--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I look at my own recordings, I think…" description: "\"If I look at my own recordings, I think generally there is a focal point within the song and often it's the instrumental bridge or a guitar solo where ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/dean-wareham-15852_available_if-i-look-at-my-own-recordings-i-think-g_2631458.png" --- # If I look at my own recordings, I think generally there is… ![“If I look at my own recordings, I think generally there is a focal point within the song and often it's the instrumental bridge or a guitar solo where we try to do something unexpected, something beautiful or weird, or beautiful because it is weird. And of course I fail half the time, but yes that…” quote by Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/dean-wareham-15852_available_if-i-look-at-my-own-recordings-i-think-g_2631458.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/dean-wareham-15852_available_if-i-look-at-my-own-recordings-i-think-g_2631458.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/dean-wareham-15852_available_if-i-look-at-my-own-recordings-i-think-g_2631458.png) > “If I look at my own recordings, I think generally there is a focal point within the song and often it's the instrumental bridge or a guitar solo where we try to do something unexpected, something beautiful or weird, or beautiful because it is weird. And of course I fail half the time, but yes that is the goal, to create even a few seconds of bliss, or sadness. The electric guitar is a great instrument for doing this because it is capable of surprising you. There are so many different sounds available.” [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) ## 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 using unexpected instrumental moments, especially guitar solos, to evoke strong emotions, even if they often fail. **In simple terms:** Use surprising musical moments to create brief emotional peaks. Key Takeaway Embrace risk to craft fleeting bliss or sadness. Themes creativity music emotion risk innovation Mood introspective hopeful melancholic Type artistic musical reflective When to use this quote - songwriting - live performance - studio recording - music production Key Concepts musical improvisation emotional contrast sound design Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance surprise with coherence? - When does experimentation become excess? A Different Perspective Success is rare; overreliance on surprise can alienate listeners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bliss/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Electric guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-guitar/) [Focal point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focal-point/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Guitar solos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar-solos/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Something beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something-beautiful/) [Something unexpected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something-unexpected/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [My dad is a huge rock and roll lead guitar fan. I didn't even really know that until recently. Everything has to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/my-dad-is-a-huge-rock-and-roll-lead-guitar-fan-i-didn-t-even-really/) [Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/) > [If someone can relate my guitar solo to an exercise in a book... that's no fun at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-satriani/if-someone-can-relate-my-guitar-solo-to-an-exercise-in-a-book-that-s/) [Joe Satriani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-satriani/) > [Any guitar solo should reflect the music that it's soloing over and not just be existing in its own sort of little world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/any-guitar-solo-should-reflect-the-music-that-it-s-soloing-over-and/) [John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/) > [The most important part of any rock song is the guitar solo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee-roth/the-most-important-part-of-any-rock-song-is-the-guitar-solo/) [David Lee Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee-roth/) > [A lot of people at my school could play the "Stairway to Heaven" guitar solo, but they couldn't play three chords of a Ramones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-shields/a-lot-of-people-at-my-school-could-play-the-stairway-to-heaven-guitar/) [Kevin Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-shields/) > [I think there are some good players coming up. I think we are at a point where people can swallow a guitar solo in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cherone/i-think-there-are-some-good-players-coming-up-i-think-we-are-at-a/) [Gary Cherone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cherone/) > [Just as with a guitar, you can improvise a guitar solo, and they'd probably be similar each time, but they won't be exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/just-as-with-a-guitar-you-can-improvise-a-guitar-solo-and-they-d/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [.. Playing live is about going for it .. it's about bringing it ... you should see a bunch of people trying out stuff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/playing-live-is-about-going-for-it-it-s-about-bringing-it-you-should/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [My favorite guitar solo of all time was Elliot Randall's on 'Reelin' In The Years'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/my-favorite-guitar-solo-of-all-time-was-elliot-randall-s-on-reelin-in/) [Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/) > [Generally