What was once as good as I could do is now no longer acceptable. This is the disappointment we hope for when we continue to grow and improve.
I spend this part of the year every year writing rhythm section arrangements for a large stack of songs for the Rockford Choirs Cabaret. It’s always and education and always a challenge to complete it on time. This year we have the most songs ever programmed on the show, so it’s a good thing I’ve gotten faster over time!
Faster, but also better. The other day I was working on a song I had done for a show six years ago; when I pulled up the PDF of the arrangement I had done then, I knew I had to start from scratch. My standards for what I put in front of the musicians has gotten higher, and I’m confident that they can read down faster and perform better with the new notation I created for them.
I’m absolutely certain that six years from now, I’ll have problems with the arrangements I’m writing this week. That’s ok: I do the best I can and later, when I can do better, I will.
It’s a disappointment to have past work of mine not meet my acceptable standards; but it’s a disappointment that tells me I’m doing good work and still getting better.