ipod stops playing then skips songs

Over the past couple of weeks, my iPod Classic (6th Gen 160GB) has begun suddenly stopping play--sometimes in the middle of a song, sometimes after a song has finished--and then there's a silence, usually lasting several minutes. Then, it starts playing again. However, when I check the iPod during the silence, I can click the << button and notice that 2, 3, up to a dozen songs may have been "skipped" as though the iPod had been playing continuously. Even when I've "turned off" the iPod, there may be a number of "skipped" songs when I turn the iPod back on. (Also, this can happen when I've got the "Hold" feature enabled.)

Sometimes, I can hit the << and the >> buttons, going back and forward, and the songs will start playing again after a minute or so; other times, nothing happens. And the frequency this happens is erratic: Sometimes, it will happen 3 or 4 times over the course of a day (I'm using the iPod at work), happening every few hours; other times, it might happen once and when it "corrects," it's good for the rest of the day.

Does anyone have an idea of what might be causing this? I attached the iPod to my computer (without syncing the music) to check for new software or any updates but the results said I had the latest software. Given the way some songs in my library have brief pauses as part of the song, it's a bit of a worry ANY time there's a brief silence because I don't know if the iPod is acting up or if it's part of the song.