The repeat you don't take
When a D.C. or D.S. sends you back through a section that has its own repeat signs, do you take those repeats again? Almost always: no. And almost never is that written down anywhere — it's a convention you're simply expected to know.
The minuet is the classic case
A Classical minuet movement is really three things:
| Section | How you play it |
|---|---|
Minuet — ‖: a :‖ ‖: b :‖ | with both repeats |
Trio — ‖: c :‖ ‖: d :‖ | with both repeats |
| Minuet da capo | straight through — a then b, no repeats |
The whole movement is a big A – B – A: Minuet, Trio, Minuet. The third part is a return, and a return doesn't need to linger.
The same eight bars, twice
Try it
Try
Take a minuet you can play — even eight bars of one. Play the first strain with its repeat, as written. Then play it again as if you'd just come back from a Trio: once through. Notice how the return feels like "we're wrapping up," not "here it is again."
The usual mistake
Taking every repeat on the da capo — the movement swells to twice its intended length and sags. The over-correction is dropping the repeats the first time too. The rule is simple: first time, take them; on the da capo, don't — unless the score actually prints con replica.