It seems the problem with building a repertoire is that my tastes keep changing or my memory is slipping. My goal would be 2 - 3 hours of music I can play by memory, relatively mistake free the first time through.
So, before covid I was volunteering 3 or 4 times a month, up to an hour or so each time, mostly from sheet music. Over the years I have started and arranged hundreds of tunes, abandoning many because they were too hard, had tricky parts that I would stumble on, or just got tired of playing. I end up with books of music, of which I can comfortably get through only a small amount.
I expect I am not alone in this issue. My method is always to try to identify a core set of tunes, and add one at a time, building the repertoire over time. But what happens when my tastes change, or I get tired of playing some of those tunes?
When I started, I think I played tunes I thought I should play, or that are so associated with accordion (Amelie and Tarantella come to mind). It seems difficult to think of which tunes I will enjoy over time and impossible to learn to read fast enough to play new songs at speed. So, the battle continues.
Anyway, I'm interested in your experience and any suggestions or methods that have worked for you.
So, before covid I was volunteering 3 or 4 times a month, up to an hour or so each time, mostly from sheet music. Over the years I have started and arranged hundreds of tunes, abandoning many because they were too hard, had tricky parts that I would stumble on, or just got tired of playing. I end up with books of music, of which I can comfortably get through only a small amount.
I expect I am not alone in this issue. My method is always to try to identify a core set of tunes, and add one at a time, building the repertoire over time. But what happens when my tastes change, or I get tired of playing some of those tunes?
When I started, I think I played tunes I thought I should play, or that are so associated with accordion (Amelie and Tarantella come to mind). It seems difficult to think of which tunes I will enjoy over time and impossible to learn to read fast enough to play new songs at speed. So, the battle continues.
Anyway, I'm interested in your experience and any suggestions or methods that have worked for you.