--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only having one melody instrument in play…" description: "\"Only having one melody instrument in play at a time meant that we could improvise more in our practices.\" — Liv Bruce" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/liv-bruce-20295_improvise_only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-pla_3157117.jpg" --- # Only having one melody instrument in play at a time meant… ![“Only having one melody instrument in play at a time meant that we could improvise more in our practices.” quote by Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/liv-bruce-20295_improvise_only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-pla_3157117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/liv-bruce-20295_improvise_only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-pla_3157117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/liv-bruce-20295_improvise_only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-pla_3157117.jpg) > “Only having one melody instrument in play at a time meant that we could improvise more in our practices.” [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Having a single melodic instrument at a time frees mental space, allowing deeper improvisation during practice sessions. **In simple terms:** One instrument at a time boosts improvisation. Key Takeaway Focus on one voice to improvise better. Themes creativity focus musicianship Mood inspired concentrated Type advice musical When to use this quote - band rehearsals - solo practice - jam sessions - music lessons Key Concepts improvisation cognitive load mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does limiting resources affect creativity? - When have you felt more focused with fewer options? A Different Perspective Too many instruments can split attention and hinder depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Melody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melody/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Music is the one art we all have inside. We may not be able to play an instrument, but we can sing along or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/music-is-the-one-art-we-all-have-inside-we-may-not-be-able-to-play-an/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [I'm glad I had a daughter first because with a boy you have to teach him stuff and it's just a little different. Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-j/i-m-glad-i-had-a-daughter-first-because-with-a-boy-you-have-to-teach/) [Ray J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-j/) > [A well trained body is a beautiful instrument on which to play the melody of the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/a-well-trained-body-is-a-beautiful-instrument-on-which-to-play-the/) [Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/) > [Preparing to improvise is at a level commensurate with mastering the structure in a European classical piece. Another way to define improvisation is spontaneous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-heath/preparing-to-improvise-is-at-a-level-commensurate-with-mastering-the/) [Jimmy Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-heath/) > [I've always thought that I'm not really a guitar player, but I just practised so much that I developed into a kind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-ve-always-thought-that-i-m-not-really-a-guitar-player-but-i-just/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [Bassoon is not an easy instrument to play and to pick it up and play it like a flute or a saxophone is quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/bassoon-is-not-an-easy-instrument-to-play-and-to-pick-it-up-and-play/) [Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/) > [You go with what you 'get,' and I get playing the guitar. It's a challenge because it's not an easy instrument to play. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/you-go-with-what-you-get-and-i-get-playing-the-guitar-it-s-a/) [Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/) > [It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-sebastian-bach/it-s-easy-to-play-any-musical-instrument-all-you-have-to-do-is-touch/) [Johann Sebastian Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-sebastian-bach/) > [I fool around with guitar and I can fool around on piano. I don't really play either instrument although I can play a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-laine/i-fool-around-with-guitar-and-i-can-fool-around-on-piano-i-don-t/) Frankie Laine > [The hardest instruments for women to play are bass and drums. Drums because of the physicality needed and bass just because its heavy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/the-hardest-instruments-for-women-to-play-are-bass-and-drums-drums/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [Besides, the bass isn't a difficult instrument to play. It's like one step up from the kazoo, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mustaine/besides-the-bass-isn-t-a-difficult-instrument-to-play-it-s-like-one/) [Dave Mustaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mustaine/) > [The only instrument I can play is piano. Whenever I make songs at home, I play the piano and make them on the piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/the-only-instrument-i-can-play-is-piano-whenever-i-make-songs-at-home/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [I always say that music is a small drop in the ocean of life. I was told a long time ago that your horn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-shorter/i-always-say-that-music-is-a-small-drop-in-the-ocean-of-life-i-was/) [Wayne Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-shorter/) > [The only instrument I play myself is the ukulele.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-only-instrument-i-play-myself-is-the-ukulele/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [The piano is the instrument I can play the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/the-piano-is-the-instrument-i-can-play-the-most/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) ## More by Liv Bruce > [I do think that for a queer person to speak truthfully without shame about their own experiences is political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/i-do-think-that-for-a-queer-person-to-speak-truthfully-without-shame/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [I think this is the funny thing about PWR BTTM that a lot of people don't realize at first, which is that straight people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/i-think-this-is-the-funny-thing-about-pwr-bttm-that-a-lot-of-people/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [My way of connecting to the community that I imagined was out there somewhere for me, but wasn't there right now was to download…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/my-way-of-connecting-to-the-community-that-i-imagined-was-out-there/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [I've been spending a lot of time poring over everything I've written, because I know people are going to hear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/i-ve-been-spending-a-lot-of-time-poring-over-everything-i-ve-written/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [Sometimes I feel like both; sometimes I feel like neither. Sometimes I feel like something else completely. Gender-wise, I identify as a non-binary person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/sometimes-i-feel-like-both-sometimes-i-feel-like-neither-sometimes-i/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [My friend and I were talking about the band Limp Wrist, and how cool that name is, so we started bouncing other queer-punk band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/my-friend-and-i-were-talking-about-the-band-limp-wrist-and-how-cool/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [The snappy way I would sum it up is not everyone is queer, but everyone has felt different. And I think that