---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Playing music well is difficult, yet the…"
description: "\"Playing music well is difficult, yet the world has an abundance of fine performers. Explaining a little about music is easier, yet few do it well. Thos..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/justin-davidson-85499_abundance_playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the_2421904.jpg"
---

#  Playing music well is difficult, yet the world has an…

![“Playing music well is difficult, yet the world has an abundance of fine performers. Explaining a little about music is easier, yet few do it well. Those who can do both supremely form a tiny club, whose honorary chairman is the conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.” quote by Justin Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/justin-davidson-85499_abundance_playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the_2421904.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/justin-davidson-85499_abundance_playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the_2421904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/justin-davidson-85499_abundance_playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the_2421904.jpg)

> “Playing music well is difficult, yet the world has an abundance of fine performers. Explaining a little about music is easier, yet few do it well. Those who can do both supremely form a tiny club, whose honorary chairman is the conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.”

Justin Davidson

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Mastering performance and explaining music are rare; only a few excel at both, forming an exclusive group led by Michael Tilson Thomas.

**In simple terms:** Few can both perform and explain music well.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate both skill and communication.

Themes

music performance communication excellence exclusivity

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

analytical motivational

When to use this quote

- concerts
- teaching
- broadcast commentary
- music education
- leadership

Key Concepts

artistry pedagogy expertise

Questions to Reflect On

- How can performers improve their explanatory skills?
- What barriers prevent musicians from teaching effectively?

A Different Perspective

Balancing deep expertise with clear explanation is challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abundance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abundance/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Conductor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Performers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performers/) [Playing music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm vice chairman of the American Wild Horse Protection Association and honorary chairman of the Wildlife Federation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-m-vice-chairman-of-the-american-wild-horse-protection-association/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Looking back fondly, I think the first gig we did with the electronic stuff was really exciting because it was in this tiny club,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-chatto/looking-back-fondly-i-think-the-first-gig-we-did-with-the-electronic/)

[Grace Chatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-chatto/)

> [Sophie Germain proved to the world that even a woman can accomplish something in the most rigorous and abstract of sciences and for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/sophie-germain-proved-to-the-world-that-even-a-woman-can-accomplish/)

[Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/)

> [Stealing ideas from contemporaries is rude and tasteless. Stealing from the long dead is considered literary and admirable. The same is true of grave-robbing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/stealing-ideas-from-contemporaries-is-rude-and-tasteless-stealing/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [I do have an honorary professorship in Poetics from the Vienna Academy of Arts. So I have not gone completely unnoticed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blixa-bargeld/i-do-have-an-honorary-professorship-in-poetics-from-the-vienna/)

[Blixa Bargeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blixa-bargeld/)

> [Shortly after Senator Eugene J. McCarthy died in 2005 the age of 89, I became an honorary member of the committee starting a fellowship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-kelley/shortly-after-senator-eugene-j-mccarthy-died-in-2005-the-age-of-89-i/)

[Kitty Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-kelley/)

> [I am very excited to accept the role of Honorary Patron with Hope Air because of the national scope of the organization and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mercer/i-am-very-excited-to-accept-the-role-of-honorary-patron-with-hope-air/)

[Rick Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mercer/)

> [You have no idea how over the moon my Egyptian father is that his son who has a BFA now has a doctorate. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/you-have-no-idea-how-over-the-moon-my-egyptian-father-is-that-his-son/)

[Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/)

> [The key to the city of Florence was about two feet long, and painted a garish gold. Hamilton was fascinated by it. "Wow! How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-korman/the-key-to-the-city-of-florence-was-about-two-feet-long-and-painted-a/)

[Gordon Korman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-korman/)

> [I like to think I'm an honorary Irishman. Me and Jack Charlton!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-llewellyn/i-like-to-think-i-m-an-honorary-irishman-me-and-jack-charlton/)

[Dylan Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-llewellyn/)

> [There's no question that O.J. Simpson had been a substitute white man in America. He had gained honorary white status. He was not viewed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/there-s-no-question-that-o-j-simpson-had-been-a-substitute-white-man/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [What do you think I'm a professor of? The little finger? (On offers of honorary doctorates.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/what-do-you-think-i-m-a-professor-of-the-little-finger-on-offers-of/)

[Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/)

> [I was lucky to get to Oxford. I am now an honorary fellow of my old college, which is nice, particularly for a colonial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/i-was-lucky-to-get-to-oxford-i-am-now-an-honorary-fellow-of-my-old/)

[Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/)

> [from one minute to the next the present is merely an honorary past. It must be filled unceasingly anew to dissemble the curse it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/from-one-minute-to-the-next-the-present-is-merely-an-honorary-past-it/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Great God of the Ants, thou hast granted victory to thy servants. I appoint thee honorary Colonel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karel-capek/great-god-of-the-ants-thou-hast-granted-victory-to-thy-servants-i/)

[Karel Capek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karel-capek/)

## More by Justin Davidson

> [The Fire Department has traditionally considered architecture a priority only when it’s burning down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-davidson/the-fire-department-has-traditionally-considered-architecture-a/)

Justin Davidson

> [We need to define gentrification as separate from the process of displacement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-davidson/we-need-to-define-gentrification-as-separate-from-the-process-of/)

Justin Davidson

Explore all 3 Justin Davidson quotes

## More Abundance quotes

> [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/)

[John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/)

> [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/)

[John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“Life is open to us all. No one will ever see life exactly the same as another. Some folks will argue that one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sereda-aleta-dailey/life-is-open-to-us-all-no-one-will-ever-see-life-exactly-the-same-as/)

[Sereda Aleta Dailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sereda-aleta-dailey/)

> [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/)

T.I

> [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [There are times when born hollandaise heads, as well as nouveaux turbot freaks and recherche escargotphiles alike crave the saignet abundance of a New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-greene/there-are-times-when-born-hollandaise-heads-as-well-as-nouveaux/)

[Gael Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-greene/)

> [I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood, to study, study and study and show their best. I haven't stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-always-tell-asian-actors-especially-filipinos-wanting-to-break-into/)

[Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/)

> [“Without darkness, we may never know how bright the stars shine. Without battles, we could not know what victory feels like. Without adversity, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne/without-darkness-we-may-never-know-how-bright-the-stars-shine-without/)

[Julie-Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne/)

> [It is no small honour that God for our sake has so magnificently adorned the world, in order that we may not only be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/it-is-no-small-honour-that-god-for-our-sake-has-so-magnificently/)

[John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/)

> [frustration, complication and misery are available in abundance, but so is God's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/frustration-complication-and-misery-are-available-in-abundance-but-so/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [I dreamt a limitless book, A book unbound, Its leaves scattered in fantastic abundance On every line there was a new horizon drawn, New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-dreamt-a-limitless-book-a-book-unbound-its-leaves-scattered-in/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [I used to be a columnist for 'Golf Monthly' and have contributed articles for national newspapers based on the humour that is in abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-carrott/i-used-to-be-a-columnist-for-golf-monthly-and-have-contributed/)

[Jasper Carrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-carrott/)

> [Remember, whatever you focus upon, increases...When you focus on the things you need, you'll find those needs increasing. If you concentrate your thoughts on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/remember-whatever-you-focus-upon-increases-when-you-focus-on-the/)

[Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/)

> [Don't measure the height of your Christmas tree. Measure the abundance of the love present in your heart! Have a Blessed Christmas!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-measure-the-height-of-your-christmas-tree-measure-the-abundance/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 1,251 Abundance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abundance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Playing music well is difficult, yet the world has an abundance of fine performers. Explaining a little about music is easier, yet few do it well. Those who can do both supremely form a tiny club, whose honorary chairman is the conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Justin Davidson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-davidson/playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the-world-has-an-abundance-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Abundance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-davidson/playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the-world-has-an-abundance-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/justin-davidson-85499_abundance_playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the_2421904.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/justin-davidson-85499_abundance_playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the_2421904.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/justin-davidson-85499_abundance_playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the_2421904.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Playing music well is difficult, yet the world has an abundance of fine performers. Explaining a little…” — Justin Davidson",
                "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": "Justin Davidson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-davidson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Playing music well is difficult, yet...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-davidson/playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the-world-has-an-abundance-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-davidson/playing-music-well-is-difficult-yet-the-world-has-an-abundance-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
