--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I couldn't even have a guitar. But I got…" description: "\"I couldn't even have a guitar. But I got a three-track recorder that was so small that I could take it with me. Then I started recording and writing pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/jenny-hval-18252_guitar_i-couldn-t-even-have-a-guitar-but-i-got_963803.jpg" --- # I couldn't even have a guitar. But I got a three-track… ![“I couldn't even have a guitar. But I got a three-track recorder that was so small that I could take it with me. Then I started recording and writing properly. I recorded lots of voices, not just my own. I was interested in people speaking and singing English and trying out words.” quote by Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/jenny-hval-18252_guitar_i-couldn-t-even-have-a-guitar-but-i-got_963803.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/jenny-hval-18252_guitar_i-couldn-t-even-have-a-guitar-but-i-got_963803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/jenny-hval-18252_guitar_i-couldn-t-even-have-a-guitar-but-i-got_963803.jpg) > “I couldn't even have a guitar. But I got a three-track recorder that was so small that I could take it with me. Then I started recording and writing properly. I recorded lots of voices, not just my own. I was interested in people speaking and singing English and trying out words.” [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Limited resources can inspire innovative ways to create and collaborate, expanding artistic expression beyond personal performance. **In simple terms:** Small tools can spark big creativity. Key Takeaway Use what you have to create. Themes resourcefulness collaboration innovation Mood curious hopeful Type creative reflective When to use this quote - home studio setup - field recordings - collective songwriting Key Concepts DIY recording audio experimentation community art Questions to Reflect On - How can constraints shape your art? - What collaborations could enrich your work? A Different Perspective Limited tools may restrict sound quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Recording](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recording/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [After years of begging, I got my parents to get me a little Craig tape recorder, a reel to reel. Then I started recording…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/after-years-of-begging-i-got-my-parents-to-get-me-a-little-craig-tape/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I don't know, whenever someone was like, 'Yeah, I'm going to the studio,' I just went with them. And I started recording.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-don-t-know-whenever-someone-was-like-yeah-i-m-going-to-the-studio-i/) [Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/) > [We're all players and musicians and we sure all get along good. We just clicked right off the bat. We started playing and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krist-novoselic/we-re-all-players-and-musicians-and-we-sure-all-get-along-good-we/) [Krist Novoselic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krist-novoselic/) > [I didn't really think about the sound of my songs before I started recording things in the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-aksnes/i-didn-t-really-think-about-the-sound-of-my-songs-before-i-started/) [Aurora Aksnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aurora-aksnes/) > [When I started to recording, I gave the name of Honeyboy, but my people only knew me by Honey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edwards/when-i-started-to-recording-i-gave-the-name-of-honeyboy-but-my-people/) [David Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edwards/) > [When I started recording, I thought I'd be able to do all kinds of records: jazz, country, dance - and I've always wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-jones/when-i-started-recording-i-thought-i-d-be-able-to-do-all-kinds-of/) [Tom Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-jones/) > [I just recorded in studios, you know, people pressed the buttons for me. So I just started recording the bass lines and guitar parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-haden/i-just-recorded-in-studios-you-know-people-pressed-the-buttons-for-me/) [Petra Haden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-haden/) > [An uncle of mine emigrated to Canada and couldn't take his guitar with him. When I found it in the attic, I'd found a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/an-uncle-of-mine-emigrated-to-canada-and-couldn-t-take-his-guitar/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [I want to start recording and writing as soon as I can and get music that I love out as soon as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brynn-cartelli/i-want-to-start-recording-and-writing-as-soon-as-i-can-and-get-music/) [Brynn Cartelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brynn-cartelli/) > [I notice guys playing the piano playing a part up here and a part down there, and I wandered why couldn't I do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-young/i-notice-guys-playing-the-piano-playing-a-part-up-here-and-a-part/) [Steve Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-young/) > [When The Who first started, we were playing blues, and I dug the blues and I knew what I was supposed to be playing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/when-the-who-first-started-we-were-playing-blues-and-i-dug-the-blues/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [No one is making extraordinary things alone. They might be alone in their bedroom while they're recording or writing, but they didn't actually conjure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/no-one-is-making-extraordinary-things-alone-they-might-be-alone-in/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [The thing about me is, coming from an alternative music background and singing for nine years, being basically invisible, I'm so used to writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/the-thing-about-me-is-coming-from-an-alternative-music-background-and/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [If you are recording, you are recording. I don't believe there is such a thing as a demo or a temporary vocal. The drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/if-you-are-recording-you-are-recording-i-don-t-believe-there-is-such/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I started writing my own things when I was about 8. I used to try to bully my friends into imitating the Spice Girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charli-xcx/i-started-writing-my-own-things-when-i-was-about-8-i-used-to-try-to/) [Charli XCX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charli-xcx/) ## More by Jenny Hval > [The body should not just be something you see. It's also the inside of it. It's frightening and abstract and much more than pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/the-body-should-not-just-be-something-you-see-it-s-also-the-inside-of/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I'm very interested in the visual world because I'm also very interested in feminism. I find that the world of watching takes us into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-m-very-interested-in-the-visual-world-because-i-m-also-very/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I'm always going back and forth between wanting to do stuff that's abstract and stuff that's just telling everybody to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-m-always-going-back-and-forth-between-wanting-to-do-stuff-that-s/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I'm constantly reading and trying to enlighten myself to how the world works in its silent ways to make everything seem normal when