--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a way records are like paintings…" description: "\"In a way records are like paintings. Instead of using paints and brushes we use sounds and instruments.\" — John McLaughlin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/john-mclaughlin-10405_brushes_in-a-way-records-are-like-paintings-inst_1238340.jpg" --- # In a way records are like paintings. Instead of using… ![“In a way records are like paintings. Instead of using paints and brushes we use sounds and instruments.” quote by John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/john-mclaughlin-10405_brushes_in-a-way-records-are-like-paintings-inst_1238340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/john-mclaughlin-10405_brushes_in-a-way-records-are-like-paintings-inst_1238340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/john-mclaughlin-10405_brushes_in-a-way-records-are-like-paintings-inst_1238340.jpg) > “In a way records are like paintings. Instead of using paints and brushes we use sounds and instruments.” [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music records capture moments like paintings capture scenes, using sound instead of color. **In simple terms:** Music records are auditory paintings. Key Takeaway Treat recordings as visual art. Themes art music recording creativity analogy Mood inspirational thoughtful Type artistic educational When to use this quote - studio sessions - live performances - audio engineering Key Concepts aesthetic translation expression Questions to Reflect On - How does this analogy change your listening? - What elements of painting translate to music? A Different Perspective Sound cannot convey visual details directly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brushes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brushes/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Like Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-paintings-299327/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-instead-3857415/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Records Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records-like-640348/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sounds Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sounds-instruments-3857416/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Using Paints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-paints-3857417/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I like all paintings. I always look at the paintings, good or bad, in barbershops, furniture stores, provincial hotels. I'm like a drinker who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-like-all-paintings-i-always-look-at-the-paintings-good-or-bad-in/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Bottles of wine aren't like paintings. At some point you have to consume them. The object in life is to die with no bottles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/bottles-of-wine-aren-t-like-paintings-at-some-point-you-have-to/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [“Everybody knocks my female figures. They say they're overblown, that women don't look like that. And I agree. certainly all women don't look like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-frazetta/everybody-knocks-my-female-figures-they-say-they-re-overblown-that/) [Frank Frazetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-frazetta/) > [Everybody has a direct view of the person "behind" the art, so there is going to be a certain amount of awareness of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-lewis/everybody-has-a-direct-view-of-the-person-behind-the-art-so-there-is/) [Jeffrey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-lewis/) > [“But really, all memories are like paintings: They can be incredibly vivid and lifelike. But in the end, they both just remind us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-heasley/but-really-all-memories-are-like-paintings-they-can-be-incredibly/) [Gwendolyn Heasley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-heasley/) > [When you're on a highway, viewing the western U.S. with the mountains and the flatness and the desert and all that, it's very much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-you-re-on-a-highway-viewing-the-western-u-s-with-the-mountains/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I love beautiful things. I'm not into art so much, like paintings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/i-love-beautiful-things-i-m-not-into-art-so-much-like-paintings/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [“In books there are chapters to separate out the moments, to show that time is going by and things are changing, and sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delphine-de-vigan/in-books-there-are-chapters-to-separate-out-the-moments-to-show-that/) [Delphine de Vigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delphine-de-vigan/) > [You have to like everything that you're painting. Maybe on a narrative level it seems harsh... but I like everything in all my paintings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-currin/you-have-to-like-everything-that-you-re-painting-maybe-on-a-narrative/) [John Currin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-currin/) > [I like something about George W. Bush. A lot. After spending more than a decade having almost physiological-chemical reactions anytime I saw him, getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-like-something-about-george-w-bush-a-lot-after-spending-more-than-a/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Like in the paintings, there has to be moments that are completely right to be able to feel how wrong it is when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-dimattio/like-in-the-paintings-there-has-to-be-moments-that-are-completely/) [Francesca DiMattio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-dimattio/) > [I think it's absurd to believe that movies should look like paintings and say something like serious books say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-morrissey/i-think-it-s-absurd-to-believe-that-movies-should-look-like-paintings/) [Paul Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-morrissey/) > [It's all about commerce. Movies are not made like paintings, where you can make them for free and put them at the side. Movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-guttenberg/it-s-all-about-commerce-movies-are-not-made-like-paintings-where-you/) [Steve Guttenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-guttenberg/) > [If my husband ever met a woman on the street who looked like one of his paintings he would faint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-roque/if-my-husband-ever-met-a-woman-on-the-street-who-looked-like-one-of/) [Jacqueline Roque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-roque/) > [“Artists often collect. Sometimes compulsively. They hang on to things. They don’t want to let go. Like paintings. I don’t want to part with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-rees/artists-often-collect-sometimes-compulsively-they-hang-on-to-things/) [Celia Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-rees/) ## More by John McLaughlin > [Every day, I discover something utterly unbelievable when I play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/every-day-i-discover-something-utterly-unbelievable-when-i-play/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [Interplay and interaction are the integral parts of music - they're as important as the notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/interplay-and-interaction-are-the-integral-parts-of-music-they-re-as/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [Music