Like Scott, I began to play at a very early age. I was so young I really cannot even remember it, except that my aunt had an organ and a piano and every time I went to her house I wanted to play on it. I started getting serious about it believe it or not, at the ripe old age of 6, when I received my first organ as a Christmas gift. I had no lessons early on, so I had to learn by ear.

Like Scott, I think that I also suffered ... in my case because I did not learn to read at all. I taught myself to read music much later in life and I think that it was important for me to do so, as keyboard playing takes up a lot of the spectrum of my life. It's best in my case to know both, but I would personally suffer a lot more if I couldn't play by ear rather than the reverse. I think in today's world though, especially with keyboards as my primary instrument, understanding midi notation is just as valuable an asset ( if not more in my own case ) as knowing standard notation. I almost never "write" in standard notation, but I often "jot" ideas inside of a midi piano roll.. even sometimes at my other computer.. There are no keyboards or modules available at that computer but it has sequencers and a SB card with soundfonts, so if an idea comes at least I can "jot" down a basic melody line or rythym track for it.