The Secret of Creativity...

I did learn to read music but I found sight reading difficult, I found my playing was not as good and preferred to play by ear. This had a good effect as I would interpret songs differently and found I understood the structure better. I could improvise much more creatively as I recalled the song in my head rather than thinking about the actual notes.

After a while I found it easier to remember patterns and could change them and make them my own scales. There is a quote by Albert Einstein: 'The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources'. It is very hard to be totally original and there are so many styles of playing to choose from.

I find it best to listen to a wide range of music and when I find a part that interests me I ask myself 'why does it sound good?'. If I understand what I like about a song I can then incorporate the idea into my own songs. I think it's better to mix styles and have an open mind to music.