What was that change?

Whenever I go to someones house and there is a guitar sitting around, I almost always end up playing it.  Sometimes this may just be me playing whatever comes to mind that I feel like playing but often it ends up as me playing the "human jukebox" with different people making different requests.  I have found myself playing songs that I hadn't played in 20 years and surprising myself that I could even remember how it goes.

Then comes the request for something that I have played in concert as recent as 6 months ago, but haven't played since.  It starts off okay but then my brain goes blank as I am trying to remember a change, or how to play the next part.  I am always trying to work on new music, either composing or learning a new piece.  When I am preparing for shows I will typically, at least, play through every song in the set everyday and spend time focusing on the more difficult sections.  When I am not preparing, or not planning on playing a song in a set, it may fall to the side.  Muscle memory, being what it is, can typically go into action and play something like it had just played it yesterday.  But then there's that simple song that you stumble through.

Songs that I like, and play more often, I try to play through at least once every few weeks as a break during a practice session.  That way, hopefully, my fingers will not forget how to play it the next time somebody requests it after I had that cocktail.

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