2025 Market Goals

[Tom]

Ok, time to start thinking about the 2025 farmers market where I will play about ten 3 - 4 hour solo sessions. Starting May, 2025.

In 2024 I met my goal of 3 hours, no repeats, with feedback, encouragement and help from you, the wonderful forum accordionists.

I seek your interest again, but understand where you are all coming from. If this offends you, I am sorry, and there is an “ignore” button somewhere.

Here we go……

 

[Tom]

Ok, my main goal for 2025 comes under……

Repertoire….

*** Ditch the Book! ***

Can I play 3 hours “by heart” (playing from memory, by ear, by muscle memory, by improvising, etc.)? Ie. Playing without sheet music.

Task: Go through book and get rid of all tunes I don’t want to play in 2025. See where that leaves me. I would ideally have around 40 songs.

 

[jozz]

ambitious!
I will stand up and applaud if you manage 40 by heart

 

[John M]

Way to go Tom -- You're proactive.

I only see Goal #1 here that you posted in the "2024 Goals". What happened to your other three "2025 Goals ":
2. Professional upgrade which I never got around to for 2024. Business card/flyer, YouTube site, poster, Mic and speaker.
3. A jazz set, even 5 tunes so I can be “Jazz, Polkas and More!”
4. More original music. Maybe shoot for 3 - 5 new original songs. (I play 1 now)

As I said in my previous post, I won't touch goals 1 & 2 -- too ambitious for me.
My focus for 2025 will be:
3-- "Jazz, Polkas, and More"
4 -- More new original songs that are familiar to the audience. I try to get the best Roland 8X sounds that I can "Fit" to the song.

John

 

[Tom]

ambitious!
I will stand up and applaud if you manage 40 by heart

Let’s see how many I have already. I could organize by type. Say, 8 groups of 5. Jazz, Polka, Italian, Americana, Originals, Accordionistic, French, Old Time.

 

[Tom]

Way to go Tom -- You're proactive.

I only see Goal #1 here that you posted in the "2024 Goals". What happened to your other three "2025 Goals ":
2. Professional upgrade which I never got around to for 2024. Business card/flyer, YouTube site, poster, Mic and speaker.
3. A jazz set, even 5 tunes so I can be “Jazz, Polkas and More!”
4. More original music. Maybe shoot for 3 - 5 new original songs. (I play 1 now)

As I said in my previous post, I won't touch goals 1 & 2 -- too ambitious for me.
My focus for 2025 will be:
3-- "Jazz, Polkas, and More"
4 -- More new original songs that are familiar to the audience. I try to get the best Roland 8X sounds that I can "Fit" to the song.

John

Well, most of these will be covered in Repertoire, see the groupings above. I do need the upgrade too, though, you’re right. I’m glad you’re oooking at new tunes for your fr8!

 

[Vladimir M.]

If we talk about market goals, we must primarily look at the source of our efforts - and that is the demand for the music we produce and play. From this point of view, I would not see it as rational to set goals in the form of determining an exact and specific number of songs that we want to play. In my opinion, the goal should be correctly defined as follows: 40 most requested and most popular songs. Then there's the question of whether you must sing the songs yourself, or at farmers' markets people sing them and you just accompany them. In that case, it is necessary to know how to play the melody; people can already handle the words. It also makes a difference if you are a solo accordion player or if you play with a band. I personally have been a solo player for a long time, and my way of playing follows from that. Once I started playing with a band in the last few years, the situation changed fundamentally, and I have to relearn a large part of my repertoire of songs because I have to adapt my playing technique and instrument to the band. I have to say that re-learning songs that one knows by heart is much more difficult than learning completely new things. Well, and now with the topic "market" we also get to direct fixed costs: that is the cost of maintaining the instrument (in money) and our time required to practice new songs. If you enjoy the songs you practice, you can basically consider the time spent practicing them as a hobby. However, in my case, for example, the songs that are required of me (folk songs) are not the works that I enjoy playing (classical and jazz). In this case, I can also talk about my time spent practicing folk songs as an expense, because time is money. And finally, there is risk management. If I have to play at the farmer's market and the weather forecast is wet and rainy, I will not take a high-quality accordion (I would be sorry for the rust on the reeds) of course, but a lower-quality accordion that is a little heavier. A “little heavier” means I'm about as tired after two hours of playing it as I am after four hours of playing my lighter accordion (of course, I play stand-up). So my point of view is that if I didn't enjoy it and I didn't intrinsically love playing the accordion (=), there wouldn't be enough money to make me do it…

…that's my two (euro)cents from central-eastern Europe...

