--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lee Morgan used to stand behind me when I…" description: "\"Lee Morgan used to stand behind me when I was playing a ballad and he'd be hollering, \"Play the pretty notes, man, play the pretty notes.\" I thought I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/gary-bartz-61567_ballads_lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when_2081497.jpg" --- # Lee Morgan used to stand behind me when I was playing a… ![“Lee Morgan used to stand behind me when I was playing a ballad and he'd be hollering, "Play the pretty notes, man, play the pretty notes." I thought I was playing the pretty notes, but you know, things like that help you to reach a little further.” quote by Gary Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/gary-bartz-61567_ballads_lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when_2081497.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/gary-bartz-61567_ballads_lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when_2081497.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/gary-bartz-61567_ballads_lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when_2081497.jpg) > “Lee Morgan used to stand behind me when I was playing a ballad and he'd be hollering, "Play the pretty notes, man, play the pretty notes." I thought I was playing the pretty notes, but you know, things like that help you to reach a little further.” [Gary Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bartz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encouragement from peers can push musicians to explore beyond their comfort zone and improve. **In simple terms:** Peer encouragement helps artists grow. Key Takeaway Listen to feedback and push your limits. Themes growth collaboration musical development Mood reflective inspirational Type educational motivational When to use this quote - recording sessions - live performances - improvisation practice Key Concepts creative mentorship skill expansion artistic risk Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to constructive criticism? - What limits do you set when exploring new ideas? A Different Perspective Advice may not suit every personal style. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballad Hollering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballad-hollering-4067859/) [Ballads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballads/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Lee Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lee-morgan-4067858/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-pretty-1087633/) [Playing Ballad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-ballad-4067857/) [Pretty Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-notes-2936955/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [It's just music. It's playing clean and looking for the pretty notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-parker/it-s-just-music-it-s-playing-clean-and-looking-for-the-pretty-notes/) [Charlie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-parker/) > [ \[Lee Morgan\] was the only young cat that scared me when he played. He had so much fire and natural feeling. I had more… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-hubbard/lee-morgan-was-the-only-young-cat-that-scared-me-when-he-played-he/) [Freddie Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-hubbard/) > [I’ll play Pretty Pretty Princess with you if you just let me watch a little bit of March Madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/i-ll-play-pretty-pretty-princess-with-you-if-you-just-let-me-watch-a/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [I'm not homely enough to play the nerdy girl and not nearly pretty enough to play the pretty girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-bell/i-m-not-homely-enough-to-play-the-nerdy-girl-and-not-nearly-pretty/) [Kristen Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-bell/) > [My most annoying question is 'Hilary, are you ever going to play a pretty girl?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-swank/my-most-annoying-question-is-hilary-are-you-ever-going-to-play-a/) [Hilary Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-swank/) > [It's hard because I seek out strong female roles. I turn down a lot of stuff, not because it's not good, but because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-holden/it-s-hard-because-i-seek-out-strong-female-roles-i-turn-down-a-lot-of/) [Gina Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-holden/) > [It's easy to play pretty well if you play hard. Things start working in your favor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-rozier/it-s-easy-to-play-pretty-well-if-you-play-hard-things-start-working/) [Terry Rozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-rozier/) > [I try all night to play a pretty note.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/i-try-all-night-to-play-a-pretty-note/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [I can play pretty much 1-5.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-knox/i-can-play-pretty-much-1-5/) [Kevin Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-knox/) > [I'm not an actor, really. I can play myself pretty well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-campbell/i-m-not-an-actor-really-i-can-play-myself-pretty-well/) [Glen Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-campbell/) > [On 'Idol,' I understood that everyone wanted to hear my vocals, so I stuck with the ballads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-sanchez/on-idol-i-understood-that-everyone-wanted-to-hear-my-vocals-so-i/) [Jessica Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-sanchez/) > [Maybe you could put it out there that I don't have a built-in dislike of ballads. That was kind of the reputation I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/maybe-you-could-put-it-out-there-that-i-don-t-have-a-built-in-dislike/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [I realized that what I was looking for was doing collaborations with other people - people who can play a ballad, rock, jazz. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-realized-that-what-i-was-looking-for-was-doing-collaborations-with/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I think that ballads are always something where I can really become one with the audiance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namie-amuro/i-think-that-ballads-are-always-something-where-i-can-really-become/) [Namie Amuro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namie-amuro/) > [I had rather be a Kitten, and cry mew, Than one of these same Meeter Ballad-mongers: I had rather heare a Brazen Candlestick turn'd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-had-rather-be-a-kitten-and-cry-mew-than-one-of-these-same-meeter/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Gary Bartz > [For an individual fully to play himself, rather than to sound like someone else, is possibly the hardest thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/for-an-individual-fully-to-play-himself-rather-than-to-sound-like/) [Gary Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bartz/) > [I mean, the piano, of