Piano Lessons from a Berklee Graduate Jazz Pianist

"Music is emotion and science. Emotion comes naturally but we have to learn the scientific part of it no matter what. My professor at Berklee Ray Santisi always said: Let's develop our skills so we can support our instinct" As a Berklee College of Music graduate I've been teaching private piano, composition and music production lessons since 2006 for all levels. I studied Piano and Film Scoring at Berklee from 2009 to 2013. I have studied with Diana Krall and Keith Jarret's teacher Ray Santisi at Berklee. I worked with FKA Twigs as a piano coach for her single “Cellophane”. I released my own album with with John Patitucci and Claudio Ragazzi. I have composed many TV shows appearing in Discovery Channel, NBC, FOX and many others. I can teach you how to play in any genre from classical, to jazz to pop/rock. I emphasize in teaching piano combined with theory. I look forward to helping you reach your goals! "Oguz's piano skills, attitude and direction as a producer, is found very rare and held by only few within musical communities around the globe." Jetro Da Silva (Pianist - Whitney Houston) “Oguz has written many cues for Reality Tune, my custom production music company. His cues always get used and re-used. That speaks for itself. When I think of his work, what comes to mind is outstanding creative craftmanship and flawless production. ” Seth Stachowski (Music Director - Cirque De Sole) "Oguz's writing is crisp and clear, creative and fresh, interesting and innovative. I'm always looking forward to hearing the next project from his studio " Matthew Nicholl (Chair- Contemporary Writing and Production- Berklee College of Music) --------------------- ABOUT MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY Best age to start taking lessons: I think the best age to get formal piano lessons is around age 6. I really deeply believe in "joy" and treating instrument like a "favorite toy to play around with". Joy and Curiosity is crucial for musical development at a young age. Playing music is like speaking a language. At a young age, we learn language by ear and then learn how to write/spell the words or sentences. This way children can just concentrate on the joy of music. Learning to read is the easy part. The hard part is to keep the joy and curiosity in children. The will to practice will only come from joy and passion. Piano Touch: Touch will develop organically after a certain skill level in technique and repertoire. It's in our DNA and comes with our personality naturally. Also I believe it's the most important thing in any instrument, defining who we are as a musician. Usually between 2-3 years in to the playing it will develop naturally. Playing fast: Hand position is very important. Positioning your hand on piano as if holding a lemon would reduce the force on your wrist. Practicing with a very slow metronome will stretch your muscles and make you a faster player. Only way to play fast is to play light.