Bryce Dessner Quotes
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I grew up going to see my sister dance, both at the ballet and later as a modern dancer, and have always been a big fan of the ballet. So I have had a long relationship with dance.
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With 'Boxer,' we made the kind of music we wanted to make and didn't really worry about what the expectation was.
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Playing pentatonic scales over orchestral music is not something I want to do or listen to.
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When I'm writing for certain instruments, you want to write within what you know about that instrument but also challenge the player. Something like 'Aheym' is very virtuosic - but because I have a history of performing music, I don't like unplayable music.
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If you learn classical guitar, you play Bach, and then John Dowland. He's the greatest. He's interesting for many, many reasons.
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As much as you try to organize your life, life will surprise you.
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Part of what I enjoy about writing classical music is communicating through the score and collaborating with such amazing musicians.
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I don't labour over my lead guitar solos; they're better just caught in the moment.
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I'm not trying to take over the world, but I find it really rewarding to write, and I thrive on learning.
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Typically, people think, 'Oh the hippies and the punks hated each other,' or that those things don't go together musically. Sometimes that is true, but we had equal parts of both in our musical DNA.
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It's not a hard sell to be asked to do something in Ireland.
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Obviously, any living musician born after 1960 has been touched by rock and roll. It's the music of our time, and it's 'in the air,' as Steve Reich would say. My experience of it is just really direct because I'm actually playing in a collaborative band.
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Working with Bob Weir directly, we learned how high the bar is for Dead music.
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I like to think of myself as a musical scavenger.
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Bands like Arcade Fire finding a larger audience has opened a lot of doors. They've empowered a whole community in Montreal.
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There is much more immediate access to creative music through online communities and blogs which have touched all corners of the music world including contemporary classical.
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As a pop musician, as someone who makes songs, the best ideas are the simplest. They come, and that's the lightning bolt moment.
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I like to write on tour busses and airplanes. Something about moving.