I also memorize my pieces, Mel. For ensemble work, I condense my accompaniment into chords for easier “memory triggering”. Sometimes I do this with the left hand too. Learning your basic chords is a fundamental, I believe the earlier the better. Reading through the strings? I can do it, but then I also can sight read the melody line and not have to look at the strings (for the most part). My fingers are just used to the strings, that’s all.