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Hey Jen from Texas – I can related to everything you are saying. I’ve been playing about 5.5 years now (after a 34 year layoff – was not any good back then). Some days my fingers flow seamlessly and others not so much. No idea why.
I still get very nervous if I am playing in front of someone and a song I normally nail goes haywire or I suddenly can’t remember some of it (which shocks me).
About 2 years ago, I hooked up with a local Acoustic Guitar meetup group that gets together every 2 weeks. For the first year, I was totally intimidated as many of them had been playing since teen years and were very good. The group was and still is very welcoming, so that helped. Finally, I just relaxed when I realized that no one there gave a crap how good you were – it was all about getting together, playing and having some fun (Oh, I should mention that you are expected to sing as well). At the end of the day this really helped me with playing in front of others.
When it is nice out, I play on the front porch. At first when folks walked by, I would lay low and stop playing. Now, I welcome when folks walk by as it helps build my confidence. Many times, I don’t even notice when someone walks by now.
Anyhow, keep at it and it well get better for you.
Enjoy,
Chuck