--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My personal relationship with music is an…" description: "\"My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not just writing for bands but full orchestral..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/serj-tankian-7320_attention_my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-a_94461.jpg" --- # My personal relationship with music is an imperfect… ![“My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not just writing for bands but full orchestral sections and doing all this composition, and I never learned the right way of doing things so I have a lot of dissonant sounds and things that are…” quote by Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/serj-tankian-7320_attention_my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-a_94461.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/serj-tankian-7320_attention_my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-a_94461.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/serj-tankian-7320_attention_my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-a_94461.jpg) > “My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not just writing for bands but full orchestral sections and doing all this composition, and I never learned the right way of doing things so I have a lot of dissonant sounds and things that are brought to my attention, and generally I leave them that way because I like those imperfections.” [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An artist acknowledges his self-taught background, valuing the raw, imperfect qualities of his music as intentional artistic choices. **In simple terms:** Imperfection as artistic choice Key Takeaway Embrace rawness Themes music imperfection creativity self-taught Mood reflective proud Type personal statement artist quote When to use this quote - music production - creative workshops Key Concepts artistic authenticity Practical Applications - artist interviews - music education Questions to Reflect On - How does lack of formal training shape creative output? - Can intentional imperfections enhance artistic expression? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band/) [Composition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) [Dissonant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissonant-1164279/) [Dissonant Sounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissonant-sounds-1164278/) [Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Here i am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-i-am/) [Imperfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfect/) [Imperfect Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfect-harmony-1164277/) [Imperfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfection/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Imperfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-imperfect-1164276/) [Music is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-is/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Personal relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-relationship/) [Personal relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-relationships/) [Right way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-way/) [Sections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sections/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Studied Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studied-music-342426/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You're just sort of searching for this 'thing' and sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't. All music is imperfect, but in jazz…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-abercrombie/you-re-just-sort-of-searching-for-this-thing-and-sometimes-you-get-it/) [John Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-abercrombie/) > [“..forgotten lyres, whose dissonant strings Give various response to each varying blast, To whose frail frame no second motion brings One mood or modulation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/forgotten-lyres-whose-dissonant-strings-give-various-response-to-each/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [As it grows ever more complicated today, musical art seeks out combinations more dissonant, stranger, and harsher for the ear. Thus, it comes ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-russolo/as-it-grows-ever-more-complicated-today-musical-art-seeks-out/) [Luigi Russolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-russolo/) > [“The presence in the living room called to her, summoning her in a hundred voices and none, a great dissonant harmony alien yet familiar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/the-presence-in-the-living-room-called-to-her-summoning-her-in-a/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [No sound is dissonant which tells of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/no-sound-is-dissonant-which-tells-of-life/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I went and studied music in Leeds. It really woke me up socially, to stop being so naïve and narrow-minded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newman/i-went-and-studied-music-in-leeds-it-really-woke-me-up-socially-to/) [John Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newman/) > [I've been studying on my own. I'm not really trained. I went to school for about a year and a half. I never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wyatt/i-ve-been-studying-on-my-own-i-m-not-really-trained-i-went-to-school/) [Andrew Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wyatt/) > [I had a drummer in my band who started teaching me tricks to come up with interesting rhythms. Because I don't come from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-lekman/i-had-a-drummer-in-my-band-who-started-teaching-me-tricks-to-come-up/) [Jens Lekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-lekman/) > [After high school, I moved to the U.S. and studied music in Boston, at the Berklee College of Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/after-high-school-i-moved-to-the-u-s-and-studied-music-in-boston-at/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [“that. I guess I was worried that, if I studied music,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-k-leigh/that-i-guess-i-was-worried-that-if-i-studied-music/) [T.K. Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-k-leigh/) > [I studied music at Dakhhini.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmila-tagore/i-studied-music-at-dakhhini/) [Sharmila Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmila-tagore/) > [Mum was a brilliant classical pianist. She was Canadian and studied music at McGill University. She took me to ballet when I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-quentin/mum-was-a-brilliant-classical-pianist-she-was-canadian-and-studied/) [Caroline Quentin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-quentin/) > [I grew up writing songs and producing music, and I studied music production in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/i-grew-up-writing-songs-and-producing-music-and-i-studied-music/) [Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/) > [I never formally studied music at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/griff/i-never-formally-studied-music-at-all/) [Griff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/griff/) > [The reality of the music industry is that I was a 22-year-old college graduate who was able to walk into boardrooms and be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/the-reality-of-the-music-industry-is-that-i-was-a-22-year-old-college/) [Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/) ## More by Serj Tankian > [I like African music, and I'm a huge Ravi Shankar fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-like-african-music-and-i-m-a-huge-ravi-shankar-fan/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [As an artist, you never want to write the same song again, you always want to challenge yourself to writing in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/as-an-artist-you-never-want-to-write-the-same-song-again-you-always/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [“I've had people come up to me with the strangest interpretations of what my lyrics might mean, and I'm like, "You go! I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-ve-had-people-come-up-to-me-with-the-strangest-interpretations-of/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Forgivness is The ultimate sacrifice. Eloquence belongs, To the conqueror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/forgivness-is-the-ultimate-sacrifice-eloquence-belongs-to-the/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [With rock music, the amount of power that you can generate, the intensity behind the intentions of your lyrics that you can really reflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/with-rock-music-the-amount-of-power-that-you-can-generate-the/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [I don't find most people to be as politically engaged as I am. I do find people that appreciate eye-opening events and words, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-don-t-find-most-people-to-be-as-politically-engaged-as-i-am-i-do/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [In the last few years I've been listening to jazz more than anything else. I listen to a lot of world music and experimental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/in-the-last-few-years-i-ve-been-listening-to-jazz-more-than-anything/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Life is that perfect fine line between ironies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/life-is-that-perfect-fine-line-between-ironies/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Pretending that we live doesn't make us alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/pretending-that-we-live-doesn-t-make-us-alive/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [I think music is a powerful medium because it co-inspires. It inspires the artist who then inspires the listener, and it's a back-and-forth process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-think-music-is-a-powerful-medium-because-it-co-inspires-it-inspires/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [I think anytime that you go to the extreme of any mode of economics, be it capitalism or communism, you have these feedback mechanisms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-think-anytime-that-you-go-to-the-extreme-of-any-mode-of-economics/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [My two interests are spirituality and politics. I would mesh them in some way; maybe try to figure out the politics of spirituality, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-two-interests-are-spirituality-and-politics-i-would-mesh-them-in/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Political statements are usually more direct, and it works with the upbeat music as well, for some reason, the directness of your statements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/political-statements-are-usually-more-direct-and-it-works-with-the/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [We have the power to change our lives, and the world around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/we-have-the-power-to-change-our-lives-and-the-world-around-us/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [With most of the songs and music that I've composed, irrespective of the myriad videos made, I was always careful not to overly define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/with-most-of-the-songs-and-music-that-i-ve-composed-irrespective-of/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) [Explore all 92 Serj Tankian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not just writing for bands but full orchestral sections and doing all this composition, and I never learned the right way of doing things so I have a lot of dissonant sounds and things that are brought to my attention, and generally I leave them that way because I like those imperfections.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Serj Tankian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-an-imperfect-harmony-because-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-an-imperfect-harmony-because-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/serj-tankian-7320_attention_my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-a_94461.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/serj-tankian-7320_attention_my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-a_94461.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/serj-tankian-7320_attention_my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-a_94461.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not…” — Serj Tankian", "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": "Serj Tankian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My personal relationship with music is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-an-imperfect-harmony-because-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-an-imperfect-harmony-because-i/#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 } } ] } ```