--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I could play an instrument, it would…" description: "\"If I could play an instrument, it would probably be a cello or an electric guitar.\" — Jeff VanderMeer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/jeff-vandermeer-1366_cello_if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-p_2157571.png" --- # If I could play an instrument, it would probably be a… ![“If I could play an instrument, it would probably be a cello or an electric guitar.” quote by Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/jeff-vandermeer-1366_cello_if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-p_2157571.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/jeff-vandermeer-1366_cello_if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-p_2157571.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/jeff-vandermeer-1366_cello_if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-p_2157571.png) > “If I could play an instrument, it would probably be a cello or an electric guitar.” [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desires a musical instrument, preferring cello or electric guitar, reflecting personal taste and imagination. **In simple terms:** Wants to play cello or electric guitar. Key Takeaway Explore a new instrument. Themes creativity music personal desire Mood thoughtful curious Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - hobby exploration - creative brainstorming Key Concepts instrument preference artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What instrument resonates with your emotions? - How could learning music affect your daily life? A Different Perspective Choosing an instrument may require time and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cello/) [Cello Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cello-electric-4563125/) [Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric/) [Electric guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-guitar/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [If i could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/if-i-could/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Instrument Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument-probably-4563124/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-instrument/) [Probably Cello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-cello-4563123/) ## Related quotes > [“Learning how to play an instrument has always been near the top of my to-do list, but what are the chances now? There's little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lopez/learning-how-to-play-an-instrument-has-always-been-near-the-top-of-my/) [Steve Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lopez/) > [Anyone can play an instrument if you show them how to move their limbs, lips or fingers the right way. It's irrelevant. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/anyone-can-play-an-instrument-if-you-show-them-how-to-move-their/) [Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/) > [I fool around with guitar and I can fool around on piano. I don't really play either instrument although I can play a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-laine/i-fool-around-with-guitar-and-i-can-fool-around-on-piano-i-don-t/) [Frankie Laine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-laine/) > [I personally believe that most people that play an instrument would be able to write a few songs here and there. But they say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-personally-believe-that-most-people-that-play-an-instrument-would/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I always wanted to make music but I cannot play any instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udo-kier/i-always-wanted-to-make-music-but-i-cannot-play-any-instrument/) [Udo Kier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udo-kier/) > [“Love and cherish your ability to play an instrument; and give it your best. Not everyone is so lucky as you are. And welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-suzuki/love-and-cherish-your-ability-to-play-an-instrument-and-give-it-your/) [Mr. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-suzuki/) > [I can't play any instrument for the life of me, but I know what I want to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-can-t-play-any-instrument-for-the-life-of-me-but-i-know-what-i-want/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [If you can play the piano, you can play any instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-40/if-you-can-play-the-piano-you-can-play-any-instrument/) [E-40](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-40/) > [No, I don't, like, play an instrument or anything.I'm just...well, you saw me at the beginning there. I was the guy that fell down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/no-i-don-t-like-play-an-instrument-or-anything-i-m-just-well-you-saw/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [I must play the instrument I've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-must-play-the-instrument-i-ve-got/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I don't think that you can write music if you don't know how to play an instrument. You have to know the basics, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-write-music-if-you-don-t-know-how-to-play/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [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/) > [To me living and music are all the same thing. And I keep finding out more about music as I learn more about myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mccoy-tyner/to-me-living-and-music-are-all-the-same-thing-and-i-keep-finding-out/) [McCoy Tyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mccoy-tyner/) > [When you're at a concert and you hear someone improvise well, that's special; it puts you in the moment and takes you someplace. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-popper/when-you-re-at-a-concert-and-you-hear-someone-improvise-well-that-s/) [John Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-popper/) > [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/) ## More by Jeff VanderMeer > [“Perhaps only I could truly make Wick a person, by forgiving him, and if I forgave him, if I showed I forgave him, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/perhaps-only-i-could-truly-make-wick-a-person-by-forgiving-him-and-if/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“I knew these elements were intended for me and me alone. There were no endearments, but I understood in part because of this restraint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-knew-these-elements-were-intended-for-me-and-me-alone-there-were-no/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“What if an infection was a message, a brightness a kind of symphony? As a defense? An odd form of communication? If so, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-if-an-infection-was-a-message-a-brightness-a-kind-of-symphony-as/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/that-s-how-the-madness-of-the-world-tries-to-colonize-you-from-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [What I envy about musicians is, they have this more direct relationship with the audience. They don't have to go through words. Sure, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-i-envy-about-musicians-is-they-have-this-more-direct/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“In college, what had always stuck with him in Astronomy 101 was that the first astronomers to think of points of light not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/in-college-what-had-always-stuck-with-him-in-astronomy-101-was-that/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“But I was not a domesticated animals...The dirt and grit of a city, the unending wakefulness of it, the crowdedness, the constant light obscuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/but-i-was-not-a-domesticated-animals-the-dirt-and-grit-of-a-city-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Dreams, though, are