--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started playing harp about fourteen…" description: "\"I started playing harp about fourteen years ago.\" — Joanna Newsom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/joanna-newsom-11563_fourteen_i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-ye_1666049.jpg" --- # I started playing harp about fourteen years ago. ![“I started playing harp about fourteen years ago.” quote by Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/joanna-newsom-11563_fourteen_i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-ye_1666049.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/joanna-newsom-11563_fourteen_i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-ye_1666049.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/joanna-newsom-11563_fourteen_i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-ye_1666049.jpg) > “I started playing harp about fourteen years ago.” [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The musician shares the start of her harp journey, marking a long‑standing dedication to the instrument. **In simple terms:** She began playing harp fourteen years ago. Key Takeaway Commit to long‑term practice. Themes music dedication craftsmanship Mood inspirational reflective Type biographical musical When to use this quote - musical performance - teaching - recording Key Concepts artistic development instrument mastery Questions to Reflect On - What motivated you to start the harp? - How does time shape musical growth? A Different Perspective Starting later can limit technical mastery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Harp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harp/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't sing for years and years, but I started playing harp when I was maybe 9 or 10. I had actually wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-didn-t-sing-for-years-and-years-but-i-started-playing-harp-when-i/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [(As a boy) I was listening to Sonny Boy Williamson's (I) records and I would close my eyes and I could visualize myself playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-wells/as-a-boy-i-was-listening-to-sonny-boy-williamson-s-i-records-and-i/) Junior Wells > [Then I started checking out blues albums from the library and playing the harp along with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/then-i-started-checking-out-blues-albums-from-the-library-and-playing/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [People become house builders through building houses, harp players through playing the harp. We grow to be just by doing things which are just.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/people-become-house-builders-through-building-houses-harp-players/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [A lot of people think Heaven is sitting around on a cloud playing a harp all day, doing nothing except being holy - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/a-lot-of-people-think-heaven-is-sitting-around-on-a-cloud-playing-a/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [I've been unaware of how people react to the instrument. People have ideas of what a harp is supposed to sound like, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-ve-been-unaware-of-how-people-react-to-the-instrument-people-have/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I can't play my songs on the smaller harp. I have a Celtic harp. I can't do the key changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-can-t-play-my-songs-on-the-smaller-harp-i-have-a-celtic-harp-i-can/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I didn't really know a lot of the history when I was younger. I didn't realize that the harp is coded in such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-didn-t-really-know-a-lot-of-the-history-when-i-was-younger-i-didn-t/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [My voice in combination with the harp - which, by the way, I use because I've played it my entire life, not to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/my-voice-in-combination-with-the-harp-which-by-the-way-i-use-because/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I had known that people would probably have strange reactions to my voice, because I have kind of an unwieldy, difficult voice, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-had-known-that-people-would-probably-have-strange-reactions-to-my/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I recorded harp first or singing first. I recorded it all together. Part of the reason is that I don't know how to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-recorded-harp-first-or-singing-first-i-recorded-it-all-together/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [There's something fundamental to the harp that has retained its appeal my whole life. It's an instrument I am just in love with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/there-s-something-fundamental-to-the-harp-that-has-retained-its/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I am producing sounds that people are not used to hearing from the harp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-am-producing-sounds-that-people-are-not-used-to-hearing-from-the/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I'm fourteen years old; that's almost half-way to thirty. I need my own space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-mack/i-m-fourteen-years-old-that-s-almost-half-way-to-thirty-i-need-my-own/) [Alex Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-mack/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) ## More by Joanna Newsom > [I never thought people would be mortally offended by the sounds I was making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-never-thought-people-would-be-mortally-offended-by-the-sounds-i-was/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [It broke my heart when I learned the moon had been passing the sun’s light off as its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/it-broke-my-heart-when-i-learned-the-moon-had-been-passing-the-sun-s/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I wasn't born of a whistle or milked from a thistle at twilight No I was all horns and thorns sprung out fully formed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-wasn-t-born-of-a-whistle-or-milked-from-a-thistle-at-twilight-no-i/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [Lyrics are very different. There is a clear line between that and a poem. Something that has been a source of great excitement and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/lyrics-are-very-different-there-is-a-clear-line-between-that-and-a/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I'm not a wanderer, which is funny because I'm on tour half the time. I'm a home, hearth and family kind of person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-m-not-a-wanderer-which-is-funny-because-i-m-on-tour-half-the-time-i/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I am producing sounds that people are not used to hearing from the harp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-am-producing-sounds-that-people-are-not-used-to-hearing-from-the/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I didn't sing for years and years, but I started playing harp when I was maybe 9 or 10. I had actually wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-didn-t-sing-for-years-and-years-but-i-started-playing-harp-when-i/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I