a pianist who studied with Dame Myra Hess and Tobias Matthey. As a child in California I used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/my-mother-elizabeth-ivey-brubeck-was-a-pianist-who-studied-with-dame/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [That's the beauty of music. You can take a theme from a Bach sacred chorale and improvise. It doesn't make any difference where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/that-s-the-beauty-of-music-you-can-take-a-theme-from-a-bach-sacred/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [After the Second World War, I returned to California to study composition with Darius Milhaud, who wrote wonderful works like 'Le Boeuf sur le…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/after-the-second-world-war-i-returned-to-california-to-study/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [I started growing up in a hurry and taking a lot of the philosophy I'd heard from church as a kid a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/i-started-growing-up-in-a-hurry-and-taking-a-lot-of-the-philosophy-i/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [My dad was the manager at the 45,000-acre ranch, but he owned his own 1,200-acre ranch, and I owned four cattle that he gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/my-dad-was-the-manager-at-the-45-000-acre-ranch-but-he-owned-his-own/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [Many people don't understand how disciplined you have to be to play jazz... And that is really the idea of democracy - freedom within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/many-people-don-t-understand-how-disciplined-you-have-to-be-to-play/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [The reality for me is simple. When music is written, it is usually categorized as classical. When it is improvised, it can still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/the-reality-for-me-is-simple-when-music-is-written-it-is-usually/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [I was always very aware of drummers. My oldest brother Henry was a drummer, and he drummed on everything in the house from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/i-was-always-very-aware-of-drummers-my-oldest-brother-henry-was-a/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) [Explore all 66 Dave Brubeck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) ## More Aware quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I am an aware citizen, so I want my characters to be aware, too. They should be aware of what's happening in the society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/i-am-an-aware-citizen-so-i-want-my-characters-to-be-aware-too-they/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [Be aware and hold the government accountable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-chauhan/be-aware-and-hold-the-government-accountable/) [Mohit Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-chauhan/) > [I'm trying to be very aware of not repeating myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-m-trying-to-be-very-aware-of-not-repeating-myself/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [If I've had roadblocks along the way for being gay, I'm not aware of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/if-i-ve-had-roadblocks-along-the-way-for-being-gay-i-m-not-aware-of/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [“Whenever you're around her she's calm. She's more aware. It's like you carry a frequency she can tune into.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-laurens/whenever-you-re-around-her-she-s-calm-she-s-more-aware-it-s-like-you/) [Jennifer Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-laurens/) > [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. It turned out cool in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/i-thought-being-in-the-wheelchair-might-be-kind-of-limiting-for-me-as/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Once I get out onstage, it's the same sort of basic production that it is anywhere else. 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