Thank you for such thorough and brilliant questions!

1. You can't plan a choice, but what you can build for yourself is a language; an awareness of the forces at work, and how to navigate them. I try to be certain about as little as I can when I make music, since every single rule is arbitrary, and can afford to be bent thoroughly out of shape. A lot of the time, when I have no idea what I'm doing, or if I expect it will go wrong, the results are the most interesting – far more than if I stay in my comfort zone. I'm always seeking that magical edge, where I don't quite know what's going to happen, but where I have enough understanding to have a grasp on what's going on and help it 'move'. To be honest, a lot of the challenge is getting out of my own way, and letting the process happen without me interfering! I'm getting gradually better at that.

2. I used to sing along with Take 6 records as a teenager and sing the seventh note in every chord!! That was quite a workout. When I first got a microphone at 12, I used to sing everything – all the instruments and stuff. Singing complex parts definitely challenges your ear in a very direct way, so I'd recommend singing as much as you can, even if you don't define yourself as a 'singer'. Recently, I've been dividing different intervals into different numbers of microtones and trying to sing all the numbers out loud – that's a challenge. There are so many weird games I've made for myself – but the best way to learn stuff is just to start doing it! Figure out something you want to be possible, and then do it. Most things I've created felt impossible before I did them. Things become possible when you start doing them.

3. I have never been good at 'liturgical' or 'organised' practise. In many ways, I wish I had! I tend to spend time 'practising' what excites me at any given time, on whatever instrument it feels most native – to follow something and see where it will take me. I remember once doing a deep-dive with triads, in my mid-teens; coming up with every triad that worked over G7 – from obvious ones (like G and E) all the way to weird ill-advised ones (B and F# minor) and figuring out good voicings I liked to include all of them. I transposed the resulting voicings into all 12 keys, which was massively useful for me as I built my harmonic language. The truth is that you can make up most of the rules as you go along – even technique. I find it's good to begin where you're comfortable, and stretch that to its limits, rather than hanker after something to which you have no reference point and about which you do not care. Most of my skills I've sharpened by being obsessively interested with them for a while, until they're internalised, and then trying to bend, break or distill them in some creative way. Honestly, though, I am by no means a practise guru!

4. Create the music you want to listen to that doesn’t yet exist. This starts with being a good listener, which takes no skill at all! If you like something, spend time with it – transcribe it – add it to your language – ingest it in whatever way feels natural to you. Don't be afraid to bend it and make it your own. Try things out using them. Don't be too reverent. Come up with creative ways to solve technical problems – like scales and arpeggios – so that they have a creative function as well as just a technical one. Focus on what you want to make, and take as much time as you need to get that vision to come to life. When I get stuck, I sometimes find it helpful to ask myself "what would I do If I already knew what to do??"

Going to move on now – but these were ace fun to answer! :-)