I met a friend at Sligo Jazz last week who I hadn’t seen for a year. He asked me how my online piano tuition videos were going…and… Read more “Sssshhhhh!”
Month: July 2019
The helicopter view
One of my favourite pieces of music that I have written is the piano/violin duet – The Wild Atlantic Way. And before playing it at gigs, I… Read more “The helicopter view”
Practice vs playing
Practice should be ugly. It shouldn’t sound or look good. The point of it is to improve a certain skill or technique. It’s different from playing. When… Read more “Practice vs playing”
Farewell Sligo Jazz 2019
Another magical week in Sligo. And it’s not just about the amazing music around all week – it’s as much about the interactions and conversations with students… Read more “Farewell Sligo Jazz 2019”
The other side of the fence…
After a good gig, if you’re lucky, some people will approach you and tell you how much they enjoyed it. If the gig was really good, this… Read more “The other side of the fence…”
Bacon, Cabbage, Bread and Butter
For anything good to happen, you need someone to take charge and organise it. The All-Stars gig on tomorrow night (Saturday) to round up another great Sligo… Read more “Bacon, Cabbage, Bread and Butter”
Sligo Jazz Day 2 – on legacy
Last night’s Sligo Jazz main event featured the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland – approximately 20 15-21 yr-olds playing big-band arrangements of tunes from a variety of… Read more “Sligo Jazz Day 2 – on legacy”
Happy Birthday…
…to you! Chances are that at least one of the regular readers of this blog will have a birthday today and that the most famous song in… Read more “Happy Birthday…”
See the big picture in music…
I would love to commission the following study. Surprise Leaving and Junior Cert students one month after their exams with a new set of exams – based… Read more “See the big picture in music…”
Don’t meet the devil until you meet him…
The beauty of proverbs is their ability to sum up in a few words what may take others sentences or even paragraphs to say. So – in… Read more “Don’t meet the devil until you meet him…”
