--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't understand anything technical…" description: "\"I don't understand anything technical about music at all. I don't understand any of it, why you can't put these sounds together with those sounds. I on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/kurt-cobain-1260_knows_i-don-t-understand-anything-technical-ab_2748351.jpg" --- # I don't understand anything technical about music at all… ![“I don't understand anything technical about music at all. I don't understand any of it, why you can't put these sounds together with those sounds. I only know what sounds good.” quote by Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/kurt-cobain-1260_knows_i-don-t-understand-anything-technical-ab_2748351.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/kurt-cobain-1260_knows_i-don-t-understand-anything-technical-ab_2748351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/kurt-cobain-1260_knows_i-don-t-understand-anything-technical-ab_2748351.jpg) > “I don't understand anything technical about music at all. I don't understand any of it, why you can't put these sounds together with those sounds. I only know what sounds good.” [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admits lacking technical knowledge of music production, relying solely on intuition about what sounds pleasing. **In simple terms:** I don't understand music tech, just know what sounds good. Key Takeaway Trust your ear over theory. Themes intuition music creativity Mood conflicted curious Type personal reflective When to use this quote - songwriting - music production - collaboration - learning basics Key Concepts aesthetic judgment subjective taste Questions to Reflect On - How can you develop technical skills without losing intuition? - What resources help bridge intuition and theory? A Different Perspective Technical skill can enhance but not replace intuitive sense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) ## Related quotes > [I've always gravitated toward technical music in general. I love jazz fusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daveed-diggs/i-ve-always-gravitated-toward-technical-music-in-general-i-love-jazz/) [Daveed Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daveed-diggs/) > [When I make records I have full control of everything and I know how it sounds before it comes out, with films it's outta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/when-i-make-records-i-have-full-control-of-everything-and-i-know-how/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [That's where the songs come from: that's what I'd most want people to understand. What sounds good or looks good, that's nothing. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/that-s-where-the-songs-come-from-that-s-what-i-d-most-want-people-to/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [That's the essence of songcraft: making something everyone can understand yet it still sounds new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristen-gaspadarek/that-s-the-essence-of-songcraft-making-something-everyone-can/) Tristen Gaspadarek > [How are we going to know what sounds are important before we've even heard those sounds? It's an absurd question. The only thing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/how-are-we-going-to-know-what-sounds-are-important-before-we-ve-even/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [I really want to learn how to rap. I know it sounds utterly ridiculous!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stana-katic/i-really-want-to-learn-how-to-rap-i-know-it-sounds-utterly-ridiculous/) [Stana Katic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stana-katic/) > [I don’t really go to clubs so I don’t know what sounds are made there,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/i-don-t-really-go-to-clubs-so-i-don-t-know-what-sounds-are-made-there/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [You've got to know much more than the mere technicalities of notes. You've got to know sounds and what goes between the notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/you-ve-got-to-know-much-more-than-the-mere-technicalities-of-notes/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [I'm a guy who doesn't know the name of the chord, but I know that it sounds good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-pardi/i-m-a-guy-who-doesn-t-know-the-name-of-the-chord-but-i-know-that-it/) [Jon Pardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-pardi/) > [Well, 'aight, check this out, dawg. First of all, you throwin' too many big words at me, and because I don't understand them, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/well-aight-check-this-out-dawg-first-of-all-you-throwin-too-many-big/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [“Without you, I'm nothing. Don't you understand that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-cunning/without-you-i-m-nothing-don-t-you-understand-that/) [Olivia Cunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-cunning/) > [I don't understand how any black person can tell me that they're not pro-gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-don-t-understand-how-any-black-person-can-tell-me-that-they-re-not/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [When I don't understand something, I reach up and hold God's hand. And we walk together in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/when-i-don-t-understand-something-i-reach-up-and-hold-god-s-hand-and/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I don't understand people who say life is a mystery, because what is it they want to know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-don-t-understand-people-who-say-life-is-a-mystery-because-what-is/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [I'm sure you think that I don't understand what you're going through, but I do. It's just that sometimes, our future is dictated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-sure-you-think-that-i-don-t-understand-what-you-re-going-through/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) ## More by Kurt Cobain > [To be positive at all times is to ignore all that is important, sacred or valuable. To be negative at all times is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/to-be-positive-at-all-times-is-to-ignore-all-that-is-important-sacred/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Rather be dead than cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/rather-be-dead-than-cool/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Vadalism: beautiful as a rock in a cop's face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/vadalism-beautiful-as-a-rock-in-a-cop-s-face/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [“No one is afraid of heights, they're afraid of falling down. No one is afraid of saying I love you, they're afraid of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/no-one-is-afraid-of-heights-they-re-afraid-of-falling-down-no-one-is/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [“Rather be dead then cool”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/rather-be-dead-then-cool/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I'll be the first to admit we're the 90's version of Cheap Trick or the Knack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-ll-be-the-first-to-admit-we-re-the-90-s-version-of-cheap-trick-or/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Don't read my diary when I'm gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/don-t-read-my-diary-when-i-m-gone/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I'd rather hang out with the losers that would sit and smoke a cigarette than the ones who wanted to throw a baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-d-rather-hang-out-with-the-losers-that-would-sit-and-smoke-a/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Why in the hell do journalists insist on coming up with a second rate Freudian evaluation on my lyrics when 90% of the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/why-in-the-hell-do-journalists-insist-on-coming-up-with-a-second-rate/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [You know what I hate about rock? I hate tie-dyed tee shirts. I wouldn't wear a tie-dyed tee shirt unless it was dyed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/you-know-what-i-hate-about-rock-i-hate-tie-dyed-tee-shirts-i-wouldn-t/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I only remember a few things about Jimmy Carter. He had big lips and liked peanuts. I now know that Jimmy Carter was and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-only-remember-a-few-things-about-jimmy-carter-he-had-big-lips-and/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I've never been a very prolific person, so when creativity flows, it flows. I find myself scribbling on little notepads and pieces of loose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-ve-never-been-a-very-prolific-person-so-when-creativity-flows-it/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Don't expect me to die for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/don-t-expect-me-to-die-for-you/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [If you guys throw one more shoe or one more coin, I'm just going to leave my guitar next to my amp and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/if-you-guys-throw-one-more-shoe-or-one-more-coin-i-m-just-going-to/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [By definition pop is extremely catchy, whether you like it or not,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/by-definition-pop-is-extremely-catchy-whether-you-like-it-or-not/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) [Explore all 262 Kurt Cobain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) ## More Knows quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [You've touched people and known it. You've touched people and never may know it. Either way, you have something to give. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/you-ve-touched-people-and-known-it-you-ve-touched-people-and-never/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) > [He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-who-knows-does-not-speak-he-who-speaks-does-not-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) Browse all 53,133 Knows quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't understand anything technical about music at all. I don't understand any of it, why you can't put these sounds together with those sounds. 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