 

[Tom]

If we talk about market goals, we must primarily look at the source of our efforts - and that is the demand for the music we produce and play. From this point of view, I would not see it as rational to set goals in the form of determining an exact and specific number of songs that we want to play. In my opinion, the goal should be correctly defined as follows: 40 most requested and most popular songs. Then there's the question of whether you must sing the songs yourself, or at farmers' markets people sing them and you just accompany them. In that case, it is necessary to know how to play the melody; people can already handle the words. It also makes a difference if you are a solo accordion player or if you play with a band. I personally have been a solo player for a long time, and my way of playing follows from that. Once I started playing with a band in the last few years, the situation changed fundamentally, and I have to relearn a large part of my repertoire of songs because I have to adapt my playing technique and instrument to the band. I have to say that re-learning songs that one knows by heart is much more difficult than learning completely new things. Well, and now with the topic "market" we also get to direct fixed costs: that is the cost of maintaining the instrument (in money) and our time required to practice new songs. If you enjoy the songs you practice, you can basically consider the time spent practicing them as a hobby. However, in my case, for example, the songs that are required of me (folk songs) are not the works that I enjoy playing (classical and jazz). In this case, I can also talk about my time spent practicing folk songs as an expense, because time is money. And finally, there is risk management. If I have to play at the farmer's market and the weather forecast is wet and rainy, I will not take a high-quality accordion (I would be sorry for the rust on the reeds) of course, but a lower-quality accordion that is a little heavier. A “little heavier” means I'm about as tired after two hours of playing it as I am after four hours of playing my lighter accordion (of course, I play stand-up). So my point of view is that if I didn't enjoy it and I didn't intrinsically love playing the accordion (=), there wouldn't be enough money to make me do it…

…that's my two (euro)cents from central-eastern Europe...

Thanks Vladimir, good points. Since I’m playing solo I don’t have the band concerns that you have. Even though I get paid, and get tips, it’s still a hobby for me. Like you, I only do it because I enjoy it. I can play pretty much anything within reason, but I do like to honor a few polka requests. Still thinking about what to play next summer…..

 

[Rosie C]

Can I play 3 hours “by heart” (playing from memory, by ear, by muscle memory, by improvising, etc.)? Ie. Playing without sheet music.

I'm sure you can! You encouraged me to go from zero, to 16 tunes with your 2024 market goals, I will be following 2025 too!

 

[Tom]

I'm sure you can! You encouraged me to go from zero, to 16 tunes with your 2024 market goals, I will be following 2025 too!

Congrats Rosie! Let’s do 40!!!!!

 

[JerryPH]

I'm still at one song... but I can play "Mary had a little lamb" 200 times in a row, does that count??

 

[Tom]

Ok, back to the grind for 2025. Christmas break is over. Let’s try to apply the lessons of Molly Gebrian to the goal of 40 known tunes (tunes played with the sheet music as a guide, not necessarily all played totally from memory). 40 being the minimum needed for 3 hours of playing. Any more is gravy. Important that I recognize my limitations; I’m not like some of you out there that can play thousands of songs off the top of your head, or can sight read your way through them at will. It’s a tough life but someone’s gotta do it!

I ditched some tunes from last year, leaving 15. I have 5 more underway, leaving 20 more to go, hoping not to have to resort to any I ditched unless they really call to me.

Goal: Get 40 tunes ready by the first farmers market May 20. (They really have to be ready before because it takes time to totally sink in).

Strategy: Separate the 20 into those that are ready, and those that aren’t. Don’t “practice” the ready tunes. Review them by playing them on the weekly zooms with Gary. Use the interleaving and breaks method to work on a few songs per session. Don’t ever practice wrong notes (intentional practice). Slowly discover and add new tunes, until 40.

Reflections: Keep an eye on the new tunes, moving them to the ready pile when they can be played, for example 5 times in a row with no snags. Make videos for personal reflection and for YouTube, even learning green screen to make it more fun. Apply affirmations. I can do it!

 

[JerryPH]

Strategy: Separate the 20 into those that are ready, and those that aren’t. Don’t “practice” the ready tunes. Review them by playing them on the weekly zooms with Gary. Use the interleaving and breaks method to work on a few songs per session. Don’t ever practice wrong notes (intentional practice). Slowly discover and add new tunes, until 40.

... and start the memorization process on the new ones pretty much the same day you first see them.

Reflections: Keep an eye on the new tunes, moving them to the ready pile when they can be played, for example 5 times in a row with no snags. Make videos for personal reflection and for YouTube, even learning green screen to make it more fun. Apply affirmations. I can do it!

You're digesting that book faster than I am... lol. Good for you!!

