--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yeah, on the records, the guitars are…" description: "\"Yeah, on the records, the guitars are made melodic, and I try to make it memorable. There's not much just wanking, to be honest - it's mostly melodic p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3b/stephen-malkmus-2984_being-honest_yeah-on-the-records-the-guitars-are-made_2026041.png" --- # Yeah, on the records, the guitars are made melodic, and I… ![“Yeah, on the records, the guitars are made melodic, and I try to make it memorable. There's not much just wanking, to be honest - it's mostly melodic parts. I try not to play too many notes. It's just more instrumental music. It's a totally valid criticism if you don't like that kind of thing. It…” quote by Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3b/stephen-malkmus-2984_being-honest_yeah-on-the-records-the-guitars-are-made_2026041.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3b/stephen-malkmus-2984_being-honest_yeah-on-the-records-the-guitars-are-made_2026041.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3b/stephen-malkmus-2984_being-honest_yeah-on-the-records-the-guitars-are-made_2026041.png) > “Yeah, on the records, the guitars are made melodic, and I try to make it memorable. There's not much just wanking, to be honest - it's mostly melodic parts. I try not to play too many notes. It's just more instrumental music. It's a totally valid criticism if you don't like that kind of thing. It also is maybe a little anachronistic or unnecessary in a certain way.” [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He focuses on melodic, memorable guitar parts, avoiding excessive notes, aiming for a restrained instrumental style that may feel dated to some. **In simple terms:** He prioritizes melody over technical showmanship. Key Takeaway Embrace restraint in music creation. Themes music creativity minimalism melody critique Mood reflective analytical Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - songwriting - live performance - studio recording Key Concepts musical restraint listener expectations genre evolution Questions to Reflect On - Is minimalism always effective? - How does nostalgia influence musical choices? A Different Perspective Listeners seeking complexity may find it lacking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Guitars Melodic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitars-melodic-3695039/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest Melodic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-melodic-3695041/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Instrumental music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrumental-music/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Melodic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melodic/) [Melodic Parts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melodic-parts-3695040/) [Memorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memorable/) [Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Records Guitars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records-guitars-3695042/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Yeah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yeah/) ## Related quotes > [When I'm writing instrumental music, I try to find musical and non-musical inspirations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/when-i-m-writing-instrumental-music-i-try-to-find-musical-and-non/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [I am not really thinking, I am just, working with the music. And people have asked me, why don't you say more, or why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottmar-liebert/i-am-not-really-thinking-i-am-just-working-with-the-music-and-people/) [Ottmar Liebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottmar-liebert/) > [I gave up language for a while, and I started painting.And then I only listened to Miles Davis and other instrumental music to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/i-gave-up-language-for-a-while-and-i-started-painting-and-then-i-only/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [Vocals are not central to what I do, and I've never liked singing live. I've always been more inspired by rhythm, texture, harmony than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-halo/vocals-are-not-central-to-what-i-do-and-i-ve-never-liked-singing-live/) [Laurel Halo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-halo/) > [I'm not a sports fan, but I remember watching highlights with post-rock guitar instrumental music over these slow-motion shots of football players. It's triumphant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reitzell/i-m-not-a-sports-fan-but-i-remember-watching-highlights-with-post/) [Brian Reitzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reitzell/) > [I was playing in a band and was approached to score an independent film. 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So that's an active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottmar-liebert/if-you-read-about-a-tree-and-there-is-a-description-you-have-to-grow/) [Ottmar Liebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottmar-liebert/) > [With instrumental music, it is traditionally hard to get exposure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/with-instrumental-music-it-is-traditionally-hard-to-get-exposure/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) > [On 'Love Letters' I focused exclusively on sung music, creating a collection of songs that directly address heartbreak and its ensuing emotions in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/on-love-letters-i-focused-exclusively-on-sung-music-creating-a/) [Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/) > [I've always been a jazz fan, but I don't write much about jazz, because I don't have the chops. But it's really, really hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/i-ve-always-been-a-jazz-fan-but-i-don-t-write-much-about-jazz-because/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [“The church, although lapsing more and more into deflection from the truth and into a corrupting of apostolic practice, had not instrumental music for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-girardeau/the-church-although-lapsing-more-and-more-into-deflection-from-the/) [John Girardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-girardeau/) > [I probably listen to more instrumental music than music with lyrics, but at the same time I do love both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/i-probably-listen-to-more-instrumental-music-than-music-with-lyrics/) [Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/) ## More by Stephen Malkmus > ['Silence Kid' starts with a broken classic-rock intro. It's funny to hear us do that. Obviously, we weren't skillful rock stars. 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I'm not bragging or anything, it just comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-better-when-i-m-an-autodidact-and-things-just-come-or-you-re-just/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [Men are men and women are women, but the men are dumber than the women, usually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/men-are-men-and-women-are-women-but-the-men-are-dumber-than-the-women/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I am good at just looking in the kitchen and getting stuff on the table and keeping the mess minimal. There's an art to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-am-good-at-just-looking-in-the-kitchen-and-getting-stuff-on-the/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [ Traditionally, when we lived here \[in Portland\], we have a record player in the living room, and there's lots of stuff playing, all different… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/traditionally-when-we-lived-here-in-portland-we-have-a-record-player/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [The word "down," is very musical. It just always comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/the-word-down-is-very-musical-it-just-always-comes/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm more into describing a scenario and I move around in that scenario.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-more-into-describing-a-scenario-and-i-move-around-in-that-scenario/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I like visual imagery in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-like-visual-imagery-in-my-head/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'll cover just about anything - except for a Kid Rock song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-ll-cover-just-about-anything-except-for-a-kid-rock-song/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [“I cannot do even one sit-up / Sit-ups are so bourgeoisie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-cannot-do-even-one-sit-up-sit-ups-are-so-bourgeoisie/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I like a narrative, even if it's fractured, or kind of psychedelic. But my favorite thing is if I hear words and I close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-like-a-narrative-even-if-it-s-fractured-or-kind-of-psychedelic-but/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [Freddie Gray was a story I followed closer than others, for whatever reason, in this larger narrative of police brutality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/freddie-gray-was-a-story-i-followed-closer-than-others-for-whatever/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [We're not on a desperate mission to write chart compatible stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/we-re-not-on-a-desperate-mission-to-write-chart-compatible-stuff/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm not dying for things to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-not-dying-for-things-to-say/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) [Explore all 143 Stephen Malkmus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) [Maynard Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-ferguson/) > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yeah, on the records, the guitars are made melodic, and I try to make it memorable. 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