The Music Piles are back

Those who know me know that I love my piles of music. Well, not necessarily that I love them. I do love it more when my music room is neat and tidy and the floor is visible, but I also love my sheet music. And there is a lot of it.

As I’ve said before I buy music the way some women buy shoes. And yes, I have been known to stand in front of my bulging shelves of the stuff and declare I simply have nothing  to play.

To my credit I have had things under control lately. I had at long last abandoned the notion that I would find an entire hour to sit, sort and file and had been taking the Baby steps approach (thanks Flylady!). So with ten minutes here and ten minutes there I got it done. I was even good enough to cultivate the habit of putting music back on the shelf when I had finished with it. Whenever I got excited while teaching and pulled examples and follow on pieces off the shelf I made myself put it all away. There and then. Radical. Well, for me at least.

But the piles have regrouped and launched a new attack on my floor space. In my defence though I have had good reason for not countering their return. No, really…

It all started with Valentine’s Day. Yes, I know that was a while ago now but please cut me some slack here. I had a three hour gig for a Valentine’s Day dinner. That meant three hours of love songs required. My gig folders already contained a healthy smattering of the soppy stuff, but more was needed to fill in the time.

This I actually didn’t mind as it meant an opportunity to revisit some old faves and refresh the folders with something new. For my own sanity as much as anything. Change is as good as a holiday!

So out came my massive expanding file of love songs and dedications. Everything from ‘Annie’s Song’ to ‘You’re still the one’. (All the music is filed alphabetically by title and so I couldn’t quite make it an A-Z as I don’t own a love song starting with Z. I don’t even know a love song starting with Z. Anyone?)

I ended up with a goodly collection of charts. The gig went fine and then there was a huge pile of music to put back. Alphabetically.

‘So’, I reasoned, staring at the pile. ‘There’s a lot there I really should record soundbites for to put on the website.’ And there was my way out. I didn’t need to put the music away at that moment because I could go through it all piece by piece to see if it’s already on the website. And then determine if it should be on the website. And then either record it and then file it. Or just file it. Great!

Only I haven’t done any of it.

But I will.

Really.

Tomorrow.

Perhaps…

A time to tidy

Hard at work again trying to keep my music under control. I often say that I buy music the way some women buy shoes, and certainly never tire of a new purchase. It’s all there- the thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the purchase, and of course the joy of discovering what this new music is all about. Ah, the possibilities!

I do love ordering music from overseas as well, when anticipation is heightened by the wait for the postal system to do its thing. Then, almost unexpectedly, it arrives one day in the letter box.

And oh, the fun of opening the parcel and the savouring of the look and feel of the score. It’s just like Christmas. Or maybe I need to get out more…

I have to say though that I do love the convenience of online downloads, especially when it comes to wedding requests. Very, very easy. Very, very convenient. But then there is that whole issue of instant gratification. It just doesn’t feel as exciting as waiting for an order to come.

Now I really must explain to readers in faraway climes that the harp world is Melbourne is small. Really small. So the option of popping down the street to the local neighbourhood music store and picking up a copy of the Britten Suite for Harp just doesn’t happen. Which is very annoying. And not just because we always have to wait for our music- as I said above that can be the fun part. But we here in Melbourne miss out on the chance to browse. To potter. To flick through and get a feel for a piece.

Nope- it’s pot luck everytime.

Once the music actually arrives there is of course a strong feeling of trepidation. What is this thing like? So it’s off to the harp for a bit of a play through, a chance to feel under the fingers what the music is all about. Will it suit the purpose for which it was bought? Or will it sit on the shelf a while waiting for the perfect performance opportunity?

But sitting on the shelf can actually be a bit of a problem. I am inclined to get a bit carried away when putting a programme together or when referring to different music while teaching, and it all gets pulled off the shelf. Putting it back on the shelf always seems so much harder and nowhere near as much fun!

And so my beloved piles of music develop, and try as I might they just keep growing. But like a man in his shed, I do know where everything is. Really…