Bryce Dessner

I don't labour over my lead guitar solos; they're better just caught in the moment. ”

My background in music is classical - I did graduate school in music. At that time, I was studying composition, but I was studying classical guitar very seriously. ”

When working with classical musicians, it is important to be clear as possible in the score about what my intentions are. Because there isn't a lot of rehearsal time, especially at the ballet, it's best if everything is written in the score. ”

As little boys, my brother and I used to spend hours with my grandmother, asking her about the details of how she came to America. She could only give us a smattering of details, but they all found their way into our collective imagination, eventually becoming a part of our own cultural identity and connection to the past. ”

It doesn't necessarily take four years to write a good piece of music. It might take four hours. It just depends on when your inspiration comes. ”

When I'm writing instrumental music, I try to find musical and non-musical inspirations. ”

Me, who's educated classically, I went toward rock music 'cause it was sort of a natural evolution from where I was playing with my brother. But I was always drawn back into classical music. ”