My tune a month goal

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:

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  1. 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.
  2. I did better some months than others….and that’s ok.
  3. 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.
  4. 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?

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