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@NW7 it’s a double edged sword for sure…. Yes it’s great to be able to grab a guitar at the music store, or in front of your friends, and just “play something”. So maybe try for 1 or 2 of your favorite songs to have as “back pocket” songs that you can play with your eyes closed.
That said, I have found that I only have the mental storage capacity for about 10-12 memorized songs…. Everyone likely has their own limits on that, but there will be a limit to how much you can keep playable from your back pocket. So there’s nothing wrong with playing off of some music or a song sheet (lyrics with chord names above the words). Being able to sight read, or just play from a peice of paper is a very very good tool to have in your toolbox too.
One year for Christmas I took my old battered Christmas song book to the acoustic room at the guitar store and just sat there and played it through cover to cover a few times. It was kind of awesome and I got alot of nice comments. One person said they thought it was piped in music until they passed right next to me and saw me playing. One of my happiest guitar memories, hahaha
So I’d give it a try to learn one or 2 songs, but honestly do whatever helps you to play and have fun at it.
