--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I play keyboards and Pro Tools, if you…" description: "\"I play keyboards and Pro Tools, if you want to look at it as an instrument.\" — Devin Townsend" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/devin-townsend-4830_instrument_i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-wa_1344622.jpg" --- # I play keyboards and Pro Tools, if you want to look at it… ![“I play keyboards and Pro Tools, if you want to look at it as an instrument.” quote by Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/devin-townsend-4830_instrument_i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-wa_1344622.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/devin-townsend-4830_instrument_i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-wa_1344622.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/devin-townsend-4830_instrument_i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-wa_1344622.jpg) > “I play keyboards and Pro Tools, if you want to look at it as an instrument.” [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He equates digital audio workstations with traditional instruments, emphasizing skill over medium. **In simple terms:** Treat software like an instrument. Key Takeaway Embrace tech as a tool. Themes creativity technology music production Mood innovative enthusiastic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - Studio recording - live performance - home production Key Concepts Digital audio instrumentation skill development Questions to Reflect On - How does using software change your creative process? - What benefits does digital flexibility offer? A Different Perspective May overlook tactile nuances of physical instruments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument/) [Keyboards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keyboards/) [Keyboards Pro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keyboards-pro-4553291/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Look Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-instrument-4553290/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Keyboards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-keyboards-1688881/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [I play keyboards and sing. I've written a couple of songs too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-haim/i-play-keyboards-and-sing-i-ve-written-a-couple-of-songs-too/) [Corey Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-haim/) > [I play keyboards and have played on many a Toto record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lukather/i-play-keyboards-and-have-played-on-many-a-toto-record/) [Steve Lukather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lukather/) > [I'm not someone who can just be paid to play keyboards on songs. I tried to do it - I needed the money, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-m-not-someone-who-can-just-be-paid-to-play-keyboards-on-songs-i/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [Music has always been in my family, but it was mainly keyboards. I learned to play classical piano, but when I first heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/music-has-always-been-in-my-family-but-it-was-mainly-keyboards-i/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [If I could write directly on a typewriter or a computer, I would do it. But keyboards have always intimidated me. I've never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/if-i-could-write-directly-on-a-typewriter-or-a-computer-i-would-do-it/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [But I find that the keyboard is the complete instrument you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-ralphs/but-i-find-that-the-keyboard-is-the-complete-instrument-you-know/) [Mick Ralphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-ralphs/) > [I love jazz. I still do. Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz are so good. I took a notification course in Jazz Orchestration. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-love-jazz-i-still-do-dave-brubeck-and-stan-getz-are-so-good-i-took/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [One of the reasons why I went to the Yale School of Drama is because I felt that I was acting off of instinct,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-went-to-the-yale-school-of-drama-is-because/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [Most of the stuff I learned to play, I learned in high school. I had a band in high school, a jazz-fusion thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcknight/most-of-the-stuff-i-learned-to-play-i-learned-in-high-school-i-had-a/) [Brian McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcknight/) > [I can't really deal with buttons. And that's what I keep saying, "Okay, I can't push buttons, because that means I have to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/i-can-t-really-deal-with-buttons-and-that-s-what-i-keep-saying-okay-i/) [Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/) > [While it is becoming increasingly obvious that the fundamental architecture of a system has a profound Influence on the quality of its human factors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-m-branscomb/while-it-is-becoming-increasingly-obvious-that-the-fundamental/) [Lewis M. Branscomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-m-branscomb/) > [There is nothing like having your hands on a keyboard. Or an acoustic piano. Those are the things you can't really replace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-downes/there-is-nothing-like-having-your-hands-on-a-keyboard-or-an-acoustic/) [Geoff Downes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-downes/) > [Even when I can play Europe's most precious keyboard, to have to listen to people who don't understand, or do not want to understand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/even-when-i-can-play-europe-s-most-precious-keyboard-to-have-to/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/as-for-the-piano-the-faster-her-fingers-flew-over-it-the-more-he/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) ## More by Devin Townsend > [I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-female-singers-i-ve-got-zero-interest-in-working-with/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [It's like... to make a good record - I don't care who you are - it takes a long time and a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/it-s-like-to-make-a-good-record-i-don-t-care-who-you-are-it-takes-a/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I like Canada for a number of reasons, politics and people and all that stuff aside. I was raised there, and I write music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-like-canada-for-a-number-of-reasons-politics-and-people-and-all/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I guess I'm not really into female vocals that sound masculine, I guess. A lot of times, the heavy female vocalists always end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-guess-i-m-not-really-into-female-vocals-that-sound-masculine-i/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [For me, music is about expressing the inexpressible, and as I get older, man, what I feel the need to express becomes less and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/for-me-music-is-about-expressing-the-inexpressible-and-as-i-get-older/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I'm not a big fan of options, to be honest. The more options that I have, the less time that I spend actually completing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-options-to-be-honest-the-more-options-that-i/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I'm good at what I do but, to be honest, not a whole hell of a lot else!