just one kind of inspiration - no more or less special than something in a newspaper article or from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/dreams-though-are-just-one-kind-of-inspiration-no-more-or-less/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“All of the things that wore you down, even as that was balanced by the electric feeling of being on the side of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/all-of-the-things-that-wore-you-down-even-as-that-was-balanced-by-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [There simply aren't enough constitutional safeguards in place to protect against a rogue president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/there-simply-aren-t-enough-constitutional-safeguards-in-place-to/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [There are some beautiful creatures in the ocean that seem very alien at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/there-are-some-beautiful-creatures-in-the-ocean-that-seem-very-alien/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Even a dream as inspiration doesn't mean anything unless you then find that it's sparked an actual story with a plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/even-a-dream-as-inspiration-doesn-t-mean-anything-unless-you-then/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [I had learned so much about the world that I had decided to withdraw from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-had-learned-so-much-about-the-world-that-i-had-decided-to-withdraw/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“Do you think Area X builds spaceships, too? Do you think Area X traverses interstellar space? Wormholes? Think of something more subtle, something peering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/do-you-think-area-x-builds-spaceships-too-do-you-think-area-x/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“A sudden flash of his partner Wyte, telling him he was compromised, him replying, "I don't have an opinion on that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/a-sudden-flash-of-his-partner-wyte-telling-him-he-was-compromised-him/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) [Explore all 247 Jeff VanderMeer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## More Cello quotes > [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/) > [“I am also practicing cello to wean myself from power and accomplishment, to place myself back in the posture of a learner, cultivator, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-crouch/i-am-also-practicing-cello-to-wean-myself-from-power-and/) [Andy Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-crouch/) > [I'm a pretty good drummer. I'm pretty good at guitar, bass and piano. I can play accordion; I'm not virtuoso. I've played cello before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/i-m-a-pretty-good-drummer-i-m-pretty-good-at-guitar-bass-and-piano-i/) [Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/) > [When I die, I'd like to come back as a cello.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-newton/when-i-die-i-d-like-to-come-back-as-a-cello/) [Wayne Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-newton/) > [I used to play cello. My mother kept me out of school a whole year to study music and counterpoint. She thought I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-used-to-play-cello-my-mother-kept-me-out-of-school-a-whole-year-to/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [We were never happy with the way cello was recorded, and we wanted to experiment in the studio to make the cello rock as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luka-sulic/we-were-never-happy-with-the-way-cello-was-recorded-and-we-wanted-to/) [Luka Sulic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luka-sulic/) > [I went to college to study the piano and cello.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-bream/i-went-to-college-to-study-the-piano-and-cello/) [Julian Bream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-bream/) > [I love the cello, I love the physical sense of an instrument that's about the size of your body that vibrates enough that even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-love-the-cello-i-love-the-physical-sense-of-an-instrument-that-s/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [It has endless possibilities, and but what we do with our arrangements, we move the borders of cello playing and discover new ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luka-sulic/it-has-endless-possibilities-and-but-what-we-do-with-our-arrangements/) [Luka Sulic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luka-sulic/) > [Whoever heard of an electric violin, electric cello or, for that matter, an electric singer?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-segovia/whoever-heard-of-an-electric-violin-electric-cello-or-for-that-matter/) [Andres Segovia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-segovia/) > [It started when I was eight years old. I first heard the cello on the radio, and I loved the sound. It was such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stjepan-hauser/it-started-when-i-was-eight-years-old-i-first-heard-the-cello-on-the/) [Stjepan Hauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stjepan-hauser/) > [I played cello on my early recordings, but that doesn't mean I'm a cellist, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-holter/i-played-cello-on-my-early-recordings-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-m-a/) [Julia Holter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-holter/) > [Lydia: And who's going to carry you when you're carrying the cello? House: Yes, cast aside the useless cripple. How very German of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house-md/lydia-and-who-s-going-to-carry-you-when-you-re-carrying-the-cello/) [House MD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house-md/) > [It is my aim, my destination in life to make the cello as beloved an instrument as the violin and piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/it-is-my-aim-my-destination-in-life-to-make-the-cello-as-beloved-an/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [“the deep rich notes of the cello pick up on a solo and quickly catch my attention. Each note tugs at my insides, drawing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-armstrong/the-deep-rich-notes-of-the-cello-pick-up-on-a-solo-and-quickly-catch/) [Samantha Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-armstrong/) [Browse all 101 Cello quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cello/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I could play an instrument, it would probably be a cello or an electric guitar.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeff VanderMeer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-probably-be-a-cello-or-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cello" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-probably-be-a-cello-or-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/jeff-vandermeer-1366_cello_if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-p_2157571.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/jeff-vandermeer-1366_cello_if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-p_2157571.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/jeff-vandermeer-1366_cello_if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-p_2157571.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I could play an instrument, it would probably be a cello or an electric guitar.” — Jeff VanderMeer", "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": "Jeff VanderMeer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I could play an instrument,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-probably-be-a-cello-or-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/if-i-could-play-an-instrument-it-would-probably-be-a-cello-or-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 } } ] } ```