Harry Mack: How To Improve Free Association

[Practice free association with your notes app by making a list starting with any word and following it with whatever comes to mind. Try to be non-judgemental. More important that it makes sense to you than to other people. When you're comfortable to try with a beat, you can just fill space with "uhh" or other rhythmic sounds and simply land on your next word to practice changing in time.]

Music training really trains you to break things down into managable parts. A great teacher exposes the atomic elements of a practice so that you can find the right entry point for your level of skill or experience.