I'll help with the green screen, don't add that to your plate unless you really want to... just send the bare file that you feel is YouTube worthy my way, with notes about the desired background, intro and ending. I'll make the file for you and give you a link to download the final file, you check it and use it for your needs. As I do for anyone else that I help, no strings attached.

 

[Tom]

... and start the memorization process on the new ones pretty much the same day you first see them.

You're digesting that book faster than I am... lol. Good for you!!

I'll help with the green screen, don't add that to your plate unless you really want to... just send the bare file that you feel is YouTube worthy my way, with notes about the desired background, intro and ending. I'll make the file for you and give you a link to download the final file, you check it and use it for your needs. As I do for anyone else that I help, no strings attached.

Wow, thanks so much Jerry! I really like the book, in fact I think I am getting more out of it than Artists Way but they are both good in their own way. I would love to be exploring new, difficult tunes, and trying to create new ones, but I’m at the same place as last year: repertoire, repertoire, repertoire. I’d like to have ~ 35 new ones so I have to keep with relatively easy stuff. Videos will be somewhat on the back burner till May, but I will slowly get at them…..

 

[Tom]

Basically one month to go. Back to the “table tents.” I’ve got 31 songs picked out which will get me through 2 hours. Haven’t decided this year if I will just do the 2 hours I get paid for, or more, for fun. Maybe it’s a good idea to give the vendors a break? I will play it by ear. I have old music I can play if I have to. Plus add newer songs as the season goes.



Table tents organized into 3 sets. Memorized, Can play but not memorized, and Can’t yet play. Goal is to move them all to Memorized and organize this year into sets of medleys of two.

 

[jozz]

currently booking for a 'summer market' type gig
if you can get over here for a couple of days - I can fit you right in

 

[Tom]

currently booking for a 'summer market' type gig
if you can get over here for a couple of days - I can fit you right in

Sounds great!!!!

 

[Mike t.]

I’ve been playing about four jams a month this last five months, it slows down during late spring to just a couple. (thank goodness) The better old time fiddlers can play easy over 40 different tunes by memory, (not me, without an iPad to look at) they play for about three hours with a break in the middle. I’m the lone accordion player amongst 6 guitarist, five fiddlers, three/four banjos, three mandolins, and one guy brought a cello converted to a bass, very cool! What I noticed last week is accordion playing doesn’t wear us out like the guitar and mandolin players, their fingers get sore after three hours and they will start sitting out some songs. The fiddlers and banjos can still play for hours (until our butts get sore from sitting!) I will play melody or add a little harmony just right hand on some tunes and alternating root bass button with chords (sometimes just two note chords) on my right on other songs lightly, more so went the guitars back off, to fill in. Always asking if I need to back-off. I feel welcomed when I heard people/players wanting to sit next to me because I sound good and they want me to come to other jams! I keep slowly making progress on memorizing tunes and have started learning to play the fiddle, this makes my accordion skills feel better!
Another odd thing I found out is the mandolin and guitar players get calluses that makes touch screens like cellphones hard to operate, I had never thought about that!

 

[Giovanni]

I’ve been playing about four jams a month this last five months, it slows down during late spring to just a couple. (thank goodness) The better old time fiddlers can play easy over 40 different tunes by memory, (not me, without an iPad to look at) they play for about three hours with a break in the middle. I’m the lone accordion player amongst 6 guitarist, five fiddlers, three/four banjos, three mandolins, and one guy brought a cello converted to a bass, very cool! What I noticed last week is accordion playing doesn’t wear us out like the guitar and mandolin players, their fingers get sore after three hours and they will start sitting out some songs. The fiddlers and banjos can still play for hours (until our butts get sore from sitting!) I will play melody or add a little harmony just right hand on some tunes and alternating root bass button with chords (sometimes just two note chords) on my right on other songs lightly, more so went the guitars back off, to fill in. Always asking if I need to back-off. I feel welcomed when I heard people/players wanting to sit next to me because I sound good and they want me to come to other jams! I keep slowly making progress on memorizing tunes and have started learning to play the fiddle, this makes my accordion skills feel better!
Another odd thing I found out is the mandolin and guitar players get calluses that makes touch screens like cellphones hard to operate, I had never thought about that!

I tried the mandolin many years ago ....perhaps the late 60's yes it made my fingers so sore !! I soon gave that one up .
a friend of mine went out with a lady Trumpet player ........ it's true her top lip had a hard spot from all the trumpet playing >>>
that Romance did not last !!........................

 

[JerryPH]

Table tents organized into 3 sets. Memorized, Can play but not memorized, and Can’t yet play. Goal is to move them all to Memorized and organize this year into sets of medleys of two.

Sounds like again you have a plan. How are you advancing?