--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not hard to compose but it is…" description: "\"It is not hard to compose but it is wonderfully hard to let the superfluous notes fall under the table. . . So many melodies fly about, one must be car..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/johannes-brahms-20517_be-careful_it-is-not-hard-to-compose-but-it-is-wond_1253092.jpg" --- # It is not hard to compose but it is wonderfully hard to… ![“It is not hard to compose but it is wonderfully hard to let the superfluous notes fall under the table. . . So many melodies fly about, one must be careful not to tread on them.” quote by Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/johannes-brahms-20517_be-careful_it-is-not-hard-to-compose-but-it-is-wond_1253092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/johannes-brahms-20517_be-careful_it-is-not-hard-to-compose-but-it-is-wond_1253092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/johannes-brahms-20517_be-careful_it-is-not-hard-to-compose-but-it-is-wond_1253092.jpg) > “It is not hard to compose but it is wonderfully hard to let the superfluous notes fall under the table. . . So many melodies fly about, one must be careful not to tread on them.” [Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-brahms/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Composing is easy, but discarding unnecessary notes is challenging and essential for clarity. **In simple terms:** Writing music is easy, but letting go of excess is hard. Key Takeaway Embrace restraint in creation. Themes creativity music editing Mood contemplative focused Type musical advice When to use this quote - songwriting - orchestration - arranging - personal projects Key Concepts minimalism aesthetic judgment Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which notes to keep? - What does 'superfluous' mean to you? A Different Perspective Removing excess may risk losing emotional depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Melodies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melodies/) [Melody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melody/) ## Related quotes > [It is not hard to compose, but what is fabulously hard is to leave the superfluous notes under the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-brahms/it-is-not-hard-to-compose-but-what-is-fabulously-hard-is-to-leave-the/) [Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-brahms/) > [That's one of the things I like best about folk music is the beautiful melodies - and the harmonies - that exist in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/that-s-one-of-the-things-i-like-best-about-folk-music-is-the/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I'm usually pretty good at remembering the melodies that I wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/i-m-usually-pretty-good-at-remembering-the-melodies-that-i-wrote/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [I always enjoy rhythms and melodies, but I always use my voice as more of an instrument and less of a soapbox for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chino-moreno/i-always-enjoy-rhythms-and-melodies-but-i-always-use-my-voice-as-more/) [Chino Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chino-moreno/) > [There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/there-are-not-more-than-five-musical-notes-yet-the-combinations-of/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Singing in Spanish is much more honest, much closer to my roots. For me, Spanish is essential. I still think in Spanish, dream in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juanes/singing-in-spanish-is-much-more-honest-much-closer-to-my-roots-for-me/) [Juanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juanes/) > [“There are melodies that speak as eloquently as words, that flow logically and inevitably from a single, pure emotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/there-are-melodies-that-speak-as-eloquently-as-words-that-flow/) [Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/) > [At times I have a beat first and then I write. 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Mine are simple melodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-warren/you-don-t-have-to-know-anything-about-music-to-understand-what-i/) Harry Warren > [“If we are exhorted to play simple melodies with beauty rather than difficult ones with error, the same should be applied to writing; simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rumzi/if-we-are-exhorted-to-play-simple-melodies-with-beauty-rather-than/) [Sonia Rumzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rumzi/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. 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