Learning and creativity in a prodigious musical savant.

Preliminary findings are presented of work undertaken with a prodigious 'savant' pianist–Derek Paravicini–in which he learnt a specially-composed piece (The Chromatic Blues) over a number of hearings. All Derek’s efforts were recorded digitally, which enabled precise transcriptions to be made. These were analysed in the context of a newly-developed theory of how musical structure is recognised and understood. The results are startling in musicological terms and (it is hypothesised) yield fascinating insights into the subtlety, ingenuity and creativity of Derek’s musical mind. It is hoped that the findings from this study will in due course inform the wider debate on the nature of musical learning, memory and creativity.