Quotes from Charlie Parker

Master your instrument, master the music, and then forget all that crap and just play.

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.

Don't be afraid, just play the music.

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

Don't play the saxophone, let the saxophone play you.

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

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.

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn.

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

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

Hear with your eyes, see with your ears

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out your horn.

One time, when I was in my teens, jamming in a Kansas City club, I was doing all right until I tried doing double tempo on 'Body and Soul.' Everybody fell out laughing. I went home and cried and didn't want to play again for three months.

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.

I could hear it sometimes, but I couldn't play it. I'd been getting bored with the stereotyped changes that were being used. I found that by using the higher intervals of a chord as a melody line and backing them with related changes, I could play the thing I'd been hearing.

Every time I hear a recording I've made, I hear all kinds of things I could improve or things I should have done. There's always so much more to be done in music. It's so vast.