my songs are just some riffs slung together as an excuse for a guitar solo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-mascis/generally-my-songs-are-just-some-riffs-slung-together-as-an-excuse/) [J Mascis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-mascis/) > [I did the first backwards guitar solo on ‘I’m Only Sleeping’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhani-harrison/i-did-the-first-backwards-guitar-solo-on-i-m-only-sleeping/) [Dhani Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhani-harrison/) > [So you do shorter versions of the hits, or you take out a long guitar solo or things like that to make time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/so-you-do-shorter-versions-of-the-hits-or-you-take-out-a-long-guitar/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) > [I Still Approach A Scene As One Would Approach A Guitar Solo. You Don't Exactly Know How You're Going To Phrase This Or That.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/i-still-approach-a-scene-as-one-would-approach-a-guitar-solo-you-don/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [You know, when Michael Jackson does the moonwalk, he's showing off! When Prince or Hendrix do a guitar solo, it's confidence! I would hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/you-know-when-michael-jackson-does-the-moonwalk-he-s-showing-off-when/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) > [One of the greatest live recordings, I think, in the history of the world is Ray Charles in Atlanta... And they didn't even have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-robertson/one-of-the-greatest-live-recordings-i-think-in-the-history-of-the/) [Robbie Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-robertson/) ## More by Dean Wareham > [It's hard to imagine the whole punk movement without The Velvet Underground. I toured with them when they did their reunion tour, and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/it-s-hard-to-imagine-the-whole-punk-movement-without-the-velvet/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [Don't be a rock star. I've seen people around me have their lives destroyed by drugs. It just depends on what kind of person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/don-t-be-a-rock-star-i-ve-seen-people-around-me-have-their-lives/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [It's hard to imagine the whole punk movement without The Velvet Underground. I toured with them when they did their reunion tour, and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/it-s-hard-to-imagine-the-whole-punk-movement-without-the-velvet-2/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [It's not often I get to do a film that turns out good. Plus, there just aren't that many great directors out there. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/it-s-not-often-i-get-to-do-a-film-that-turns-out-good-plus-there-just/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [My standards are higher than they used to be, I think. They don't necessarily have to make sense, but I certainly work on them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/my-standards-are-higher-than-they-used-to-be-i-think-they-don-t/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [I know I get a real kick, an emotional charge, out of playing a song I haven't played for 10 years. It just takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/i-know-i-get-a-real-kick-an-emotional-charge-out-of-playing-a-song-i/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [I guess I could be singing about Superman, or about Zarathustra coming down from the mountain, but in my mind I was singing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/i-guess-i-could-be-singing-about-superman-or-about-zarathustra-coming/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [I don't really listen to the radio anymore, but some of the more contemporary people I like are Stereolab, Spiritualize, Yo La Tengo and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/i-don-t-really-listen-to-the-radio-anymore-but-some-of-the-more/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [It's easy enough to foist your music collection on your kids. Lectures are not required; you just play the stuff while they are prisoner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/it-s-easy-enough-to-foist-your-music-collection-on-your-kids-lectures/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [I have a slightly bourgeois upbringing, I guess. My parents paid for me to go to school, which is nice, but I haven't gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/i-have-a-slightly-bourgeois-upbringing-i-guess-my-parents-paid-for-me/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [I don't pretend to understand him, but I can enjoy him as a poet and comedian. I liked the idea of the eternal return.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/i-don-t-pretend-to-understand-him-but-i-can-enjoy-him-as-a-poet-and/) [Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/) > [The road, lyric-wise, is a trap, and a bore. 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I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) Browse all 2,134 Available quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I look at my own recordings, I think generally there is a focal point within the song and often it's the instrumental bridge or a guitar solo where we try to do something unexpected, something beautiful or weird, or beautiful because it is weird. And of course I fail half the time, but yes that is the goal, to create even a few seconds of bliss, or sadness. The electric guitar is a great instrument for doing this because it is capable of surprising you. 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