--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can sing it, you can play it." description: "\"If you can sing it, you can play it.\" — Jackie McLean" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jackie-mclean-76393_ifs_if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it-21617_2161780.png" --- # If you can sing it, you can play it. ![“If you can sing it, you can play it.” quote by Jackie McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jackie-mclean-76393_ifs_if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it-21617_2161780.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jackie-mclean-76393_ifs_if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it-21617_2161780.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jackie-mclean-76393_ifs_if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it-21617_2161780.png) > “If you can sing it, you can play it.” Jackie McLean ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Musical ability translates across instruments; if you can vocalize it, you can perform it. **In simple terms:** If you can sing it, you can play it. Key Takeaway Learn music through vocalization. Themes music learning creativity skill transfer Mood creative inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - instrument teaching - composition - improvisation Key Concepts Embodiment aural skills musical intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How does vocalization aid learning? - What limits this method? A Different Perspective Not all instruments suit vocal translation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [I love to sing and play. I love sports and I am very serious about everything I do in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-love-to-sing-and-play-i-love-sports-and-i-am-very-serious-about/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [I wish I could sing or play an instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid-agren/i-wish-i-could-sing-or-play-an-instrument/) [Sigrid Agren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid-agren/) > [When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-king/when-i-sing-i-play-in-my-mind-the-minute-i-stop-singing-orally-i/) [B. B. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-king/) > [Anywhere I could sing or play - I learned to play piano early on - I would, so charity gigs, church, the school talent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raye/anywhere-i-could-sing-or-play-i-learned-to-play-piano-early-on-i/) [Raye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raye/) > [If I could sing and play like Lightnin' Hopkins, I would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dion-dimucci/if-i-could-sing-and-play-like-lightnin-hopkins-i-would/) [Dion DiMucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dion-dimucci/) > [I love to get people to sing and play together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-shear/i-love-to-get-people-to-sing-and-play-together/) [Jules Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-shear/) > [I've always known the kind of songs I wanted to sing and play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/i-ve-always-known-the-kind-of-songs-i-wanted-to-sing-and-play/) [Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/) > [I sing and play the guitar, and I'm a walking, talking bacterial infection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-sing-and-play-the-guitar-and-i-m-a-walking-talking-bacterial/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I think I was put on earth to sing and play music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-sedaka/i-think-i-was-put-on-earth-to-sing-and-play-music/) [Neil Sedaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-sedaka/) > [Don't give me songs, give me something to sing about!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-give-me-songs-give-me-something-to-sing-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't sing, not even in the shower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-chung/i-can-t-sing-not-even-in-the-shower/) [Patrick Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-chung/) > [I really wish I could sing so I could front a band, because that would be a dream come true, totally. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charisma-carpenter/i-really-wish-i-could-sing-so-i-could-front-a-band-because-that-would/) [Charisma Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charisma-carpenter/) > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [When I act, I act. When I sing, I sing. I don't put one over the other. Entertaining is what I do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-cara/when-i-act-i-act-when-i-sing-i-sing-i-don-t-put-one-over-the-other/) [Irene Cara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-cara/) ## More by Jackie McLean > [I never really sounded like Bird, but that was my mission. I didn't care if people said that I copied him; I loved Bird's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mclean/i-never-really-sounded-like-bird-but-that-was-my-mission-i-didn-t/) Jackie McLean > [I tell my students, 'It's an important tradition and you have to go back and hear this music and learn its language all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mclean/i-tell-my-students-it-s-an-important-tradition-and-you-have-to-go/) Jackie McLean Explore all 3 Jackie McLean quotes ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you can sing it, you can play it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jackie McLean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mclean/if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mclean/if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jackie-mclean-76393_ifs_if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it-21617_2161780.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jackie-mclean-76393_ifs_if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it-21617_2161780.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jackie-mclean-76393_ifs_if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it-21617_2161780.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can sing it, you can play it.” — Jackie McLean", "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": "Jackie McLean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-mclean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you can sing it, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mclean/if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mclean/if-you-can-sing-it-you-can-play-it/#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 } } ] } ```