--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there's one thing I feel very strongly…" description: "\"If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's that there shouldn't be a distinction between pianists who play Ligeti and those who play Chopin...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jeremy-denk-39135_ability_if-there-s-one-thing-i-feel-very-strongl_1406363.jpg" --- # If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's that… ![“If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's that there shouldn't be a distinction between pianists who play Ligeti and those who play Chopin. It might seem that they involve different skill sets, but I don't think that's true: whether playing Ives or Bach or Beethoven, you must bring the…” quote by Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jeremy-denk-39135_ability_if-there-s-one-thing-i-feel-very-strongl_1406363.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jeremy-denk-39135_ability_if-there-s-one-thing-i-feel-very-strongl_1406363.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/jeremy-denk-39135_ability_if-there-s-one-thing-i-feel-very-strongl_1406363.jpg) > “If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's that there shouldn't be a distinction between pianists who play Ligeti and those who play Chopin. It might seem that they involve different skill sets, but I don't think that's true: whether playing Ives or Bach or Beethoven, you must bring the same imagination, the same sensitivity, and an ability to deal with same kinds of musical problems. The method behind my madness, anyway, is to keep plugging away at this idea.” [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Musical imagination, sensitivity, and problem‑solving are essential across all repertoire, regardless of stylistic differences, urging consistent creative effort. **In simple terms:** All music needs imagination, sensitivity, and problem‑solving. Key Takeaway Apply the same creative mindset to any piece. Themes creativity musicality discipline universality learning Mood thoughtful encouraging analytical Type musical philosophy instructional When to use this quote - practice sessions - repertoire study - teaching - performance preparation Key Concepts artistic imagination technical skill interpretive depth Questions to Reflect On - How does one balance universal skills with piece‑specific demands? - Can imagination replace technical study? A Different Perspective Some pieces may demand specific techniques beyond general imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chopin/) [Chopin Involve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chopin-involve-4943573/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Distinction Pianists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction-pianists-4943572/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Musical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Pianist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianist/) [Pianists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianists/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-chopin-1163645/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Sensitivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitivity/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Very strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-strong/) ## Related quotes > [My mother Elizabeth Ivey Brubeck was a pianist who studied with Dame Myra Hess and Tobias Matthey. As a child in California I used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/my-mother-elizabeth-ivey-brubeck-was-a-pianist-who-studied-with-dame/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [“Their mother had white hands, long tapered fingers, and when she kneaded dough, her wedding ring clinked against the bowl. She was always singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/their-mother-had-white-hands-long-tapered-fingers-and-when-she/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [ I was like, I can't believe I get to be in a scene with Meryl Streep \[in Florence Foster Jenkins\]! And then I was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/i-was-like-i-can-t-believe-i-get-to-be-in-a-scene-with-meryl-streep/) [Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/) > [Pianists don't argue too much generally because we have a hard enough time just getting things right. Arguing is for string players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-ax/pianists-don-t-argue-too-much-generally-because-we-have-a-hard-enough/) [Emanuel Ax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-ax/) > [Whenever I record something, I always believe that it's worthy of inclusion in the pantheon, and I would certainly like pianists to pay more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/whenever-i-record-something-i-always-believe-that-it-s-worthy-of/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [Pianists of extraordinary talent, such as Christina Petrowska,spend a large part of their early lives perfecting technique…Miss Petrowska,a Canadian with a phenomenal ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donal-henahan/pianists-of-extraordinary-talent-such-as-christina-petrowska-spend-a/) [Donal Henahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donal-henahan/) > [I don't record for my own glory.I mean, of course part of it is for career advancement, but more importantly, I want some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/i-don-t-record-for-my-own-glory-i-mean-of-course-part-of-it-is-for/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [I have a good friend, Rudolf Serkin, the pianist, a very sensitive man. I was talking to him one day backstage after a concert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wyeth/i-have-a-good-friend-rudolf-serkin-the-pianist-a-very-sensitive-man-i/) [Andrew Wyeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wyeth/) > [I applied, and I got in as a pianist. Their idea in the music department was that pianists, if they were good enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-parkins/i-applied-and-i-got-in-as-a-pianist-their-idea-in-the-music/) [Zeena Parkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-parkins/) > [Pianists call me a composer, composers call me a pianist. The classicists think me a futurist, and the futurists call me a reactionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-rubinstein/pianists-call-me-a-composer-composers-call-me-a-pianist-the/) [Anton Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-rubinstein/) > [I don't know where there can be so many pianists as in Paris, so many asses and so many virtuosi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/i-don-t-know-where-there-can-be-so-many-pianists-as-in-paris-so-many/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [It is my fervent wish and my greatest ambition to leave a work with a few useful instructions for the pianists after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-liszt/it-is-my-fervent-wish-and-my-greatest-ambition-to-leave-a-work-with-a/) [Franz Liszt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-liszt/) > [When I was studying... there weren't any black concert pianists. My choices were intuitive, and I had the technique to do it. People have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/when-i-was-studying-there-weren-t-any-black-concert-pianists-my/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I would also like to mention pianists like Michel Petrucciani or Chick Сorea for whom I have great admiration in the jazz field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-clayderman/i-would-also-like-to-mention-pianists-like-michel-petrucciani-or/) [Richard Clayderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-clayderman/) > [A mission that comes from the heart to promote these things and to encourage composers to write, then of course they should do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/a-mission-that-comes-from-the-heart-to-promote-these-things-and-to/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) ## More by Jeremy Denk > [I've learned a lot from being a chameleon, sort of adopting the musical personalities of who I was playing with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/i-ve-learned-a-lot-from-being-a-chameleon-sort-of-adopting-the/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [I was a kid with a lot of different, strange interests - kind of crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/i-was-a-kid-with-a-lot-of-different-strange-interests-kind-of-crazy/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [The only person who can solve the labyrinth of yourself is You.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/the-only-person-who-can-solve-the-labyrinth-of-yourself-is-you/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [As you deal with thumb-crossings, or fingerings for the F-sharp-minor scale, or chromatic scales in double thirds, it is hard to accept that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/as-you-deal-with-thumb-crossings-or-fingerings-for-the-f-sharp-minor/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to go to Oberlin and wanted the liberal arts. Obviously I really get intense pleasure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/ever-since-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-go-to-oberlin-and-wanted-the/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [It's no accident that Op. 111 attracts literary attention. Though it's music, it doesn't quite behave like it. It seems to be charged with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/it-s-no-accident-that-op-111-attracts-literary-attention-though-it-s/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [It's long been my dream to have myself declared incompetent so I could just practice all day, and blog, and not have to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/it-s-long-been-my-dream-to-have-myself-declared-incompetent-so-i/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [Sometimes you wish you could go back and ask your teachers again to guide you; but up there onstage, exactly where they always wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/sometimes-you-wish-you-could-go-back-and-ask-your-teachers-again-to/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [Perhaps the most serious complaint you could make about Bach is that he has every quality of humanity except imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/perhaps-the-most-serious-complaint-you-could-make-about-bach-is-that/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [I'm one of those pianists who tends to ignore every existing recording and lots of traditions about playing pieces when I start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/i-m-one-of-those-pianists-who-tends-to-ignore-every-existing/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) [Explore all 11 Jeremy Denk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's that there shouldn't be a distinction between pianists who play Ligeti and those who play Chopin. 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