Many years ago when I was in music school, I had the pleasure of meeting an amazing composer named Dr. Stephen Suber. He was the head of composition at the university I attended. From time to time, we would sit and analyze whatever terrible little pieces of music I was writing at the time. I was developing all these "systems" and giving them fancy names and using my "systems" to write. I would explain my "systems" to him and let him analyze the scores that I had written. I thought I was being very smart. One day he told me, I can't remember his exact words now as it was many many years ago, but he said something about systems and approaches are developed because the musician has an idea in his head that he wants to get out and he is looking for a way to do that. Or, the approach could be based on a scientific musical theory that, when put to use, will generate certain sounds the artist is wanting to hear. But, for the most part, these approaches are STIFLING to your creativity. They are usually very complex and take many many years to understand and usually only benefit a certain outlook. In other words, think of an idea and play it or write it down. That's it. If what you are playing or thinking doesn't sound good to you, it's usually NOT because you don't know a particular "system." It's because you need more ear training or time behind the instrument. After hearing this from such a master musician whom I deeply respected, I never again wrote or played using an approach or system. Learn the scales, the chords and how they work together. Train your ear as much as possible. Pebber has it all mapped out. All it takes now is the discipline of putting in the time and you will get to where you want to be.
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