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Sometimes learning can be accidental. You might be studying one subject and something completely different will sneak out and say, "Howdy!" I know this to be true, because it happened to me during a private lesson with Stu Hamm.

When I first came to Los Angeles, I was fortunate enough to meet Stuart and become one of his students. Right away, he began to help me to become a much better and more expressive player. He taught me that technique without expression is just gymnastics and doesn't have anything to do with playing meaningful music. For that, I can't thank him enough.

But the most valuable lesson Stuart taught me came after one of our lessons had just finished. His second album, Kings of Sleep [Relativity], had just been released, and we were talking about how he wrote the material. As Stu was outlining his approach to composing, he asked me if I read much. I thought he meant reading music, and I said yes. As the conversation went on, however, I realized he was talking about reading books-specifically, fiction. He told me that sometimes he'll get an inspiration for a groove or a melody when he's reading, and he played me songs that were inspired by novels.

In the past, I've talked about creating music that's inspired by images and sounds, but this exercise requires that you respond to your own imagination. Why is this unique? Well, for one thing, your interpretation of a printed description is likely to be quite different from someone else's. Maybe you saw the hero as a valiant, powerful man but your friend saw him as an egotistical jerk. Since your visualizations were different, your "soundtracks" would be different.

Whether you love it or hate it, we're in an era that leaves little to the imagination. Think about it: You used to be scared by the old black & white monster movies like Dracula and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, even though they never showed anyone actually getting killed. Your mind filled in the images, and that was often much more horrifying than anything that could have been filmed. (At least it was in my mind.) Nowadays they not only show the monster grabbing the victim, they show it ripping off the poor guy's head, with blood spurting everywhere. It doesn't take much creativity on your part-and as you know, creativity is a muscle that must be used or it will weaken.

So, the next time you get frustrated musically-buy a book! Think of it this way: You can't paint when you run out of paint, and you can't create when you run out of creativity. For a "refill," look to the world of literature. I recommend the following:

• Mystery novels
• Comic Books (Come on! Give Spiderman a theme song!)
• Science fiction (Stu recommends Philip K. Dick and William Gibson.)
• Anything by Stephen King or Clive Barker that you haven't seen as a movie.

This is one of my favorite exercises, and I'm interested in what you come up with. If you try this, please send me a tape of your "soundtrack." Be sure to tell me what the inspiration was, so I can read along. (And, since I lose my car keys every day, don't expect me to return your tape!) Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to my book.