is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/the-snappy-way-i-would-sum-it-up-is-not-everyone-is-queer-but/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [I used to listen to so many song bands that were all straight people, and my thinking on it was, 'Well, if I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/i-used-to-listen-to-so-many-song-bands-that-were-all-straight-people/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [I want to make sure that I can stand behind every word I'm saying, because whoever I am in six months is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/i-want-to-make-sure-that-i-can-stand-behind-every-word-i-m-saying/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [People, despite having the common interest in our band, might not be friends before meeting at a show. It's great bringing families together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/people-despite-having-the-common-interest-in-our-band-might-not-be/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [Growing up, I was listening to Scissor Sisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/growing-up-i-was-listening-to-scissor-sisters/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [In a way, a stage can be the safest place to be visibly queer and non-gender conforming because you're literally surrounded by witnesses. Any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/in-a-way-a-stage-can-be-the-safest-place-to-be-visibly-queer-and-non/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [If they're booking a PWR BTTM show, they know what they're in for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/if-they-re-booking-a-pwr-bttm-show-they-know-what-they-re-in-for/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [I first went to 'Rocky Horror' when I was 14, and nothing was the same after that. For about two months afterwards, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/i-first-went-to-rocky-horror-when-i-was-14-and-nothing-was-the-same/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [In the studio, we sometimes will add bass or some other stuff, like more layers of the same guitar part that's already there, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/in-the-studio-we-sometimes-will-add-bass-or-some-other-stuff-like/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) [Explore all 31 Liv Bruce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) ## More Improvise quotes > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) Hubert Laws > [My roots are in classical music and jazz, and I want the freedom of being able to improvise. This freedom is possible only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan-sami/my-roots-are-in-classical-music-and-jazz-and-i-want-the-freedom-of/) [Adnan Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan-sami/) > [I also think if you're an actor and you can improvise, when you go on an audition and you can improvise you're just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-also-think-if-you-re-an-actor-and-you-can-improvise-when-you-go-on/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [When you're at a concert and you hear someone improvise well, that's special; it puts you in the moment and takes you someplace. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-popper/when-you-re-at-a-concert-and-you-hear-someone-improvise-well-that-s/) [John Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-popper/) > [Improvisation, it is a mystery. You can write a book about it, but by the end no one still knows what it is. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephane-grappelli/improvisation-it-is-a-mystery-you-can-write-a-book-about-it-but-by/) Stephane Grappelli > [So that's the challenge, you have a big technical aspect of what you're doing whilst you're creatively trying to improvise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-henson/so-that-s-the-challenge-you-have-a-big-technical-aspect-of-what-you/) [Brian Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-henson/) > [We play melodic music, we play songs, we play all kinds of things and when you improvise you don't just shut out different languages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/we-play-melodic-music-we-play-songs-we-play-all-kinds-of-things-and/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [Improvise when obstacles present themselves. Happy accidents are magic! Have an open mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-bonifacio/improvise-when-obstacles-present-themselves-happy-accidents-are-magic/) [Matthew Bonifacio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-bonifacio/) > [My character has to be alive. It can't be a mere prop, and it has to have a life of its own. I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fawad-khan/my-character-has-to-be-alive-it-can-t-be-a-mere-prop-and-it-has-to/) [Fawad Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fawad-khan/) > [“Don’t think, react. Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-cross/don-t-think-react-adapt-improvise-overcome/) [Ethan Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-cross/) > [When people know the desired destination, they’re free to improvise, as needed, in arriving there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/when-people-know-the-desired-destination-they-re-free-to-improvise-as/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [“Research tells us that brainstorming becomes more productive when it’s focused. As jazz great Charles Mingus famously said, “You can’t improvise on nothing, man;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/research-tells-us-that-brainstorming-becomes-more-productive-when-it/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [You can actually improvise a lot as a voice actor. It's not that entirely different than shooting a live action movie; the characters mouths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/you-can-actually-improvise-a-lot-as-a-voice-actor-it-s-not-that/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [I love to improvise when it's appropriate and encouraged by a producer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-paulsen/i-love-to-improvise-when-it-s-appropriate-and-encouraged-by-a-producer/) [Rob Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-paulsen/) > [So while you're trying to improvise, you're also trying to puppeteer, you're doing everything that you need to do to perform a puppet in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-henson/so-while-you-re-trying-to-improvise-you-re-also-trying-to-puppeteer/) [Brian Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-henson/) Browse all 226 Improvise quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only having one melody instrument in play at a time meant that we could improvise more in our practices.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liv Bruce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-play-at-a-time-meant-that-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Improvise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-play-at-a-time-meant-that-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/liv-bruce-20295_improvise_only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-pla_3157117.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/liv-bruce-20295_improvise_only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-pla_3157117.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/728/liv-bruce-20295_improvise_only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-pla_3157117.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only having one melody instrument in play at a time meant that we could improvise more in our practices.” — Liv Bruce", "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": "Liv Bruce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Only having one melody instrument in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-play-at-a-time-meant-that-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/only-having-one-melody-instrument-in-play-at-a-time-meant-that-we/#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 } } ] } ```