18 Pieces of Advice to Himself (from Theolonius Monk)

1. Just because you’re not a drummer, doesn’t meant that you don’t have to keep time.

2. Pat your foot and sing the melody in your head when you play.

3. Stop playing all those weird notes, play the melody!

4. Discrimination is important.

5. You’ve got to dig it to dig it, you dig?

6. Let’s lift the bandstand!!

7. I want to avoid the hecklers.

8. The inside of the tune (the bridge) is the part that makes the outside sound good.

9. Don’t play everything (or everytime); let some things go by. Some music just imagined. What you don’t play can be more important than what you do.

10. A note can be as small as a pin or as big as the world, it depends on your imagination.

11. Stay in shape! Sometimes a musician waits for a gig, and when it comes, he’s out of shape and can’t make it.

12. What should we wear tonight? Sharp as possible!

13. Always leave them wanting more.

14. Don’t sound anybody for a gig, just be on the scene.

15. You’ve got it! If you don’t want to play, tell a joke or dance, but in any case, you got it! (to a drummer who didn’t want to solo).

16. Whatever you think can’t be done, somebody will come along and do it.

17. A genius is the one most like himself.

18. They tried to get me to hate white people, but someone would always come along and spoil it.

monk-advice