Create something beautiful!
Would you like to learn to play the piano beautifully? To learn with pleasure, playing the music you love? Whether it is the wish to play your first favorite melody, to bring back skills you once set aside, or to polish a serious concert repertoire — my studio will be the space where, step by step, I will accompany you on the path toward your musical goals, gently helping you overcome the obstacles that arise. An excellent concert grand piano and a pleasant, secluded practice room will help us along the way.
Gustav Klimt, «Music», 1895
For Which Level
Beginners
For those with no musical experience at all.
It is worthwhile to start learning music at any age. It has been scientifically proven that all the necessary musical abilities develop regardless of whether one studied in childhood. I know how hard it can be to make up your mind as an adult. Learning without judgment or pressure, at your own pace, on your favorite music.
With experience /
after a break
For those who already play or want to regain their skills.
Do you feel it is hard to keep going on your own, or are you looking for a more refined, individual approach to your goals? Do you want a teacher who listens to you more than to himself? We will continue from wherever you are right now.
If you studied before, your skills can be gradually restored even after a very long break. And if your experience was, as unfortunately sometimes happens, less than pleasant in some ways — which later made you give up lessons — then together we will overcome those difficulties and learn to enjoy making music.
Advanced
If you play a difficult repertoire and need more serious preparation.
Teaching the most complex technical and artistic tasks. Without pressure, at your own pace.
«He has found approaches that changed the stress I feel toward the instrument and toward the quality of my own playing. I'm very grateful to Yuriy for that.»
What You Can
Learn
Performing pieces,
piano technique
The ability to beautifully perform your favorite pieces, along with what this requires in terms of movement and listening. Every kind of technique of any difficulty, from setting the hands or pedaling from scratch — to chordal tremolos and leaps. Mastering the artistic image of a composition.
«A clever writer once said of writers: „To perfect one's style means to perfect one's thought. Whoever does not agree with this at once is beyond salvation!“. That is the right understanding of technique („style“)! I often remind my students that the word «technique» comes from the Greek word «technē», and «technē» meant art.»
This remark by Heinrich Neuhaus, an outstanding teacher and pianist, perfectly shows the direction I follow when improving performance and technique. First of all, we work on the musical image, which in turn means mood and emotions, the expression of which is carried out through various technical devices. For this you will gradually learn to master your body. The work is done taking into account your individual anatomical features and without dull, monotonous drilling.
Music notation,
sight-reading
The ability not only to work out the most varied musical notation in detail or to play a new piece at first sight, but also to interpret what is written, to understand the hidden logic, to foresee and pre-hear the further course of a composition.
«When you grow up, keep company with scores more than with virtuosos.»
The main task is not the mechanical ability to see notes, but the desire to play and to take in more music, more images. That is, the work also goes toward the student's motivation, their need to inhabit new images — and therefore to read new scores and take pleasure in it.
Music theory
and solfège
The ability to hear and understand the language of music and its components: notes, motifs, phrases, intervals and chords, mode and key, sections, and so on. This also includes the theory of musical form, basic knowledge of composition, harmony, polyphony, music literature and history. All of this gives a better understanding of the artistic image — and therefore a more beautiful performance.
«There is no theory. One need only listen. Pleasure is the law.»
Understanding the form and elements of a composition, above all by ear, is an absolute prerequisite for any good performance. This includes, first of all, developing an understanding of the artistic image of a composition and the means by which it is created. Just as in language we need to understand the meaning of words, not only how they are written and read, so too in music one can feel and understand both the elements and the larger sections of a composition — from individual notes to melodies, climaxes and declines, and so on.
Understanding music,
yourself and the listener
Music is a language that conveys a person's soul. Developing your conscious approach to learning, with an understanding of what you play — about what, how, why, for whom, as well as what the composer intended, and so on. The ability to hear and understand the listener's wishes, to speak to them through sound. And also supporting and nurturing your interest in learning.
«It is very important not to lose contact with one's own self. Before going out to the public, an artist must find the way to himself.»
Awareness in learning and performance is a key task. It was precisely their deep inner content, as well as the ability to express it sincerely (and therefore to understand it), that set the great musicians apart. Step by step, I will accompany you on the path toward conscious expression in sound, clearing the obstacles from your way. On the other hand, questions of motivation are also among the central ones in teaching. «He who has a Why to live can bear almost any How», wrote Nietzsche. Support without pressure, a safe space. This also includes developing the student's taste and their understanding of the depth of various compositions.
Questions of public performance also involve many aspects: the acoustics of the room, understanding the mood and wishes of the audience, building a repertoire, overcoming the fear of playing for someone, the ability to hear yourself on stage, and so on. Learning without pressure.
Teaching method
«Music is the language of the soul; it is the realm of feelings and moods;
it is the inner life expressed in sound.»
Learning without pressure
↓We play what you like
↓
Van Gogh, «Marguerite Gachet at the Piano», 1890
In the lessons we start from your wishes and goals — whether that is playing a particular piece, raising your level, or simply taking a rewarding break from work in a calm and pleasant setting.
Hand positioning from scratch and mastering musical notation happen in a relaxed atmosphere.
We can also go deeper — exploring what feelings the music stirs in you, what you would like to express with your playing, and how to convey it to the listener.
If you have played before, we will continue from where you left off; and if that experience was negative, I will help you overcome it and play with pleasure again.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is worthwhile to start learning music at any age. It has been scientifically proven that the necessary musical skills develop in anyone, regardless of natural predisposition.
An ear for music develops at any age. The belief that you must possess some natural ear in order to study is a myth left over from the Soviet music school.
In the lesson, special methods are used to help you overcome a negative past experience and play without negative emotions.
The main form of learning is the lesson, not homework. The work is built individually and at your own pace, without judgment or pressure.
«I want to say that Yuriy is a wonderful teacher, a true professional and a master of his craft... I confidently recommend him to anyone who wants to learn to play...»
The Studio
The studio is located near Akademicheskaya metro station (a 10-minute walk) or Krymskaya metro station (the tram runs practically to the door). It is a separate space with a top-class concert grand piano, where no one will disturb your immersion in music. There is a separate room where accompanying family members can wait.
Lesson Details
Format
In person or online
Duration
50 minutes
Price
40 USD
Contact
The best way to start is with a free 20-minute phone consultation, where we can discuss your aims and goals, you can ask any questions, and we will see whether I can help you.
Book a Consultation
Leave your details and I'll call you back (your information is never shared with third parties).
How to Reach Me
Address: Bolshaya Cheryomushkinskaya St., 20, bldg. 4, Akademicheskaya metro station, Moscow
Phone: +79096900776 (call, or Max, Telegram, WhatsApp)
Email: yurgus2022@gmail.com