I know how to read music and have some basic understanding of music theory (not self taught). I love listening to different types of music and try to understand what I'm hearing but I find it extremely difficult to even identify different instruments, what key the music is in, cannot play by listening or improvise in a way that makes sense (or sounds good in any way to me). So how should I practice hearing and playing things in a more intuitive way? I feel like my biggest problem is not being able to hear critically or actually understand what I am reading rather than just playing the notes written then they sound good.
i have no idea. i have never been in this situation. i came at this from the opposite way as you