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-good-at-what-i-do-but-to-be-honest-not-a-whole-hell-of-a-lot-else/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [After Strapping, the amount of things in my life had changed were more than I'd ever had to process in any one time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/after-strapping-the-amount-of-things-in-my-life-had-changed-were-more/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [In Strapping, I had experimented with a creative catharsis under the assumption that art doesn't need to be accountable for itself, but I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/in-strapping-i-had-experimented-with-a-creative-catharsis-under-the/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [When I was going to high school, in the high school band we would play these kind of hour-long concerts for our parents. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/when-i-was-going-to-high-school-in-the-high-school-band-we-would-play/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I think when music, specifically heavy music, the motivation for it is other than truly feeling it, that's when it becomes really difficult for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-think-when-music-specifically-heavy-music-the-motivation-for-it-is/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [Strapping Young Lad is a vehicle for me to be wild and extroverted and ridiculous. It gives me the chance to say, 'Look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/strapping-young-lad-is-a-vehicle-for-me-to-be-wild-and-extroverted/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [Sometimes I'll be writing something, and I say to myself, 'Okay, that's definitely DTB,' or, 'It's definitely Strapping.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/sometimes-i-ll-be-writing-something-and-i-say-to-myself-okay-that-s/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I really like the art of music, the way that you can express yourself through music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-the-art-of-music-the-way-that-you-can-express-yourself/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I'm very creative - making music, making puppets, that's my thing - but mainstream success and the demands that brings? No, not really for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-very-creative-making-music-making-puppets-that-s-my-thing-but/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) [Explore all 106 Devin Townsend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) ## More Instrument quotes > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/kenny-g-i-have-to-be-grateful-to-him-for-proving-that-the-instrument/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [But if you listen to great piano players, both classical and jazz, there's a huge range of dynamics and colors and emotional expression that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-burton/but-if-you-listen-to-great-piano-players-both-classical-and-jazz/) [Gary Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-burton/) > [We should picture the instrument that carries our mental functioning as resembling a compound microscope or photographic apparatus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-should-picture-the-instrument-that-carries-our-mental-functioning/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I had decided that if I was going to be a singer, I had to earn it. I had to learn how to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-had-decided-that-if-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-i-had-to-earn-it-i/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I particularly enjoy cello music because our daughter plays the cello. I have listened to her practice for so many hours that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-particularly-enjoy-cello-music-because-our-daughter-plays-the-cello/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-photographer-not-the-camera-that-is-the-instrument/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A well trained body is a beautiful instrument on which to play the melody of the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/a-well-trained-body-is-a-beautiful-instrument-on-which-to-play-the/) [Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The camera is simply not the supple and powerful instrument of description that the pen is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-camera-is-simply-not-the-supple-and-powerful-instrument-of/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [For the greater beauty of the instrument, the balls representing the planets are to be of considerable bigness; but so contrived, that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rittenhouse/for-the-greater-beauty-of-the-instrument-the-balls-representing-the/) [David Rittenhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rittenhouse/) > [We all know that there are many people that can play the instrument perfectly today, up and down with technical perfection, but does the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finckel/we-all-know-that-there-are-many-people-that-can-play-the-instrument/) [David Finckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finckel/) > [I play bass. I play a bit of guitar. I've never been to a lesson, so my theory of music is non-existent in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sangster/i-play-bass-i-play-a-bit-of-guitar-i-ve-never-been-to-a-lesson-so-my/) [Thomas Sangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sangster/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/like-my-best-friend-i-asked-for-drums-for-christmas-and-got-them-but/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [No one familiar with the common law of England can read the Constitution of the United States without observing the great desire of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-freeman-miller/no-one-familiar-with-the-common-law-of-england-can-read-the/) [Samuel Freeman Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-freeman-miller/) [Browse all 570 Instrument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I play keyboards and Pro Tools, if you want to look at it as an instrument.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Devin Townsend" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-want-to-look-at-it-as-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Instrument" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-want-to-look-at-it-as-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/devin-townsend-4830_instrument_i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-wa_1344622.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/devin-townsend-4830_instrument_i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-wa_1344622.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/devin-townsend-4830_instrument_i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-wa_1344622.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I play keyboards and Pro Tools, if you want to look at it as an instrument.” — Devin Townsend", "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": "Devin Townsend", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I play keyboards and Pro Tools,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-want-to-look-at-it-as-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-play-keyboards-and-pro-tools-if-you-want-to-look-at-it-as-an/#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 } } ] } ```