 At high school, Taborn studied music theory and composition for two years with teachers who had doctorates in music.In his own words, he is "not a classically trained pianist at all"; he practiced with others, initially playing rock, progressive rock, and jazz fusion, before becoming more interested in jazz.He borrowed from the library "Segments II (Orchestra Of Two Continents)" by pianist Cecil Taylor's band while at high school, but found separating the various elements of the music too difficult.