I remember a teenage summer where I spent a few weeks in French college. Kind of like the Gaeltacht, but in a boarding school, where the only… Read more “The last blog!”
Author: Kieran Quinn
The First Sun
For a good few years around the turn of the last decade (2009-14ish) our band Anything Goes had a memorable residency in Hargadons. Friday nights. Move the… Read more “The First Sun”
Knowing your place
In 1991, Eric Clapton gave songwriter Will Jennings a verse of a song he had written, beginning with the following immortal words. ‘Would you know my name,… Read more “Knowing your place”
When you sit down…
When you sit down to practise do you have a goal? Or two goals? Even three? Or do you just sit down and play what comes into… Read more “When you sit down…”
When motivation is low…
My daughter’s violin teacher hosted a Zoom concert for her students last night. A great idea, and a wonderful way to connect people at this time. As… Read more “When motivation is low…”
Handpan vs piano
We had a handpan player on the podcast this week. The instrument was only invented in the last 20 years or so, which makes it one of… Read more “Handpan vs piano”
Scales
When I started out as a piano teacher I didn’t teach students how to play scales. I found them so boring when I learned that I decided… Read more “Scales”
The impact of your work…
in 2006, Ă“rla Sweeney took over the job of producing the series of Ceol albums. A natural fit for her, it combined the two main loves in… Read more “The impact of your work…”
Make a practice of your practice.
Regular readers of this blog may have noticed I have at times had trouble spelling the different iterations of the word practice/practise. Pardon the pun, but it… Read more “Make a practice of your practice.”
The circle of generosity
When I was a student in Dublin I bumped into a man I knew from Sligo on a night out. He was probably around the age I… Read more “The circle of generosity”