I can't say that I have insightful advice for you, as I'm the exact opposite! I learned all the theory first before picking up the flute (and guitar a couple of years later), and after I learned to play all sorts of classical stuff on flute, I practised improvisation (if that makes any sense LOL!). I must say that learning to make up my own stuff, even simple tunes, has made me a more well rounded musician, which in turn helped improve my grades in university.

What I learned though is that because I already played and memorized different patterns from various classical and jazz pieces, I was able to put my own spin on different melodies and such, thus improving my improv technique.

If you learn to read tablature, other people's songs can provide a lot of inspiration for yor own made-up tunes. Does that make any sense?

Yeah that makes sense like variating things based on what you know thanks :) oooh btw I was born in toronto! :)

at one point, I learnt so many songs that when i composed, i found i was just an amalgam of all those people I learnt

i stopped playing for a few months, didn't listen to any music then only found my "voice"

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's what I did, too.
I guess, because of this, I never really understood why the majority of "guitar players" I've known play strictly other people's music. And all the cliche' songs, too.
When someone busts out a guitar and starts playing Enter Sandman, you can just walk away and not feel like you're going to miss out on anything special.

I guess there's some merit to learning guitar by using other people's tabs and all, but personally, I enjoyed picking up the guitar with no instruction and just doing everything by ear and by heart. Give it long enough, you develop your own style, songs and even if your technique isn't standard protocol, you still have something good and something you can call your own.

Sometimes I wish I had the opportunity to have learned guitar without any prior musical training. But most times I put that training to good use. It helps me to know what notes sound good together. When I started playing more jazz guitar and bass, I honed my improv skills based on what I already knew, and then from there I able to start making up more complex things.

Oh yeah thats one thing I have noticed since I have been pluggin away at creating music Is my desire to listen to music has been drastically reduced not sure why exactly.

I think that the key is an even mix of both. I have a pretty good array of musical compositions that I have memorised from years of practice and I truthfully believe that it is essential to memorize other people's music if you want to keep progressing and stay well rounded as a musician. However I write my own music and there are some days when I do nothing but improvise in the practice room for an hour and I belive that this also is essential in preventing the creative juices from stagnating. The best musicians (in my opinion) are well rounded, they know how to work hard and practice things that are tedious at times, but they play hard too and have the ability to jam out and create music and art themselves.

I do work diligently though how ever only on being able to play what I make. I mean since summer started ive been playing at the very least 2 hours a day. I understand what you are saying though I think its just not something I am worried about anymore atleast now. Although I totally can see myself in the future.

you have to unlearn what you have learned, young grasshopper

Theory is a tool. So is improvisation, and so is chance composition, and all sorts of other things that fall in and out of the bounds of 'theory' and 'feeling'.


If you can't do both, you're going to suck at one or other style of music, because different styles depend on knowledge of both to different degrees. If you don't know theory, you'll probably be great at rock and suck at jazz, because you won't be able to keep up with the changes.

On the same token, if your theory is great but you suck at feeling a groove, you'll never be able to play funk all that great because you'll sound robotic. Unless you want to make something funky but robotic, in which case you'll probably sound like daft punk or something.

Music is bigger than just "The right way and the wrong way", music is all about "This is the way I am going to do it"