is closer to poetry than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/music-is-closer-to-poetry-than-anything/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [Miles Davis himself, I discovered him when I was 15, and he rocked my world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/miles-davis-himself-i-discovered-him-when-i-was-15-and-he-rocked-my/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [One of the advantages of playing in a club is that even with bass and drums, the atmosphere remains intimate with the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/one-of-the-advantages-of-playing-in-a-club-is-that-even-with-bass-and/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [In a certain sense, these were lessons I learned by playing with Indian musicians. The rhythmic forms that they use are very complex, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/in-a-certain-sense-these-were-lessons-i-learned-by-playing-with/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [The day I stop making music would be the day I keel over, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/the-day-i-stop-making-music-would-be-the-day-i-keel-over-really/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [The Beatles, they brought a whole new dimension to pop music. Of course, the psychedelic period is much more interesting to me, starting with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/the-beatles-they-brought-a-whole-new-dimension-to-pop-music-of-course/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [Absolutely, all guitars are different. You can go into a store and grab five guitars, all the same model, and even though they look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/absolutely-all-guitars-are-different-you-can-go-into-a-store-and-grab/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [To pay attention to flattery or criticism is a waste of time for artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/to-pay-attention-to-flattery-or-criticism-is-a-waste-of-time-for/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [The mathematics of rhythm are universal. They don't belong to any particular culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/the-mathematics-of-rhythm-are-universal-they-don-t-belong-to-any/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [I practice all the scales. Everyone should know lots of scales. Actually, I feel there are only scales. What is a chord, if not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/i-practice-all-the-scales-everyone-should-know-lots-of-scales/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [Music speaks from spirit to spirit and in that sense you could call it a true spiritual language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/music-speaks-from-spirit-to-spirit-and-in-that-sense-you-could-call/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [Only in spontaneity can we be who we truly are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/only-in-spontaneity-can-we-be-who-we-truly-are/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) > [I was dealing with a lot of spiritual questions like "Who am I?" "What is God" "What is the meaning of life?" All of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/i-was-dealing-with-a-lot-of-spiritual-questions-like-who-am-i-what-is/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) [Explore all 66 John McLaughlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) ## More Brushes quotes > [People say I've had brushes with the law. That's not true. I've had brushes with overzealous prosecutors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-edwards/people-say-i-ve-had-brushes-with-the-law-that-s-not-true-i-ve-had/) [Edwin Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-edwards/) > [Yet, it had been Dimitri’s gentleness and thoughtfulness mixed with that deadliness that made him so wonderful. The same hands that wielded stakes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/yet-it-had-been-dimitri-s-gentleness-and-thoughtfulness-mixed-with/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“They are not brave, the days when we are twenty-one. They are full of little cowardices, little fears without foundation, and one is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/they-are-not-brave-the-days-when-we-are-twenty-one-they-are-full-of/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [The body is living art. Your movement through time and space is art. A painter has brushes. You have your body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/the-body-is-living-art-your-movement-through-time-and-space-is-art-a/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-stevens/well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-harsh-critic-because-i-know/) [Dave Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-stevens/) > [Our fans have been branded with the same brush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-atkinson/our-fans-have-been-branded-with-the-same-brush/) [Ron Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-atkinson/) > [Everything we do is escapism, because we'll all be dead and everything we do is completely meaningless. Why brush your teeth? Why not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/everything-we-do-is-escapism-because-we-ll-all-be-dead-and-everything/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [It's as if a child with a brush and too much enthusiasm has been set free with a tin of black paint inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/it-s-as-if-a-child-with-a-brush-and-too-much-enthusiasm-has-been-set/) [Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/) > [My whole philosophy in survival is to take down brush as soon as you get in a situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-teti/my-whole-philosophy-in-survival-is-to-take-down-brush-as-soon-as-you/) [Joe Teti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-teti/) > [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [I grill almost all of my fish with the skin on because that gives you real protection at least on one side. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/i-grill-almost-all-of-my-fish-with-the-skin-on-because-that-gives-you/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [I don't have much to compare it to because I really didn't know much about theater. After I signed on, I started reading a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taissa-farmiga/i-don-t-have-much-to-compare-it-to-because-i-really-didn-t-know-much/) [Taissa Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taissa-farmiga/) > [Enlightenment is like witnessing the brilliant sun for the first time in the morning. It is like seeing the beautiful flowers that grow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/enlightenment-is-like-witnessing-the-brilliant-sun-for-the-first-time/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [O, how much simpler things would be If eyes could paint or brush could see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/o-how-much-simpler-things-would-be-if-eyes-could-paint-or-brush-could/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The only thing I can do is wipe my arse, brush my teeth, turn up and do the best work I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hardy/the-only-thing-i-can-do-is-wipe-my-arse-brush-my-teeth-turn-up-and-do/) [Tom Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hardy/) [Browse all 592 Brushes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brushes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In a way records are like paintings. 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