--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember once, when I started writing…" description: "\"I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as being like a cross between an oboe and a viola,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/gavin-bryars-22922_remember_i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-f_2675560.jpg" --- # I remember once, when I started writing for the alto… ![“I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as being like a cross between an oboe and a viola, but louder.” quote by Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/gavin-bryars-22922_remember_i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-f_2675560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/gavin-bryars-22922_remember_i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-f_2675560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/gavin-bryars-22922_remember_i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-f_2675560.jpg) > “I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as being like a cross between an oboe and a viola, but louder.” [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He was advised to imagine the alto sax sound as a louder blend of oboe and viola, guiding tonal imagination. **In simple terms:** Think of the sax as a louder oboe‑viola mix. Key Takeaway Use vivid analogies to shape sound. Themes music instrumentation imagination Mood creative instructive Type musical educational When to use this quote - composing - rehearsal - performance - teaching Key Concepts tone color aural metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does this analogy affect your phrasing? - Can you hear the difference? A Different Perspective Analogy may oversimplify instrument’s unique qualities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alto Saxophone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alto-saxophone-2538109/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Saxophone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saxophone/) [Saxophone Saxophonist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saxophone-saxophonist-2538112/) [Saxophonist Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saxophonist-told-2538111/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viola/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Alto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-alto-2538110/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of my video work is super lo-fi on purpose. I'm not trying to become technically super proficient. The only thing I'm interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/a-lot-of-my-video-work-is-super-lo-fi-on-purpose-i-m-not-trying-to/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [Alto (saxophone) is just a very hard instrument; there's so few people that play it really well. I feel it's the best one, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-pepper/alto-saxophone-is-just-a-very-hard-instrument-there-s-so-few-people/) [Art Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-pepper/) > [“His noise is getting quieter, but I can still see it there still- See how he feels the skin of my hand against his,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/his-noise-is-getting-quieter-but-i-can-still-see-it-there-still-see/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“Often the right path is the one that may be hardest for you to follow. But the hard path is also the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-mueller-coombs/often-the-right-path-is-the-one-that-may-be-hardest-for-you-to-follow/) [Karen Mueller Coombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-mueller-coombs/) > [“Red wine is different from white. Removing the grape skin does all the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-soul-calibur/red-wine-is-different-from-white-removing-the-grape-skin-does-all-the/) [Viola Soul Calibur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-soul-calibur/) > [“Life is a chain of choices. Making the correct one is never easy.” “That’s for sure,” agreed Rocky. “But if we didn’t make difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-mueller-coombs/life-is-a-chain-of-choices-making-the-correct-one-is-never-easy-that/) [Karen Mueller Coombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-mueller-coombs/) > [Viola Davis is just one of those actors who is never bad in anything. She could be in an awful film but you'd never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nish-kumar/viola-davis-is-just-one-of-those-actors-who-is-never-bad-in-anything/) [Nish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nish-kumar/) > [The Violins waltzed. The Cellos and Basses provided accompaniment. The Violas mourned their fate, while the Concertmaster showed off. The Flutes did bird imitations…repeatedly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-violins-waltzed-the-cellos-and-basses-provided-accompaniment-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My story starts at sea, a perilous voyage to an unknown land. A shipwreck. The wild waters roar and heave. The brave vessel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/my-story-starts-at-sea-a-perilous-voyage-to-an-unknown-land-a/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [We run down the right fork, Manchee at our heels, the night and a dusty road stretching out in front of us, an army…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/we-run-down-the-right-fork-manchee-at-our-heels-the-night-and-a-dusty/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“As long as you have any floor space at all, you have room for books! Just make two stacks of books the same height,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/as-long-as-you-have-any-floor-space-at-all-you-have-room-for-books/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [Bill Viola is worth ten Scorseses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/bill-viola-is-worth-ten-scorseses/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [“He's a woman. He's a grown woman He's a old woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/he-s-a-woman-he-s-a-grown-woman-he-s-a-old-woman/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [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/) > [“And I feel her against me - And I think Viola - I think VIOLA! - I think VIOLA!!!! ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/and-i-feel-her-against-me-and-i-think-viola-i-think-viola-i-think/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## More by Gavin Bryars > [As I had collaborated with visual artists before whether on installations, on performance pieces, in the context of theatre works and as I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/as-i-had-collaborated-with-visual-artists-before-whether-on/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [When Philip Glass asked me if I would be interested in doing a new recording of Jesus' Blood he assumed that I would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/when-philip-glass-asked-me-if-i-would-be-interested-in-doing-a-new/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [I've heard though that there is a younger generation of tonal French composers who are reacting with vigour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-ve-heard-though-that-there-is-a-younger-generation-of-tonal-french/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [Like an apparently strict musical form it breaks the five minute whole into its structural parts - a descriptive preamble, the action of taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/like-an-apparently-strict-musical-form-it-breaks-the-five-minute/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [Music history has flowed under the bridges for many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/music-history-has-flowed-under-the-bridges-for-many-years/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [Similarly you can make a transition from one set of instruments to another imperceptibly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/similarly-you-can-make-a-transition-from-one-set-of-instruments-to/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [The project which we developed, however, was for a sound piece and I was initially curious that a sculptor should be interested in working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/the-project-which-we-developed-however-was-for-a-sound-piece-and-i/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [The academic area of new music or modern music festivals is not something which attracts me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/the-academic-area-of-new-music-or-modern-music-festivals-is-not/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [The virtuoso element in jazz playing, all those very fast runs in the upper extremes, simply doesn't appeal to me. That's why I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/the-virtuoso-element-in-jazz-playing-all-those-very-fast-runs-in-the/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [There's another way of making music, by touching the lives and feelings of ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/there-s-another-way-of-making-music-by-touching-the-lives-and/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [I currently spend a lot of time thinking about orchestration and every detail of a piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-currently-spend-a-lot-of-time-thinking-about-orchestration-and/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [I work very fast, keeping the ideas flowing but making sure they come out the way I intended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-work-very-fast-keeping-the-ideas-flowing-but-making-sure-they-come/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [Writing tonal music now, you are not writing into the 19th Century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/writing-tonal-music-now-you-are-not-writing-into-the-19th-century/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [I have friends who have a CD mastering plant in Hollywood and they are very sceptical about European record labels' understanding of digital technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-have-friends-who-have-a-cd-mastering-plant-in-hollywood-and-they/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [Craft is part of the creative process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/craft-is-part-of-the-creative-process/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) [Explore all 26 Gavin Bryars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) ## More Remember quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) [Browse all 23,344 Remember quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as being like a cross between an oboe and a viola, but louder.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gavin Bryars" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-for-the-alto-saxophone-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Remember" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-for-the-alto-saxophone-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/gavin-bryars-22922_remember_i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-f_2675560.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/gavin-bryars-22922_remember_i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-f_2675560.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/gavin-bryars-22922_remember_i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-f_2675560.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as…” — Gavin Bryars", "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": "Gavin Bryars", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I remember once, when I started...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-for-the-alto-saxophone-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/i-remember-once-when-i-started-writing-for-the-alto-saxophone-a/#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 } } ] } ```