Deep down, I know I have this intuition or instinct that a lot of creative people have, that their demons are also what make them create.

We do express our emotions, our reactions to events, breakups and infatuations, but the way we do that - the art of it - is in putting them into prescribed forms or squeezing them into new forms that perfectly fit some emerging context. That’s part of the creative process, and we do it instinctively; we internalize it, like birds do. And it’s a joy to sing, like the birds do.

A dissection of music perception and creation that starts slowly and inexorably builds to a grand finish. I loved reading that listening to music coordinates more disparate parts of the brain than almost anything else--and playing music uses even more! Despite illuminating a lot of what goes on this book doesn't "spoil" enjoyment- it only deepens the beautiful mystery that is music.

Always be skeptical about simplicity.

It's not music you would use to get a girl into bed. If anything, you're going to frighten her off.

Is giving in to the photographer's presumably natural impulse to compose and light well sometimes okay and not okay other times?

You can know or not know how a car runs and still enjoy riding in a car.