Stefan Tallis

I offer a first free lesson for us to get to know each other better. Here, I will get a good understanding of your level, what type of music you want to learn and your schedule so we can organise a consistent timetable with clear lesson plans.
In general, my lessons will have 3 key aspects: Technical exercises, Learning Music and Theory. These will work together with the objective of developing you as a strong, versatile and independent pianist. Technical exercises will include scales, arpeggios and other passages built for developing finger dexterity, articulation and strength. The music we learn and the way we learn it will be heavily dependent on your taste, I like to encourage my students to learn to read music - which is something that should not be feared! - for classical music it is essential, however, for more modern styles such as jazz and pop I can cater to your wishes. Finally, theory is something that students may see as a boring subject involving books and revision however I do not approach it with this manner. Rather than spending a dedicated amount of time on the subject, I like to implement theoretical knowledge throughout our lesson in relation to what we are doing. This way you gain a clear awareness of what you are playing: how the harmony functions in your music and what makes the melody so strong. Additionally, It will give you the keys to learning how to improvise and potentially compose music your own.

Most importantly I will teach you how to practice effectively, something that is overlooked by many students leading them to frustration and sometimes quitting. You do not need to spend countless hours with repetitive practice, but rather, spend short well structured sessions with clear objectives and you will see rapid growth in your playing.