Glad to see I'm quotable (from the WHAT KEY AM I IN? thread), Socorro, thank you.

Pete Seeger used to say "Don't bother with lessons. Don't practice. Just goof off!!" I disagree somewhat. Do take lessons. Do practice. And goof off!! Goof off a lot.

The more you experiment, try different things, and generally mess around with your instrument, the more you'll learn. One of the reasons so many people who have taken lessons and who can read well, but can't improvise and are helpless without written music is that they are either never mess around because they're afraid they'll make a "mistake," or some tight-ass teacher who doesn't know and teach music theory and has forbidden them to play anything but the written notes.

Lessons are a quick way to learn to play with good technique and music theory, one hopes (depending on the teacher, of course). Practicing is about the only way to pin down your technique and improve it (or playing a lot while paying attention to what you're doing, which is called [shh, don't tell anyone] "practicing"). Goofing off and trying different things is how you learn what both you and your instrument can do. Go for it!!

Don Firth