--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think there are some things in music…" description: "\"I think there are some things in music that work and don't work. That's learned from counterpoint and rhythm and theory, and they don't work if you don..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/jeanine-tesori-33619_ifs_i-think-there-are-some-things-in-music-t_1632539.jpg" --- # I think there are some things in music that work and don't… ![“I think there are some things in music that work and don't work. That's learned from counterpoint and rhythm and theory, and they don't work if you don't want them to work.” quote by Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/jeanine-tesori-33619_ifs_i-think-there-are-some-things-in-music-t_1632539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/jeanine-tesori-33619_ifs_i-think-there-are-some-things-in-music-t_1632539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/jeanine-tesori-33619_ifs_i-think-there-are-some-things-in-music-t_1632539.jpg) > “I think there are some things in music that work and don't work. That's learned from counterpoint and rhythm and theory, and they don't work if you don't want them to work.” [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music elements succeed when they align with listener expectations, learned through studying counterpoint, rhythm, and theory. **In simple terms:** Music works when it matches what listeners expect. Key Takeaway Study theory to craft effective music. Themes music theory listener expectations Mood reflective analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - film scoring - live performance - music education Key Concepts counterpoint rhythm musical structure Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance theory with personal expression? - When does breaking rules enhance a piece? A Different Perspective If listeners' tastes differ, technical mastery may not guarantee impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [ Their pain \[the injurer's pain at having injured you\] and your pain create the point and counterpoint for the rhythm of reconciliation. When the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/their-pain-the-injurer-s-pain-at-having-injured-you-and-your-pain/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [“This is what I think, but I don't say the words because the counterpoint of yes and no, love and hate, fear and longing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-vivian/this-is-what-i-think-but-i-don-t-say-the-words-because-the/) Robert Vivian > [The way Fatboy Slim layers motifs is the same as 18th-century baroque counterpoint. You have an idea, then you have an answer to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/the-way-fatboy-slim-layers-motifs-is-the-same-as-18th-century-baroque/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [Someone once told me that true love is the soul's recognition of its counterpoint in another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-once-told-me-that-true-love-is-the-soul-s-recognition-of-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Too much counterpoint; what is worse, Protestant counterpoint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/too-much-counterpoint-what-is-worse-protestant-counterpoint/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [True love is your souls recognition of its counterpoint in another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/true-love-is-your-souls-recognition-of-its-counterpoint-in-another/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [Counterpoint is a component that gives real energy, and it is about optimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/counterpoint-is-a-component-that-gives-real-energy-and-it-is-about/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [“The individual parts played by other instrumentalists-- crickets or earthworms, for instance-- may not have the sound of music by themselves, but we hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-individual-parts-played-by-other-instrumentalists-crickets-or/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [True love is the soul's recognition of its counterpoint in another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-clearly/true-love-is-the-soul-s-recognition-of-its-counterpoint-in-another/) Claire Clearly > [The work itself has a complete circle of meaning and counterpoint. And without your involvement as a viewer, there is no story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anish-kapoor/the-work-itself-has-a-complete-circle-of-meaning-and-counterpoint-and/) [Anish Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anish-kapoor/) > [“So my life is a point-counterpoint, a kind of fugue, and a falling away–and everything winds up being lost to me, and everything falls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/so-my-life-is-a-point-counterpoint-a-kind-of-fugue-and-a-falling-away/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Shh. Listen to the sounds that surround you. Notice the pitches, the volume, the timbre, the many lines of counterpoint. As light taught Monet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/shh-listen-to-the-sounds-that-surround-you-notice-the-pitches-the/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [True love is your soul's recognition of its counterpoint in another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wedding-crashers/true-love-is-your-soul-s-recognition-of-its-counterpoint-in-another/) Wedding Crashers > [“Any aesthetic quality is usually enhanced by the presence of a counterpoint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-frederick/any-aesthetic-quality-is-usually-enhanced-by-the-presence-of-a/) [Matthew Frederick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-frederick/) > [“She heard melody and harmony and counterpoint; he heard something calling him from far, far away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hellenga/she-heard-melody-and-harmony-and-counterpoint-he-heard-something/) [Robert Hellenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hellenga/) ## More by Jeanine Tesori > [I think a lot of people get intimidated by the language of music, but everyone owns music. I think there's nothing standing in between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-think-a-lot-of-people-get-intimidated-by-the-language-of-music-but/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [My early life was full of music because my sisters played the piano and I started playing at three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/my-early-life-was-full-of-music-because-my-sisters-played-the-piano/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I realized that all you have to do is state what you need and figure out how to get it, and be kind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-realized-that-all-you-have-to-do-is-state-what-you-need-and-figure/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [The people who are going into music who hunger, they're going into pop music. There are some badass women who are ambitious and hungry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/the-people-who-are-going-into-music-who-hunger-they-re-going-into-pop/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I write to find out about how the world sings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-write-to-find-out-about-how-the-world-sings/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [My daughter is my greatest gift and, not to be corny, but my greatest teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/my-daughter-is-my-greatest-gift-and-not-to-be-corny-but-my-greatest/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [If you're doing something new there is always a sense of fear or foreboding, but you're in new ground and you have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/if-you-re-doing-something-new-there-is-always-a-sense-of-fear-or/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I'd been trained as a classical musician, but also as a pop musician. My teacher made sure that everything was available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-d-been-trained-as-a-classical-musician-but-also-as-a-pop-musician/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [There was a period where I dressed sort of like a mechanic and I looked really schlumpy, and I thought, "This is not who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/there-was-a-period-where-i-dressed-sort-of-like-a-mechanic-and-i/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I have never relied on anyone else for money since I graduated, and that made me feel grown up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-have-never-relied-on-anyone-else-for-money-since-i-graduated-and/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I feel like music is oceanic - there's no end to what you can discover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-feel-like-music-is-oceanic-there-s-no-end-to-what-you-can-discover/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I've been really opinionated my whole life. I was raised to be opinionated. I was raised to debate at the dinner table - my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-ve-been-really-opinionated-my-whole-life-i-was-raised-to-be/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I read a lot. I especially read memoirs and biographies. It's very helpful when you're thinking about what's possible and what exists in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-read-a-lot-i-especially-read-memoirs-and-biographies-it-s-very/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) [Explore all 14 Jeanine Tesori quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) ## 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": "I think there are some things in music that work and don't work. 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