These are general remarks about my own experience, not specific advice for anyone.

As a singer and as a rhythm player--

C. There are songs I'm having trouble singing and/or playing well. These go into practice time.

B. There are songs I can usually do well (depending on voice factors). These I'll perform if the runthrough that day goes well.

A. And then there are the songs that ALWAYS go well, under any circumstances, that I PROBABLY have memorized and don't even rtealize that I do-- that I pull out of the hat when A or B above fail to result in the ability to do a piece I am momentarily madly in love with that I had hoped to do for the occasion at hand.

Sometimes it's just a matter of knowing which material is which-- A, B, or C? It's also a good way to spot the skills that need development-- I have a bunch of A songs that have a certain thing in common, for instance. If I could progress in that one area I bet I'd double my B material and add a piece or two to my A material. The frustration (because I LOVE those C pieces and feel I MUST do them) becomes the motivator to work on the missing skills.

One of our band members (Ed) had a solo planned for an occasion a few weeks ago, but it turned out he had to miss that night (wife's surgery). Someone else has been designated for this month's solos-- but Ed assures us that he always has that solo ready to go if the designee has to miss a night.

Because I am our band's usual songfinder, arranger, and lead singer, I have a LOT of things I can whizz up on short notice that I trust myself to do well (A & B pieces). That's my "repertoire." (For a long time I didn't realize I need and had one that was my own personal rep.) It comes with time....

We don't always know which songs are our "sure winners." I saw a situation recently where an experienced song-circler let another experienced song-circler know that something she had just sung was a sure-fire winner, and also mentioned another song she felt would be one for her. Feedback is good.

One more factor-- what we can do is often enhanced by playing with others.

And yet one more-- deciding to relax and have fun can often make the difference between a wooden skill that lacks life, and discovering a developing skill brought to life where there had seemed to be little or none.

~Susan