Earlier this year I shared with you my goal to learn one new tune a month. I didn’t do as well as I had planned, for a variety of reasons. To be honest, I did better than it would seem but, because I didn’t keep good enough records, there are tunes not listed here that were in the challenge but I don’t remember what I didn’t know before! I did learn a lot though:
- I learned that I have to write everything down! My new plan is to have a single planner/calendar/journal so I always have all the info I need at hand rather than a collection of tools which actually created more confusion.
- I did better some months than others….and that’s ok.
- I’m externally motivated – although I love to learn new tunes, I mostly get them into my head for specific events or activities…. I don’t just learn to learn….and that’s ok.
- Some of the tunes I learned:
- Fair Maid of Barra
- Caol Muile
- Alan Friendly (comp. Corinna Hewat (to be fair, that was rocking along but I got sidetracked and it’s not strictly there yet, but I’ll get back to it because I love it!))
- Don Oiche m’Bethel
- The Wizard
- The March of King of Laois (which I’m embarrassed to say I hadn’t learned earlier)
- Atholl Highlanders (another I never really got into my hands)
- Josephine’s Waltz ((Comp R. Tallroth) a tune all my friends play that I needed to catch up on)
- Amazing Grace (I’m slightly embarrassed that I didn’t know this cold – but that’s been fixed)
- Auld Lang Syne (another that I should have known but somehow had managed to not learn previously!)
- I reprised and worked on a few tunes including Malcolm Ferguson, Banks of the Lossie, McIntosh’s Lament, and (given the date) a number of Christmas tunes I hadn’t played a lot before
I need to set myself a challenge like this more often because it helped me focus and learn!
Of course, it’s nearly a new year so I can get back down to the business of the plan for 2016! I have a good idea when I could start.
How did you do on your goals?