--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was studying... there weren't any…" description: "\"When I was studying... there weren't any black concert pianists. My choices were intuitive, and I had the technique to do it. People have heard my musi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/nina-simone-3396_black_when-i-was-studying-there-weren-t-any-bl_199557.png" --- # When I was studying... there weren't any black concert… ![“When I was studying... there weren't any black concert pianists. My choices were intuitive, and I had the technique to do it. People have heard my music and heard the classic in it, so I have become known as a black classical pianist.” quote by Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/nina-simone-3396_black_when-i-was-studying-there-weren-t-any-bl_199557.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/nina-simone-3396_black_when-i-was-studying-there-weren-t-any-bl_199557.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f6/nina-simone-3396_black_when-i-was-studying-there-weren-t-any-bl_199557.png) > “When I was studying... there weren't any black concert pianists. My choices were intuitive, and I had the technique to do it. People have heard my music and heard the classic in it, so I have become known as a black classical pianist.” [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She highlights the rarity of black classical pianists and how intuition and skill led her to a unique artistic identity. **In simple terms:** She became known as a black classical pianist through intuition and technique. Key Takeaway Embrace intuition and develop skill to break barriers. Themes identity music race creativity Mood proud reflective Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - concert programming - music education - career mentorship - public speaking Key Concepts cultural representation artistic authenticity self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions support underrepresented musicians? - What role does intuition play in artistic success? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic barriers that limit opportunities for others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Concerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerts/) [Intuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitive/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pianist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianist/) [Pianists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianists/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) ## Related quotes > [Concert pianists are really afraid to try out the Beethoven Fourth Concerto if the Third happens to be their specialty. That's the piece they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/concert-pianists-are-really-afraid-to-try-out-the-beethoven-fourth/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [“Concert pianists get to be quite chummy with dead composers. They can't help it. Classical music isn't just music . It's a personal diary.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/concert-pianists-get-to-be-quite-chummy-with-dead-composers-they-can/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [To most white people, jazz means black and jazz means dirt, and that's not what I play. I play black classical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/to-most-white-people-jazz-means-black-and-jazz-means-dirt-and-that-s/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/jazz-is-a-white-term-to-define-black-people-my-music-is-black/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [Pianists call me a composer, composers call me a pianist. The classicists think me a futurist, and the futurists call me a reactionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-rubinstein/pianists-call-me-a-composer-composers-call-me-a-pianist-the/) Anton Rubinstein > [I would also like to mention pianists like Michel Petrucciani or Chick Сorea for whom I have great admiration in the jazz field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-clayderman/i-would-also-like-to-mention-pianists-like-michel-petrucciani-or/) [Richard Clayderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-clayderman/) > [It is my fervent wish and my greatest ambition to leave a work with a few useful instructions for the pianists after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-liszt/it-is-my-fervent-wish-and-my-greatest-ambition-to-leave-a-work-with-a/) [Franz Liszt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-liszt/) > [Whenever I record something, I always believe that it's worthy of inclusion in the pantheon, and I would certainly like pianists to pay more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/whenever-i-record-something-i-always-believe-that-it-s-worthy-of/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [Pianists of extraordinary talent, such as Christina Petrowska,spend a large part of their early lives perfecting technique…Miss Petrowska,a Canadian with a phenomenal ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donal-henahan/pianists-of-extraordinary-talent-such-as-christina-petrowska-spend-a/) [Donal Henahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donal-henahan/) > [If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's that there shouldn't be a distinction between pianists who play Ligeti and those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/if-there-s-one-thing-i-feel-very-strongly-about-it-s-that-there/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [I don't record for my own glory.I mean, of course part of it is for career advancement, but more importantly, I want some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/i-don-t-record-for-my-own-glory-i-mean-of-course-part-of-it-is-for/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [I don't know where there can be so many pianists as in Paris, so many asses and so many virtuosi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/i-don-t-know-where-there-can-be-so-many-pianists-as-in-paris-so-many/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [I have a good friend, Rudolf Serkin, the pianist, a very sensitive man. I was talking to him one day backstage after a concert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wyeth/i-have-a-good-friend-rudolf-serkin-the-pianist-a-very-sensitive-man-i/) [Andrew Wyeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wyeth/) > [I applied, and I got in as a pianist. Their idea in the music department was that pianists, if they were good enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-parkins/i-applied-and-i-got-in-as-a-pianist-their-idea-in-the-music/) [Zeena Parkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-parkins/) > [A mission that comes from the heart to promote these things and to encourage composers to write, then of course they should do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/a-mission-that-comes-from-the-heart-to-promote-these-things-and-to/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) ## More by Nina Simone > [Music is one of the ways by which you can know everything which is going on in the world. You can feel... through music...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/music-is-one-of-the-ways-by-which-you-can-know-everything-which-is/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [My love is like the wind and wild is the wind. Give me more than one caress, satisfy my hungriness. Let the wind blow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/my-love-is-like-the-wind-and-wild-is-the-wind-give-me-more-than-one/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I can't stand loud guitars that make me deaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-can-t-stand-loud-guitars-that-make-me-deaf/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I don't like to go to strange places. I was in Italy for about five hours on my way to Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-don-t-like-to-go-to-strange-places-i-was-in-italy-for-about-five/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [We have ordered things so long in a certain way, we are numb. Nobody dares question it. This is what is wrong, symbolically, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/we-have-ordered-things-so-long-in-a-certain-way-we-are-numb-nobody/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I wasn't a jazz player, but a classical musician, and I improvised arrangements of popular songs using classical motifs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-wasn-t-a-jazz-player-but-a-classical-musician-and-i-improvised/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I think the rich will eventually have to cave in too, because the economic situation around the world is not gonna tolerate the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-think-the-rich-will-eventually-have-to-cave-in-too-because-the/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [There's no excuse for the young...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/there-s-no-excuse-for-the-young/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/everything-that-happened-to-me-as-a-child-involved-music-it-was-part/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [You have to learn to get up from the table when love is not being served.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/you-have-to-learn-to-get-up-from-the-table-when-love-is-not-being/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [That's a very high goal to have, study eight hours a day to be a concert pianist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/that-s-a-very-high-goal-to-have-study-eight-hours-a-day-to-be-a/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," a song that was written for Simone, she confronted the band's lead singer, Eric Burdon. "So you're the honky,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/don-t-let-me-be-misunderstood-a-song-that-was-written-for-simone-she/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [This is the world you have made yourself, now you have to live in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/this-is-the-world-you-have-made-yourself-now-you-have-to-live-in-it/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I'll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear. I mean really, no fear!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-ll-tell-you-what-freedom-is-to-me-no-fear-i-mean-really-no-fear/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [The Beatles are lucky, very lucky. But what has happened to them has nothing to do with them, in a sense. They came along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/the-beatles-are-lucky-very-lucky-but-what-has-happened-to-them-has/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) [Explore all 132 Nina Simone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. 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