And now, to remind myself that this is a music blog
Today I'm looking ahead to my Italy tour next month: I'm going to have a slightly smaller dulcimer, which limits me compared to the one I've been playing. I'm adjusting some of my newer repertoire so that I'll still be able to practice it and not need to relearn it before recording next December, and I'm looking back through past repertoire to dig up gems I haven't played in a while.
Specifically, the Italians have responded very well to my original material, but Renaissance Faire audiences prefer the Celtic stuff. Because of that, I've whittled my originals down to a dozen tunes fresh in my head and allowed the rest to get rusty. Now I'm dusting off a lot of that music and letting the jigs and reels atrophy a bit.
I honestly think that one reason I remain so invigorated in my performance career is because of this annual repertoire shift. It keeps me from getting bored, and on my toes!
Specifically, the Italians have responded very well to my original material, but Renaissance Faire audiences prefer the Celtic stuff. Because of that, I've whittled my originals down to a dozen tunes fresh in my head and allowed the rest to get rusty. Now I'm dusting off a lot of that music and letting the jigs and reels atrophy a bit.
I honestly think that one reason I remain so invigorated in my performance career is because of this annual repertoire shift. It keeps me from getting bored, and on my toes!