I have been thinking about this a bit more. When I start learning a new song, I am trying to get the notes the fingering and the techniques right and I am counting the beat to see where it all fits in. I usually play to the bakcing track slowed down to get this right. I then mix up between playing full speed and slowed down.

At some point it just seems to fall into place and I suddenly get the "feel" of the music. Then it starts to flow. No longer do I need to count because I seem to naturally know where the notes fit in.

It is from this point that my own nuances seem to creep in and I start to play some parts a little different to the original because they "feel" right to me. But there are places where I always seem to land on a particular note at a particular place in the music that was always there and makes it feel right.

Now that I analyse this, I tend to hold the bends longer and catch up on the runs.