I only write this because the pain on my fingertips has rendered me incapable of practicing.

I was doing my daily practice, having finished the scales and the finger exercises and the playing of the 'crazy little thing called love' solo over and over and over again. I turned up something by Clapton, I think it was 'Crossroads' or something. It is, if you don't know, a pretty trepidating song as in the past I've found myself pretty much unable to get my fingers round the fast bits, so I was feeling a bit trepidated. I figured, what the heck, screw Clapton's solo, I'll improvise something. That wasn't out of the ordinary. The track started.

It was a full half a minute into the song before it occured to me that I was already playing. The notes just flowed out. I wasn't looking at the fretboard, I wasn't squinting at a tab, or trying to figure what to play next. I escalated, moving up the fretboard to higher notes.

Of course, at this point, the surprise pretty much ruined the rest of the song, but it was really... odd. The most surprising thing was that it sounded good. I wasn't shredding or playing faster than my normal or anything, but every phrase suddenly seemed new and inventive, I was making intervals and licks that I'd never really done before.

I guess as a guitarist the hardest bit is to forget that you're playing a guitar in the first place, and get the music out. Everybody's got music in their head, but when it comes out that's a really great thing. Anyway, I didn't get the feeling back for the next hour or so, so obviously trying doesn't help.

My fingers didn't start hurting until after I took a bath. Now they feel like they've been sanded flat.

adam