--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...to me if it's anything, jazz is a…" description: "\"...to me if it's anything, jazz is a verb-it's more like a process than it is a thing.\" — Pat Metheny" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/pat-metheny-8589_ifs_to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it_1398961.jpg" --- # ...to me if it's anything, jazz is a verb-it's more like a… ![“...to me if it's anything, jazz is a verb-it's more like a process than it is a thing.” quote by Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/pat-metheny-8589_ifs_to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it_1398961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/pat-metheny-8589_ifs_to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it_1398961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/pat-metheny-8589_ifs_to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it_1398961.jpg) > “...to me if it's anything, jazz is a verb-it's more like a process than it is a thing.” [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jazz is an active, evolving process rather than a static object. **In simple terms:** Jazz is dynamic. Key Takeaway Treat jazz as a process. Themes music creativity process Mood inspired curious Type philosophical instructional When to use this quote - learning improvisation - composing new pieces Key Concepts Improvisation musical evolution artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply a process mindset to other arts? - What does "jazz as a verb" inspire in your work? A Different Perspective Treating jazz as static limits innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Jazz and life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz-and-life/) [Jazz music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz-music/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [It's a shame that jazz is now being turned into dried fruit. It's becoming quantized, diced and defined. It's becoming an idiom. To me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/it-s-a-shame-that-jazz-is-now-being-turned-into-dried-fruit-it-s/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [“Good process serves you so you can serve customers. But if you’re not watchful, the process can become the thing. This can easily happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna-reddy/good-process-serves-you-so-you-can-serve-customers-but-if-you-re-not/) Ramakrishna Reddy > [The only goal is in the process. The process is the thing…with little flashes of light here and there. Those are the gigs, those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/the-only-goal-is-in-the-process-the-process-is-the-thing-with-little/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [The only goal is in the process. The process is in the thing with little flashes of light: those are the gigs, the live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/the-only-goal-is-in-the-process-the-process-is-in-the-thing-with/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [I am a verb. I am that I amNouns exist because there is a created universe and physical reality, but if the universe is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-am-a-verb-i-am-that-i-amnouns-exist-because-there-is-a-created/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [If you are using an adverb, you have got the verb wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/if-you-are-using-an-adverb-you-have-got-the-verb-wrong/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [I want to rethink 'surrender' as an active verb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-want-to-rethink-surrender-as-an-active-verb/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Theater used to be a verb; it used to be an act. But nowadays it is just a noun. 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I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/the-verb-that-s-been-enforced-on-girls-is-to-please-girls-are-trained/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [A sentence can offer a moment of quiet, it can crackle with energy or it can just lie there, listless and uninteresting. What makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-hale/a-sentence-can-offer-a-moment-of-quiet-it-can-crackle-with-energy-or/) [Constance Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-hale/) ## More by Pat Metheny > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/jazz-is-not-something-that-can-be-defined-through-blunt-instruments/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [I think I represent a more left-wing view of what jazz is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-think-i-represent-a-more-left-wing-view-of-what-jazz-is/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [I realized that equipment really had little to do with why I sound like the way I sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-realized-that-equipment-really-had-little-to-do-with-why-i-sound/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Learning to play is mostly about learning to hear, and learning to really listen deeply to sound in a musical way is a lifetime's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/learning-to-play-is-mostly-about-learning-to-hear-and-learning-to/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [If we are going to list guitar influences, the biggest one by far is Wes Montgomery. Also, Gary Burton was obviously huge for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/if-we-are-going-to-list-guitar-influences-the-biggest-one-by-far-is/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [The best musicians are not the best players, they're the best listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/the-best-musicians-are-not-the-best-players-they-re-the-best-listeners/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Sometimes I try to lose my identity, and I can't get rid of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/sometimes-i-try-to-lose-my-identity-and-i-can-t-get-rid-of-it/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Music is what you notice when it's no longer in your presence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/music-is-what-you-notice-when-it-s-no-longer-in-your-presence/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [To me, there are lots of different stories to tell and you usually find the best way to tell the one you are telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/to-me-there-are-lots-of-different-stories-to-tell-and-you-usually/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [If you plan on continuing a tradition, it might be a good idea to find out just what tradition it is that you intend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/if-you-plan-on-continuing-a-tradition-it-might-be-a-good-idea-to-find/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Its more about conception and touch and spirit and soul than whether my hardware was in place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/its-more-about-conception-and-touch-and-spirit-and-soul-than-whether/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [From 1962 to 1965, the guitar became this icon of youth culture, thanks mostly to the Beatles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/from-1962-to-1965-the-guitar-became-this-icon-of-youth-culture-thanks/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Somehow, trumpet is the reference point for me - it was actually my first instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/somehow-trumpet-is-the-reference-point-for-me-it-was-actually-my/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Jazz demands that you bring to it things that are valuable to you, that are personal to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/jazz-demands-that-you-bring-to-it-things-that-are-valuable-to-you/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) [Explore all 79 Pat Metheny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. 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If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. 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Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "...to me if it's anything, jazz is a verb-it's more like a process than it is a thing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pat Metheny" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it-s-more-like-a-process-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it-s-more-like-a-process-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/pat-metheny-8589_ifs_to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it_1398961.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/pat-metheny-8589_ifs_to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it_1398961.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/pat-metheny-8589_ifs_to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it_1398961.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...to me if it's anything, jazz is a verb-it's more like a process than it is a thing.” — Pat Metheny", "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": "Pat Metheny", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "...to me if it's anything, jazz...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it-s-more-like-a-process-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/to-me-if-it-s-anything-jazz-is-a-verb-it-s-more-like-a-process-than/#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 } } ] } ```