--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unfortunately, every time I have somebody…" description: "\"Unfortunately, every time I have somebody play an instrument, it's always like, they don't know how to do it.\" — Quentin Tarantino" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/quentin-tarantino-1030_instruments_unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody_1952943.jpg" --- # Unfortunately, every time I have somebody play an… ![“Unfortunately, every time I have somebody play an instrument, it's always like, they don't know how to do it.” quote by Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/quentin-tarantino-1030_instruments_unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody_1952943.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/quentin-tarantino-1030_instruments_unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody_1952943.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/quentin-tarantino-1030_instruments_unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody_1952943.jpg) > “Unfortunately, every time I have somebody play an instrument, it's always like, they don't know how to do it.” [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) ## 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 laments that many musicians lack basic skill, highlighting a perceived decline in musical competence. **In simple terms:** Many musicians seem unskilled. Key Takeaway Value and develop musical fundamentals. Themes music skill education Mood critical hopeful Type educational observational When to use this quote - interview - film commentary Key Concepts Skill decline training gaps Questions to Reflect On - What training improves musicianship? - How can we support skill development? A Different Perspective Not all musicians are unskilled; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument/) [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 > [Every time I got close, somebody seemed to play a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuzzy-zoeller/every-time-i-got-close-somebody-seemed-to-play-a-little-better/) [Fuzzy Zoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuzzy-zoeller/) > [I can't play any instrument for the life of me, but I know what I want to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-can-t-play-any-instrument-for-the-life-of-me-but-i-know-what-i-want/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [We all know that there are many people that can play the instrument perfectly today, up and down with technical perfection, but does the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finckel/we-all-know-that-there-are-many-people-that-can-play-the-instrument/) [David Finckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finckel/) > [I don't think that you can write music if you don't know how to play an instrument. You have to know the basics, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-write-music-if-you-don-t-know-how-to-play/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [I must play the instrument I've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-must-play-the-instrument-i-ve-got/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [No, I don't, like, play an instrument or anything.I'm just...well, you saw me at the beginning there. I was the guy that fell down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/no-i-don-t-like-play-an-instrument-or-anything-i-m-just-well-you-saw/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [If you can play the piano, you can play any instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-40/if-you-can-play-the-piano-you-can-play-any-instrument/) E-40 > [Setting my mind on a musical instrument was like falling in love. All the world seemed bright and changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-christopher-handy/setting-my-mind-on-a-musical-instrument-was-like-falling-in-love-all/) [William Christopher Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-christopher-handy/) > [“Asking to hold a musician's instrument is roughly similar to asking to kiss a man's wife. Nonmusicians don't understand. An instrument is like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/asking-to-hold-a-musician-s-instrument-is-roughly-similar-to-asking-2/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I wasn't sure I'd ever win again. Every time I got close, somebody seemed to play a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuzzy-zoeller/i-wasn-t-sure-i-d-ever-win-again-every-time-i-got-close-somebody/) [Fuzzy Zoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuzzy-zoeller/) > [In all my years of coaching, I have never been successful using somebody else's play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/in-all-my-years-of-coaching-i-have-never-been-successful-using/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [“Love and cherish your ability to play an instrument; and give it your best. Not everyone is so lucky as you are. And welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-suzuki/love-and-cherish-your-ability-to-play-an-instrument-and-give-it-your/) Mr. Suzuki > [I always wanted to make music but I cannot play any instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udo-kier/i-always-wanted-to-make-music-but-i-cannot-play-any-instrument/) [Udo Kier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udo-kier/) > [Anyone can play an instrument if you show them how to move their limbs, lips or fingers the right way. It's irrelevant. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/anyone-can-play-an-instrument-if-you-show-them-how-to-move-their/) [Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/) > [I had decided that if I was going to be a singer, I had to earn it. I had to learn how to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-had-decided-that-if-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-i-had-to-earn-it-i/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## More by Quentin Tarantino > [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Whatever's going on with me at the time of writing is going to find its way into the piece. If that doesn't happen, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/whatever-s-going-on-with-me-at-the-time-of-writing-is-going-to-find/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Oddly enough, most of the books written about the subject aren't very good because they just focus on the more hateful movies that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/oddly-enough-most-of-the-books-written-about-the-subject-aren-t-very/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [“I'm an American, our names don't mean shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-m-an-american-our-names-don-t-mean-shit/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [I'm a historian in my own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-m-a-historian-in-my-own-mind/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [I hate school at that time. Now, little did I know that actually if I had stayed in school I would've actually really liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-hate-school-at-that-time-now-little-did-i-know-that-actually-if-i/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [I'm