I'm a big fan of recording yourself when you play so you can listen and improve. With the Free Raisins I record most of our dances and we often listen to them on the way home. It's especially helpful when you disagree about what went wrong somewhere: it's hard to fix if you don't know what the problem is.

I was recently listening to the recording from our first gig, nearly two years ago, and I thought "this doesn't sound that different". I was curious: have we improved over time? We've definitely gotten better at playing to the dancers, matching tunes and dances, communicating, dealing with problems, and running our own sound, but do we play better music now?

I decided to test this. I took 100 twenty second samples randomly from our recordings, level matched them with sox, and went through them in random order, giving them ranks on a scale from 1-10. Then I asked Julia to do the same. [1] I graphed them against time:

Jeff:

	8/2010	9/2011	10/2011	11/2011	12/2011	12/2011	2/2012	2/2012	2/2012	2/2012	3/2012
8					8			8 8
7			7	7 7	7 7	7	7		7 7 7	7	7
6	6 6	6	6 6	6 6 6 6 6 6	6 6 6	6 6 6	6		6 6	6 6 6	6 6 6 6
5	5	5 5 5 5 5		5 5 5	5 5 5 5	5 5 5	5		5 5 5 5	5 5 5	5 5 5
4				4 4 4 4	4	4 4 4 4	4 4	4 4	4 4 4	4 4 4 4 4	4 4
3		3 3	3 3	3	3		3
2											2

Julia:

	8/2010	9/2011	10/2011	11/2011	12/2011	12/2011	2/2012	2/2012	2/2012	2/2012	3/2012
9	9 9	9 9	9	9 9 9 9 9	9 9 9	9	9 9		9		9
8	8	8 8 8	8 8	8 8 8 8 8	8 8 8 8 8 8	8 8 8 8 8 8	8 8 8 8	8 8 8	8 8 8 8 8 8 8	8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8	8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
7		7 7	7 7	7 7 7 7 7 7	7	7 7 7			7 7 7 7	7 7 7	7
6		6			6	6		6
5					5

This is kind of disappointing: it looks like we've not improved much. Maybe a little, but nothing major. Or you could see it as positive: we were well prepared for our first gig and played well from the start!

Julia and I also disagreed a lot; 10% of the time our Z-Scores differed by more than two standard deviations. [2]

[1] The raw data:

Sample	Date	Jeff	Jeff Z-Score	Julia	Julia Z-Score
20000	2011-12-11	8	2.24	8	0.19
20001	2011-12-11	5	-0.16	5	-3.62
20002	2011-10-11	6	0.64	7	-1.08
20003	2011-12-18	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20004	2011-12-11	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20005	2011-11-12	6	0.64	8	0.19
20006	2011-10-11	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20007	2012-02-18	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20008	2011-09-24	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20009	2012-02-09	4	-0.96	9	1.46
20010	2011-11-12	7	1.44	7	-1.08
20011	2011-12-11	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20012	2011-12-18	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20013	2012-02-18	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20014	2012-02-01	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20015	2010-08-13	6	0.64	9	1.46
20016	2011-12-11	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20017	2012-02-01	7	1.44	9	1.46
20018	2011-11-12	3	-1.76	9	1.46
20019	2011-12-18	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20020	2012-02-18	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20021	2012-03-10	7	1.44	8	0.19
20022	2012-02-18	6	0.64	7	-1.08
20023	2011-12-18	7	1.44	9	1.46
20024	2011-12-18	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20025	2011-09-24	6	0.64	8	0.19
20026	2011-12-18	6	0.64	6	-2.35
20027	2012-03-10	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20028	2011-11-12	6	0.64	8	0.19
20029	2012-02-18	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20030	2012-02-04	8	2.24	8	0.19
20031	2012-02-09	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20032	2012-02-01	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20033	2011-11-12	6	0.64	8	0.19
20034	2011-12-18	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20035	2011-09-24	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20036	2011-12-11	7	1.44	9	1.46
20037	2011-09-24	3	-1.76	6	-2.35
20038	2012-02-09	6	0.64	8	0.19
20039	2012-02-01	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20040	2012-02-09	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20041	2012-03-10	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20042	2012-03-10	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20043	2011-11-12	6	0.64	9	1.46
20044	2012-03-10	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20045	2011-11-12	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20046	2011-12-18	6	0.64	8	0.19
20047	2012-02-09	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20048	2011-09-24	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20049	2011-11-12	6	0.64	7	-1.08
20050	2012-03-10	6	0.64	9	1.46
20051	2011-11-12	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20052	2012-03-10	2	-2.56	7	-1.08
20053	2012-02-09	7	1.44	8	0.19
20054	2012-02-09	7	1.44	8	0.19
20055	2012-03-10	6	0.64	8	0.19
20056	2010-08-13	6	0.64	9	1.46
20057	2012-02-04	4	-0.96	6	-2.35
20058	2012-03-10	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20059	2011-12-11	7	1.44	8	0.19
20060	2011-12-11	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20061	2012-02-01	6	0.64	9	1.46
20062	2012-02-09	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20063	2012-02-04	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20064	2011-12-18	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20065	2012-02-18	7	1.44	8	0.19
20066	2011-11-12	7	1.44	9	1.46
20067	2012-02-18	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20068	2012-03-10	6	0.64	8	0.19
20069	2011-09-24	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20070	2012-02-09	7	1.44	8	0.19
20071	2011-12-11	6	0.64	9	1.46
20072	2012-02-18	6	0.64	8	0.19
20073	2011-09-24	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20074	2011-11-12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20075	2012-02-18	6	0.64	8	0.19
20076	2011-10-11	6	0.64	9	1.46
20077	2012-02-18	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20078	2012-02-09	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20079	2011-11-12	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20080	2011-10-11	3	-1.76	7	-1.08
20081	2012-02-09	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20082	2012-03-10	6	0.64	8	0.19
20083	2012-02-01	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20084	2012-02-18	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20085	2012-02-18	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20086	2011-09-24	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20087	2011-11-12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20088	2011-12-11	6	0.64	6	-2.35
20089	2011-11-12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20090	2010-08-13	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20091	2012-02-09	6	0.64	8	0.19
20092	2011-12-18	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20093	2011-11-12	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20094	2011-10-11	7	1.44	8	0.19
20095	2012-02-04	8	2.24	8	0.19
20096	2011-12-18	6	0.64	8	0.19
20097	2011-12-11	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20098	2011-12-11	6	0.64	8	0.19
20099	2011-11-12	6	0.64	9	1.46

