well as a musician most of my life i have a mixed one for you that maybe will only confuse things for ya! i started out playing for many years by ear it has its advantages in that you forge your own style from the getgo. but lots of players who can read have thier own style so its not mutually exclusive . i found after playing for years and developing to a certain extent the desire to learn a bit (only a wee bit ) of hardcore theory and yes site reading. you know what? it helps,helps a great deal ,you can sit in with anyone and communicate clearly to well trained musicians even if you know just a little theory and a little about scoring charts or just how to read em!lots of great players have gone thier whole lives by not being able to read or write music but i recommend it as another point in your development as a player.you will find that you know lots more than you think ,theory and reading lines follows all the same basic principles you already apply to your instrument! simon