it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-m-constantly-reading-and-trying-to-enlighten-myself-to-how-the/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [Soft things are terrifying. They're the real signals of death. Images of strength can never be that terrifying. It's the images of weakness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/soft-things-are-terrifying-they-re-the-real-signals-of-death-images/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I've always been a fan of reading art catalogues from exhibitions, and plays, and I've worked with a surrealist German playwright, Heiner Müller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-reading-art-catalogues-from-exhibitions-and/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I really hated being the Norwegian girl in every single conversation in Australia, so I tried to make my Norwegian-ness invisible, speaking like whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-really-hated-being-the-norwegian-girl-in-every-single-conversation/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I've always been so interested in the way the body feels when singing or being on stage, or being in the audience for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-ve-always-been-so-interested-in-the-way-the-body-feels-when-singing/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [Health is so important now, it's ridiculous - the body has become frightening, this thing that will kill you if you don't keep really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/health-is-so-important-now-it-s-ridiculous-the-body-has-become/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I went through various phases of different accents - I get ridiculously obsessed with different accents, different regional ways of using the voice, different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-went-through-various-phases-of-different-accents-i-get-ridiculously/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I've studied film a lot, so I know much more about film than music, but I don't think I could have made films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-ve-studied-film-a-lot-so-i-know-much-more-about-film-than-music-but/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [When I write stuff that's provocative, I want people to think about that, too. I'm in between a pop musician and an artist in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/when-i-write-stuff-that-s-provocative-i-want-people-to-think-about/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [When you're outside of genre, you can expose more vulnerability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/when-you-re-outside-of-genre-you-can-expose-more-vulnerability/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [I'm inspired by that rawness in very direct communication. My work is not meant to keep people happy or give them an escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/i-m-inspired-by-that-rawness-in-very-direct-communication-my-work-is/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) > [There's a great relationship between pop music and the way the body could be seen from the inside - when I was singing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-hval/there-s-a-great-relationship-between-pop-music-and-the-way-the-body/) [Jenny Hval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) [Explore all 35 Jenny Hval quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-hval/) ## More Guitar quotes > [I'll tell you one thing: I will always play the sh\*\* out of my guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-satriani/i-ll-tell-you-one-thing-i-will-always-play-the-sh-out-of-my-guitar/) [Joe Satriani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-satriani/) > [I remember people would talk about Country Music like it was this sexist, lame thing. Well, no, because Dolly Parton is writing songs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/i-remember-people-would-talk-about-country-music-like-it-was-this/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' That's the litmus test. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-colvin/with-my-songs-the-question-is-always-can-you-pull-it-off-live-alone/) [Shawn Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-colvin/) > [Growing up in Dallas, my first influences on the guitar were T-Bone Walker and Les Paul. T-Bone taught me how to play lead guitar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/growing-up-in-dallas-my-first-influences-on-the-guitar-were-t-bone/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [I like the bad-boy types. Generally the guy I'm attracted to is the guy in the club with all the tattoos and nail polish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-like-the-bad-boy-types-generally-the-guy-i-m-attracted-to-is-the/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [That's the thing about the blues: It's one thing to hit a note on a guitar. To make it matter is something else altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/that-s-the-thing-about-the-blues-it-s-one-thing-to-hit-a-note-on-a/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [Bass guitar is the engine of the band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/bass-guitar-is-the-engine-of-the-band/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [I play, like, 12 instruments. Guitar, piano, harmonica, African drums... I'm working on mastering the accordion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-grabeel/i-play-like-12-instruments-guitar-piano-harmonica-african-drums-i-m/) [Lucas Grabeel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-grabeel/) > [I learned tabla for three years when in school, then started picking up the basics of the acoustic guitar when in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupam-roy/i-learned-tabla-for-three-years-when-in-school-then-started-picking/) [Anupam Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupam-roy/) > [I took guitar lessons and recorded the song in New York. It was kind of a dream. I got to pretend I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-wiig/i-took-guitar-lessons-and-recorded-the-song-in-new-york-it-was-kind/) [Kristen Wiig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-wiig/) > [There's a need for music that has urgency and emotional honesty. That's why people are reintroducing themselves to guitar music - that instrument has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mura-masa/there-s-a-need-for-music-that-has-urgency-and-emotional-honesty-that/) [Mura Masa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mura-masa/) > [I like to be quiet and play guitar and just chill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/post-malone/i-like-to-be-quiet-and-play-guitar-and-just-chill/) [Post Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/post-malone/) > [My first proper 'Here's your guitar, Joseph' was a 1981 Chiquita, one of those Erlewine travel guitars. And it was good for a four-year-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/my-first-proper-here-s-your-guitar-joseph-was-a-1981-chiquita-one-of/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [Kenny Burrell is the grand master of jazz guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzy-gillespie/kenny-burrell-is-the-grand-master-of-jazz-guitar/) [Dizzy Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzy-gillespie/) > [Because of my background, I never felt comfortable with these R&B divas, but I'd hate to be just some pensive girl with a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-bailey-rae/because-of-my-background-i-never-felt-comfortable-with-these-r-b/) [Corinne Bailey Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-bailey-rae/) [Browse all 3,915 Guitar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I couldn't even have a guitar. 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