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The freedom of improvising over a bass line disappeared from music only in the 19th century, and we're still paying for it. There's a culture among classical musicians of being passive, and it stems from following the notes, rather than one's own instincts.

— Joanna MacGregor

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More quotes by Joanna MacGregor

Once you start cancelling, there's always something which is not quite right.

I quite like shutting the door, putting the answering machine on and sitting at the piano for six or seven hours.

Memory is the fear, and I play most of my repertoire from memory.

As a musician you can cover everything. I'm not just a concert pianist.

My favorite composers tend to be great improvisers as well as great players. It doesn't matter whether they're contemporary or classical.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Joanna MacGregor (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.