course, but I think the piano should be taught in school just like mathematics, just like reading, writing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/i-mean-the-piano-of-course-but-i-think-the-piano-should-be-taught-in/) [Gary Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bartz/) > [Music is my religion. Music is the only thing that has never failed me. People let you down, music won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/music-is-my-religion-music-is-the-only-thing-that-has-never-failed-me/) [Gary Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bartz/) > [I don't think my playing style has really changed over the years; it's just gotten better. I can hear the improvement in comparing older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/i-don-t-think-my-playing-style-has-really-changed-over-the-years-it-s/) [Gary Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bartz/) [Explore all 5 Gary Bartz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bartz/) ## More Ballads quotes > [I had rather be a Kitten, and cry mew, Than one of these same Meeter Ballad-mongers: I had rather heare a Brazen Candlestick turn'd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-had-rather-be-a-kitten-and-cry-mew-than-one-of-these-same-meeter/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I think that ballads are always something where I can really become one with the audiance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namie-amuro/i-think-that-ballads-are-always-something-where-i-can-really-become/) [Namie Amuro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namie-amuro/) > [I realized that what I was looking for was doing collaborations with other people - people who can play a ballad, rock, jazz. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-realized-that-what-i-was-looking-for-was-doing-collaborations-with/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [Maybe you could put it out there that I don't have a built-in dislike of ballads. That was kind of the reputation I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/maybe-you-could-put-it-out-there-that-i-don-t-have-a-built-in-dislike/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [On 'Idol,' I understood that everyone wanted to hear my vocals, so I stuck with the ballads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-sanchez/on-idol-i-understood-that-everyone-wanted-to-hear-my-vocals-so-i/) [Jessica Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-sanchez/) > [Some of my other heroes around that time were, oddly enough, Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole and people like that - I was always more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bell/some-of-my-other-heroes-around-that-time-were-oddly-enough-frank/) [William Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bell/) > [People were saying that Southern folk song was dead, that the land that had produced American jazz, the blues, the spirituals, the mountain ballads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lomax/people-were-saying-that-southern-folk-song-was-dead-that-the-land/) [Alan Lomax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lomax/) > [I got a chance to get an actual label. I performed this slow song, this ballad I have. I just remember going to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/i-got-a-chance-to-get-an-actual-label-i-performed-this-slow-song-this/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [My music is a reflection of what I really love to listen to, pop, dance, mid tempo dance and ballads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/my-music-is-a-reflection-of-what-i-really-love-to-listen-to-pop-dance/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [My love was Bob Dylan, but as I got older I realized a good ballad was a good ballad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/my-love-was-bob-dylan-but-as-i-got-older-i-realized-a-good-ballad-was/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [People who listen to my records expect the ballads from me. The rock 'n roll is on there because it's another mode of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelberg/people-who-listen-to-my-records-expect-the-ballads-from-me-the-rock-n/) [Dan Fogelberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelberg/) > [“...singing ballads whose words had never known paper but lived only on the rasping edge of their own voices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/singing-ballads-whose-words-had-never-known-paper-but-lived-only-on/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [If we hooked up, he could write me ballads and stuff. You gotta admit, nothing's sexier than a guy who writes music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/if-we-hooked-up-he-could-write-me-ballads-and-stuff-you-gotta-admit/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [I would start off with a lively rag, then would come a ballad, followed by a comedy song and a novelty number, and finally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/i-would-start-off-with-a-lively-rag-then-would-come-a-ballad-followed/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [It was very romantic. It's all in the song, The Ballad of John and Yoko. If you want to know how it happened, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/it-was-very-romantic-it-s-all-in-the-song-the-ballad-of-john-and-yoko/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) [Browse all 192 Ballads quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballads/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Lee Morgan used to stand behind me when I was playing a ballad and he'd be hollering, \"Play the pretty notes, man, play the pretty notes.\" I thought I was playing the pretty notes, but you know, things like that help you to reach a little further.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary Bartz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when-i-was-playing-a-ballad-and-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ballads" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when-i-was-playing-a-ballad-and-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/gary-bartz-61567_ballads_lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when_2081497.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/gary-bartz-61567_ballads_lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when_2081497.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/gary-bartz-61567_ballads_lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when_2081497.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lee Morgan used to stand behind me when I was playing a ballad and he'd be hollering, \"Play the pretty…” — Gary Bartz", "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": "Gary Bartz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bartz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Lee Morgan used to stand behind...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when-i-was-playing-a-ballad-and-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bartz/lee-morgan-used-to-stand-behind-me-when-i-was-playing-a-ballad-and-he/#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 } } ] } ```