When I said "as long as you don't copy it note for note you'll be fine". I wasn't referring to learning a song, of course you should play every note exactly like the music. What I meant was when you create your own riff that you don't copy someone else's riff note for note and call it your own. Catch my drift. :) Also being creative isn't taking a group of riffs and breaking them up and putting together a new riff. That isnt building your creativity, if you want to do that go be a rap star. Puff Daddy makes a million doing that. If your want to build your creativity then make up riffs on your own from scratch. Don't be a rip off artist.