Charlie Parker Quotes & Sayings

I look at melody as rhythm. — Charlie Parker

Any musician who says he is playing better either on tea, the needle, or when he is juiced, is a plain, straight liar. When I get too much to drink, I can't even finger well, let alone play decent ideas ... You can miss the most important years of your life, the years of possible creation. — Charlie Parker

You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail. — Charlie Parker

If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. — Charlie Parker

You've got to learn your instrument. — Charlie Parker

When I first heard music, I thought it should be very clean, very precise. Something that people could understand, something that was beautiful. — Charlie Parker

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you that music has boundaries. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. — Charlie Parker

I'm very glad to have met you. I like your playing very much. — Charlie Parker

Master your instrument. Master the music. And then forget all that bullshit and just play. — Charlie Parker

It's just music. It's trying to play clean and looking for the pretty notes. The beat in a bop band is with the music, against it, behind it. It pushes it. It helps it. Help is the big thing. It has no continuity of beat, no steady chug-chug. Jazz has, and that's why bop is more flexible. — Charlie Parker

Hear with your eyes, see with your ears — Charlie Parker

Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. — Charlie Parker

Don't be afraid, just play the music. — Charlie Parker

First you learn the instrument, then you learn the music, then you forget all that s**t and just play. — Charlie Parker

If you don't live it, it won't come out your horn. — Charlie Parker

Some guys said 'Here's bop!' Wham! They said, 'Here's something we can make money on!' Wham! 'Here's a comedian!' Wham! Here's a guy who talks funny talk!' — Charlie Parker

Learn the changes, then forget them. — Charlie Parker

Man, there's no boundary line to art! — Charlie Parker

Bop is no love-child of jazz. — Charlie Parker

I can play all I know in eight bars. — Charlie Parker

Don't play the saxophone, let the saxophone play you. — Charlie Parker

I realized by using the high notes of the chords as a melodic line, and by the right harmonic progression, I could play what I heard inside me. That's when I was born. — Charlie Parker

I kept thinking there's bound to be something else? I could hear it sometimes, but I couldn't play it. — Charlie Parker

It's just music. It's playing clean and looking for the pretty notes. — Charlie Parker

Don't play the saxophone. Let it play you. — Charlie Parker

I'd been getting bored with the stereotyped changes (harmonies) that were being used all the time ... I found that by using the higher intervals of a chord as a melody line and backing them with appropriately related changes I could play the thing I'd been hearing. I came alive. — Charlie Parker