Alireza Keshavarz

In my own words

I am a Persian tar and setar instructor, performer, and specialist in the repair and restoration of traditional musical instruments. I began studying the tar at an early age and continued my training under several distinguished masters of Persian classical music. After years of study and performance, I established my own tar and setar classes in 1999.

Since moving to the United Kingdom in 2001, I have continued teaching in London, where I've taught students from many different cultural backgrounds: Persian speakers, as well as learners from the UK, France, Italy, Uzbekistan, Japan and elsewhere, ranging in age from young children to adults.

Alongside teaching, I have many years of experience in the repair and restoration of traditional instruments. My work covers a wide range of Iranian instruments, including the tar, setar, santur, kamancheh, tanbur and tonbak, as well as the Turkish saz (bağlama). To deepen my knowledge of instrument making, I completed a one-year course in violin making in Cambridge, gaining valuable experience in the construction and restoration of string instruments.

I have also taught at several respected Iranian institutions in London, including MTO, Andisheh and the Hafez Persian School. In 2009 I was part of Orff UK, whose approach to teaching music to children still shapes how I pace lessons for younger students.

The setting

A small space full of instruments

It is one room in north London, lined with instruments on stands and frame drums on the walls, with shelves of books and scores behind the chair where we sit. There is a rug on the floor, a music stand between us, and whatever you are learning on is usually within arm's reach.

How I teach

In my view, our classes are not just about learning a few pieces or working through one book after another. Instead, we develop several aspects of the music at the same time. This takes the lessons beyond one-dimensional learning towards a fuller, almost academic education, where different topics grow alongside one another.

To do this we naturally work from more than one book at once. This is not a sign of a lack of focus, but a more complete and structured path. The threads we work on together include:

• · Basic music theory
• · Right-hand (plectrum) technique and left-hand usage
• · Iranian repertoire, from simple pieces to more advanced ones
• · Right-hand techniques: different strokes, tremolo (riz), dorāb and more
• · Left-hand techniques: trills, ornaments and articulation
• · The important figures of Iranian music, and the history of the radif and the dastgāh (modal system)
• · The structure of the instrument and basic maintenance, in the workshop

Come for a lesson, or to look at an instrument

07490 190018 · saz.saz89@yahoo.co.uk