From the late Barry Harris:
“Are the hands doing something they’re used to doing, or is the mind leading the hands? Because the hands are like monsters— and they have a separate entity— and they like certain grooves. And if you aren’t careful with the hands, they’ll just play those grooves that they like.
If I just think of rhythmic things— don’t think of notes to go with the rhythm, just think of the rhythm— then I think I come closest to being original, if I think of the rhythm first.”