I hate to say this, but I always listen to the music and the instrumentation first, and then grab on to the lyrics later.
The electric guitar was a big step for me, but I didn't spend a lot of time trying to adjust. It wasn't like, 'Hey, little lady, come strap on this here big guitar.' We took it in steps as much as possible.
Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.
The first songs I ever wrote - my first, like, serious offerings - were all written on ukulele. It's always been a part of the way I write for a really long time.
When I first got a guitar, it was a Spanish, classical thing.
I wrote a song with Kara DioGuardi called 'What If,' and it's a really beautiful song. It's kind of like a rock ballad. There's a lot of guitars and drums in it.
As long as I can remember, growing up we had a guitar around our house, and I was always plucking on it.
The guitar can go at a scream. It can yell at you.
I do the protest stuff. I do country and western. I play both acoustic and electric guitar in a lot of different styles, from loud, psychedelic stuff to quiet finger-picking.
Elvis came along when I was 10. My father gave me a bass ukulele. I taught myself how to play from a book to play some chords, so I was laying down 'Hound Dog' and things like that when I was 10 years old in 1955. That's the way I was. My ear was glued to the radio. I knew right then what I wanted to do.
I can write a song in about an hour if it's a simple country song.
I'm a traditional singer-songwriter. I have a more organic sound.
I've been singing my entire life. The guitar came to me later on down the road.
I don't compose rap songs or party numbers. I only compose folk.
Just listen to all this sweet, sweet music. I'm working the music.
It took me a long time to accept the idea that the guitar can take the place of a singer.
I think my first instrument was a ukulele that they gave me. I used to know how to play that pretty well.
Each acoustic guitar has its own character and personality. On a particular day, I might pick one up and start noodling around, looking for some emotional content in the chords.
I really love things with melody.
I don't want to focus too much on trying to write a song for radio.
I can play rhythm guitar. I know how to hold a guitar and strum it.
I play the guitar every day.
When I have downtime, music is a big part of my life. Not so much singing, but I play the guitar.
I guess a good song is a good song is a good song, ya know.
Music is the melody whose text is the world.
