How to Cultivate Silence

I love silence too. I've got so many thoughts in my head that if I'm distracted by noise, particularly by people talking, you can understand what they're saying. The more you listen to silence, you don't have any distracting sound. You begin to be much more alert and aware, but without distractions. Do you opt to cultivate silence at any point? Does it help you in your work with your headspace? Well, yes, I love silence. We've a tiny cottage up in Scotland and I've been up there to compose sometimes on my own for a fortnight or whatever. And the silence is golden. It's not pure silence because that would drive us tonto.