I once booked a gig to play not one, but two Beethoven symphonies in two weeks. I had been craving an opportunity like this for a while. Plus, this music was in my bones. I knew each melody and rhythm by heart; its musical impulse coursed through my veins. I saw the call and said yes, with total confidence. Except for one tiny detail. I hadn't picked up my instrument and played anything more than a C major scale in three months.