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Hi, forum. I am putting a solo piano concert for my town as part of my preparations for my Grade 8 exam in January. My pieces are short, 20 minutes total. I have a BA in Jazz piano, I'm a pop/folk singer/song writer, it's going to be Christmas time, the people here love oldies and country. Needless to say this show will be a little bit of everything. How can I make a smoothly flowing set list composed of so many different variables that still flows smoothly? I thought about splitting it up between classical and then meshing together the other various styles and adding a verbal introduction before each piece. Any thoughts?

I wouldn't worry about "smoothly flowing" though I'm not sure what that means. There's no reason for one tune to have a connection to the next, right?

I strive for contrast from one song to the next. For example, fast then slow, latin then swing, different keys from one song to the next, etc.

Are the people sitting and listening, or walking by during shopping? If the latter, then you don't need any rules. If the former, the verbal intros are especially good to have -- interesting anecdotes about the tune can be nice.

There's an art to this, and it's about showmanship rather than playing skill.

Is there anybody you can watch doing similar performances? A busker could give you tips.

In public you don't want to perform pieces near your technique envelope. You want to be well within your comfort zone, interacting with the audience, giving them a thrill. You must consider them the customer, and the customer is always right.

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