have a voice that's obviously untrained - and I think untrainable - so I kind of secreted it away for a long time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-have-a-voice-that-s-obviously-untrained-and-i-think-untrainable-so/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [There's something fundamental to the harp that has retained its appeal my whole life. It's an instrument I am just in love with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/there-s-something-fundamental-to-the-harp-that-has-retained-its/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I don't think I'm abnormal and I think that lets people down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-don-t-think-i-m-abnormal-and-i-think-that-lets-people-down/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I can bear a lot but not that pall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-can-bear-a-lot-but-not-that-pall/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [What a woman does is open doors. And it is not a question of locking or unlocking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/what-a-woman-does-is-open-doors-and-it-is-not-a-question-of-locking/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I am always trying to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-am-always-trying-to-write/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [I recorded harp first or singing first. I recorded it all together. Part of the reason is that I don't know how to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-recorded-harp-first-or-singing-first-i-recorded-it-all-together/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) > [You should listen to a lot of different music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/you-should-listen-to-a-lot-of-different-music/) [Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) [Explore all 59 Joanna Newsom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/) ## More Fourteen quotes > [Palindrome as well. My sister's name is Hannah. Father liked word games. He was fourteen times World Scrabble Champion. When he died, we buried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/palindrome-as-well-my-sister-s-name-is-hannah-father-liked-word-games/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“One minute you’re a happy fourteen-yearold—good at everything you try, popular, fun—the next you’re a freak with wings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/one-minute-you-re-a-happy-fourteen-yearold-good-at-everything-you-try/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [I don't want to play into the perception that all women should look like fourteen year old boys. I don't want to add to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/i-don-t-want-to-play-into-the-perception-that-all-women-should-look/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [Pro-rated at 500 at-bats a year that means that for two years out of the fourteen I played, I never even touched the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-cash/pro-rated-at-500-at-bats-a-year-that-means-that-for-two-years-out-of/) Norm Cash > [I'm fourteen years old; that's almost half-way to thirty. I need my own space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-mack/i-m-fourteen-years-old-that-s-almost-half-way-to-thirty-i-need-my-own/) [Alex Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-mack/) > [Many people have heard the remarkable example of devotion involving a Skye terrier dog who worked for a Scottish shepherd named Old Jock. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/many-people-have-heard-the-remarkable-example-of-devotion-involving-a/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [I've got a bottle and a girl who's fourteen and a damn good case of Mexicali Blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grateful-dead/i-ve-got-a-bottle-and-a-girl-who-s-fourteen-and-a-damn-good-case-of/) [Grateful Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grateful-dead/) > [Looking back through the mists of time, I recall some distinctly religious experiences in my teens--when I was only fourteen years old to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/looking-back-through-the-mists-of-time-i-recall-some-distinctly/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [There's an easy method for finding someone when you hear them scream. First get a clean sheet of paper and a sharp pencil. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-an-easy-method-for-finding-someone-when-you-hear-them-scream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I started writing when I was about fourteen, but when I was about sixteen you know, I heard Outkast, that was pretty much when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-sparxxx/i-started-writing-when-i-was-about-fourteen-but-when-i-was-about/) [Bubba Sparxxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-sparxxx/) > [At the age of five years to enter a spinning-cotton or other factory, and from that time forth to sit there daily, first ten,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/at-the-age-of-five-years-to-enter-a-spinning-cotton-or-other-factory/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [At the other end of the spectrum, George Gideon Oliver King Rameses Osborne, the fourteen-year-old novelty Chancellor and future baronet of Ballentaylor and Ballylemon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/at-the-other-end-of-the-spectrum-george-gideon-oliver-king-rameses/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [May your trails be dim, lonesome, stony, narrow, winding and only slightly uphill. May the wind bring rain for the slickrock potholes fourteen miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/may-your-trails-be-dim-lonesome-stony-narrow-winding-and-only/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [. . . And so Charlie Asher . . . led an army of fourteen-inch-tall bundles of animal bits, armed with everything from knitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/and-so-charlie-asher-led-an-army-of-fourteen-inch-tall-bundles-of/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) Browse all 350 Fourteen quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I started playing harp about fourteen years ago.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joanna Newsom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-years-ago/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fourteen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-years-ago/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/joanna-newsom-11563_fourteen_i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-ye_1666049.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/joanna-newsom-11563_fourteen_i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-ye_1666049.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/joanna-newsom-11563_fourteen_i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-ye_1666049.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I started playing harp about fourteen years ago.” — Joanna Newsom", "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": "Joanna Newsom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I started playing harp about fourteen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-years-ago/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-started-playing-harp-about-fourteen-years-ago/#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 } } ] } ```