Oh how I wish I could play by ear but I would settle for being able to memorize songs.

I can sight read quite well, at least to play to my level and amuse myself and even entertain others. However my eyes stay glued to the music and I never need to glance at my hands. Some people envy the way I play because I can pick up a sheet of music and make it sound reasonable right away. On the other hand I am lost without the music in front of me which means I also have an issue with having to turn the page smartly to avoid losing the continuity. I have been playing piano for 60 years and have only managed to memorize three songs in that time and even then if I stop in the middle I have to go back to the beginning to restart! I used to play at parties as a teenager before record players were common so I always carried my music with me just in case there was a piano.

I have the opportunity to play using BIAB for gatherings at our retirement community this winter and have been busy copying all the pieces that I might play and putting them inside sheet protectors in three ring binders. The sheet protectors slide over each other so it makes turning the page much quicker. I have created BIAB files for all the songs in my binders and some of them are compilations of different songs that flow from one to the other with different styles and tempos.

Does anyone else with my "affliction" play in public and how do you handle the problem of only playing from the music?

Thanks
Tony