[2] Data sorted by the difference in our Z-Scores:

Sample	Disagreement	Jeff	Jeff Z-Score	Julia	Julia Z-Score
20001	3.46	5	-0.16	5	-3.62
20018	3.22	3	-1.76	9	1.46
20026	2.99	6	0.64	6	-2.35
20088	2.99	6	0.64	6	-2.35
20010	2.52	7	1.44	7	-1.08
20009	2.42	4	-0.96	9	1.46
20095	2.05	8	2.24	8	0.19
20030	2.05	8	2.24	8	0.19
20000	2.05	8	2.24	8	0.19
20032	1.95	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20004	1.95	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20006	1.95	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20073	1.95	3	-1.76	8	0.19
20022	1.72	6	0.64	7	-1.08
20049	1.72	6	0.64	7	-1.08
20002	1.72	6	0.64	7	-1.08
20016	1.62	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20093	1.62	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20035	1.62	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20008	1.62	5	-0.16	9	1.46
20052	1.48	2	-2.56	7	-1.08
20057	1.39	4	-0.96	6	-2.35
20021	1.25	7	1.44	8	0.19
20065	1.25	7	1.44	8	0.19
20070	1.25	7	1.44	8	0.19
20054	1.25	7	1.44	8	0.19
20053	1.25	7	1.44	8	0.19
20059	1.25	7	1.44	8	0.19
20094	1.25	7	1.44	8	0.19
20058	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20044	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20077	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20020	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20007	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20063	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20083	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20039	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20092	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20079	1.15	4	-0.96	8	0.19
20081	0.92	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20078	0.92	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20051	0.92	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20069	0.92	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20048	0.92	5	-0.16	7	-1.08
20050	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20061	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20071	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20099	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20043	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20076	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20056	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20015	0.82	6	0.64	9	1.46
20080	0.68	3	-1.76	7	-1.08
20037	0.59	3	-1.76	6	-2.35
20082	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20068	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20055	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20075	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20072	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20091	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20038	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20096	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20046	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20098	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20033	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20028	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20005	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20025	0.45	6	0.64	8	0.19
20042	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20041	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20027	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20085	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20029	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20013	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20062	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20047	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20014	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20064	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20019	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20012	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20097	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20060	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20045	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20086	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20090	0.35	5	-0.16	8	0.19
20084	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20067	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20040	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20031	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20034	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20024	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20003	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20011	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20089	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20087	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20074	0.12	4	-0.96	7	-1.08
20017	0.02	7	1.44	9	1.46
20023	0.02	7	1.44	9	1.46
20036	0.02	7	1.44	9	1.46
20066	0.02	7	1.44	9	1.46