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Home / Kaval lessons
Kaval lessons
I'm Zhivko Vasilev. I have played on stages in over 30 countries, from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to China, India and Argentina. Now I'll teach you to play the kaval, even if you have never played anything before.
Next free slot:
Or choose a package of 4, 8 or 12 lessons
Thought about
the kaval?
Not sure where to start?
You don't need any preparation. I guide you step by step, from the very first sound.
No musical background?
You don't need one. I explain everything simply and we go at your pace.
Worried it's too late or too hard?
The lessons are one to one. Just you and me, nobody else watching, nobody rushing.
Every student is different. So you can choose how we learn.
Leave it to me.
I lead the whole way, and along it I show you lots of interesting things about the kaval and about music.
Or tell me what you want to play.
And we head there, with the tunes you love.
Book a trial lesson · €10
20 minutes, €10, no commitment. Just try it.
You pay for the trial lesson and right after that you pick a time that suits you.
You pay for the trial lesson and right after that you pick a time that suits you.
If you have done my beginner course, the lessons are the natural next step.
What you will feel
A musician who listens and inspires.
I hear how you play and gently correct your embouchure, breathing and fingers. Things that are hard to notice on your own.
You hear yourself improving.
We work calmly, lesson after lesson, and you hear your sound change.
Music you love.
Folk tunes you remember, or something quite different. Later on, if you like, ornamentation, uneven meters, improvisation.
Time just for you.
Playing is joy and rest. A lesson in your calendar keeps you going, and you choose the time, online or in Sofia.
And the sound of the Bulgarian kaval. Warm and soft, like a breath.
My lessons in eighty seconds
Not just a teacher.
A musician who has played in over 30 countries with outstanding musicians, and who will show you how and inspire you.
I have played on stages in over 30 countries. From the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and North Sea Jazz to Glastonbury, from some of the most beautiful theatres in China and Jazz at Lincoln Center in Shanghai to Bogotá, Mendoza, India and Pakistan.
As a soloist I have appeared with the Sofia Philharmonic and the Sofia Soloists. I have shared the stage and the studio with musicians such as Christiane Karam, Roberto Quintero and Juan Garcia-Herreros.
I trained on the kaval at the Dobri Hristov National School of Arts in Varna and completed a jazz master's at Codarts, Rotterdam. I play both folk and jazz, and I bring both into the lessons.
Today I teach people from all over the world, online and at my studio in Sofia.
Amsterdam · The Hague · Glastonbury · London · Vienna · Ljubljana · Izmir · Cairo · Rabat · Jodhpur · Shanghai · Nanjing · Setúbal · Trieste · Chișinău · Mendoza · Bogotá · Sofia
"A wild ride that somehow packs an entire whirlwind global tour into just one thrilling hour."
All About Jazz
I see your lessons and I play finally my first song!! Thank you very much!!
Nikolaos, Greece, after my online beginner course
Lesson packages and prices
Every lesson is 40 minutes, one to one. Online or in Sofia, whichever suits you each time. You pay once, and the lessons never expire.
After payment your lessons appear in your account and you book them yourself at /booking, whenever it suits you. You can move a lesson up to 24 hours before it starts. Lessons also make a gift, with a gift card.
Online worldwide
or in person in Sofia
Online
We meet on Teams. On your side a computer with a camera is enough. On mine there is an RME Babyface interface, an AKG C414 microphone and studio light, so you hear and see every detail.
You see free times in your own time zone.
In Sofia
The studio is in central Sofia. You get the exact address with your lesson confirmation.
In-person lessons are in the afternoons and evenings on weekdays.
Questions
I don't have a kaval. Where do I get one?+
From my shop. To begin, I recommend a kaval in D, the standard in Bulgarian folk music and the key of all my lessons. The easiest start is the Starter Bundle: a kaval together with the beginner course.
How do I pay and book my lessons?+
You pay the full amount upfront. Right after payment, your lessons appear in your account and you can book them yourself at zhivkovasilev.com/booking, signed in with the email you used at checkout.
How flexible is the schedule?+
Completely. You book whenever it suits you, in your own time zone. There's no deadline: your lessons stay available even if you don't book for months. You can move or cancel up to 24 hours before a lesson.
Is it too late to start?+
No. The lessons are for every age, and we start exactly where you are.
Do I need a musical background?+
No. The lessons are for every level. You can play without reading music, and if you like, we also learn the basics of notation: pitch and rhythm.
What do I get besides the lessons?+
A PDF handbook: how to make a sound, how to care for your kaval, how to breathe while playing, and the basics of Bulgarian folk music and ornamentation.
Start with twenty minutes.
You pay for the trial lesson and right after that you pick a time that suits you.
Book a trial lesson · €10Next free slot: