"To really improvise-to say something you feel at the moment-is the most difficult thing in the world. If you play what you know, then it's not real. To truly improvise Requires you to not know anything, in a sense. The most beautiful thing is to play something for the first time in your life."

"You have to evolve, or else you devolve. At this point I'm very comfortable writing and feel that there's a lot of juice there. I think what happens with a lot of people is that after that initial youthful spurt, they never come out of it. They either succumb to despair or intoxicants. Part of it is that you have to throw off the narcissism of youth, which is your energy when you start. When that's gone, you have to find another source."

"Soloing is part cognitive and part intuitive. The most important thing for a musician to understand, is the function of the rational mind. There are three stages. During the first stage you have to acquire tools. Arpeggios, scales and approach patterns for instance. Work on the fingerings, practice a line - always in all 12 keys - and get solid on the new material at different tempi.

Stage two comes into play when you are able to recall the new material instantly. Then you should focus on a good sound and articulation. Master different dynamics.

During the third stage... you have to forget everything, and just play! The third stage is all about filling the notes with emotion.