I' just not sure. I am beginning to think it is some sort of Zen thing or something. Maybe your head and hands were ready for a change that you didn't notice on a conscious level. But once you had the appropriate "instrument" for change, your head and hands knew what to do with it.

I recently experienced a similar change. I had neglected my guitar playing for quite some time until recently. Then, a combination of life events, (the Mudcat is one of them) pointed me once again in the direction of the guitar. I quickly noticed that I was somehow inexplicably able to play things I never dreamed I was able to play. I won't say that I experienced a major change in style. But I will say that I have discovered extensions of a former style which I can scarcely believe I am actually playing! The best news is that it all sounds pretty good - sometimes even better than that.

For you, the instrument of change was the acquisition of a 12-string. For me, it was a couple of life events (not to say that getting a new 12-string isn't a major life event!). For someone else it might be something simple, like hearing some words of encouragement from somebody you admire.

It is such a powerful phenomenon that it makes you wonder what might have caused a musical epiphany in others of us. M-m-m-m if there were some way to figure out the right combination, maybe it could be made to happen at will and maybe, maybe I could use that power to finally learn to play my harp! (Just thinking out loud here...)