not writing novels, the screenplays are my novels, so I'm gonna write it the best that I can. If the movie never gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-m-not-writing-novels-the-screenplays-are-my-novels-so-i-m-gonna/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [One of the songs that stayed in my head that I really considered a lot was an old folk song called 'John Brown' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/one-of-the-songs-that-stayed-in-my-head-that-i-really-considered-a/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > ['The Grand Budapest Hotel' is not really my thing, but I kind of loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/the-grand-budapest-hotel-is-not-really-my-thing-but-i-kind-of-loved-it/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [I hope to give you at least 15 more years of movies. I'm not going to be this old guy that keeps cranking them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-hope-to-give-you-at-least-15-more-years-of-movies-i-m-not-going-to/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [In real life there are no bad guys. Everybody just has their own perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/in-real-life-there-are-no-bad-guys-everybody-just-has-their-own/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [He musta thought it was white boy day. It ain't white boy day, is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/he-musta-thought-it-was-white-boy-day-it-ain-t-white-boy-day-is-it/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [If you go out and see a lot of movies in a given year, it's really hard to come up with a top ten,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/if-you-go-out-and-see-a-lot-of-movies-in-a-given-year-it-s-really/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [When I went to do my big audition with actors for Mr. Blonde, the thing that was very interesting was the first person to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/when-i-went-to-do-my-big-audition-with-actors-for-mr-blonde-the-thing/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [By the time I was doing "Kill Bill," it was so much filled with prose that, you know, I start seeing why people write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/by-the-time-i-was-doing-kill-bill-it-was-so-much-filled-with-prose/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) [Explore all 305 Quentin Tarantino quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) ## More Instrument quotes > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/kenny-g-i-have-to-be-grateful-to-him-for-proving-that-the-instrument/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [But if you listen to great piano players, both classical and jazz, there's a huge range of dynamics and colors and emotional expression that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-burton/but-if-you-listen-to-great-piano-players-both-classical-and-jazz/) [Gary Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-burton/) > [We should picture the instrument that carries our mental functioning as resembling a compound microscope or photographic apparatus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-should-picture-the-instrument-that-carries-our-mental-functioning/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I had decided that if I was going to be a singer, I had to earn it. I had to learn how to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-had-decided-that-if-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-i-had-to-earn-it-i/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I particularly enjoy cello music because our daughter plays the cello. I have listened to her practice for so many hours that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-particularly-enjoy-cello-music-because-our-daughter-plays-the-cello/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-photographer-not-the-camera-that-is-the-instrument/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The camera is simply not the supple and powerful instrument of description that the pen is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-camera-is-simply-not-the-supple-and-powerful-instrument-of/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [For the greater beauty of the instrument, the balls representing the planets are to be of considerable bigness; but so contrived, that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rittenhouse/for-the-greater-beauty-of-the-instrument-the-balls-representing-the/) David Rittenhouse > [We all know that there are many people that can play the instrument perfectly today, up and down with technical perfection, but does the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finckel/we-all-know-that-there-are-many-people-that-can-play-the-instrument/) [David Finckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finckel/) > [I play bass. I play a bit of guitar. I've never been to a lesson, so my theory of music is non-existent in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sangster/i-play-bass-i-play-a-bit-of-guitar-i-ve-never-been-to-a-lesson-so-my/) [Thomas Sangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sangster/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/like-my-best-friend-i-asked-for-drums-for-christmas-and-got-them-but/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [No one familiar with the common law of England can read the Constitution of the United States without observing the great desire of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-freeman-miller/no-one-familiar-with-the-common-law-of-england-can-read-the/) [Samuel Freeman Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-freeman-miller/) [Browse all 570 Instrument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Unfortunately, every time I have somebody play an instrument, it's always like, they don't know how to do it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Quentin Tarantino" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody-play-an-instrument-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Instrument" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody-play-an-instrument-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/quentin-tarantino-1030_instruments_unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody_1952943.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/quentin-tarantino-1030_instruments_unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody_1952943.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/quentin-tarantino-1030_instruments_unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody_1952943.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unfortunately, every time I have somebody play an instrument, it's always like, they don't know how to do it.” — Quentin Tarantino", "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": "Quentin Tarantino", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Unfortunately, every time I have somebody...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody-play-an-instrument-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/unfortunately-every-time-i-have-somebody-play-an-instrument-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```