Milana Zilnik on SoundBetter

I've been playing piano and singing for over 30 years, collaborating with dozens of composers and musicians all over the world as well as writing my own songs and instrumentals.

Music has been running in my family for many generations. I started playing piano when I was four years old and have had greatest teachers, including my own grandmother and my dad, who introduced me to the magic of improvising and playing by ear. In the recent years I released 8 original and 2 collaborative albums. My tastes and experience are eclectic: from classical, folk, blues, opera and Middle Eastern, to my soft spots for rock and jazz.

I can perform and record the piano part for your project if you have the notes or I can arrange your song or instrumental myself and create the piano line for you. I can provide you with an acoustic or a digital recording, including el.piano, organ or synths (with MIDI too). I can also sing your lyrics or write lyrics for you, or just add a vocalization in different styles.

"What a wonderful pianist, professional, expedient. Flexible and accommodating. Couldn't dream of a better person to work with!" ~ Deddy Tzur (composer)

"Absolutely incredible to work with Milana. Very professional, high quality work and quick to reply. Would highly recommend!" ~ Emmett Cooke (composer)

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

7 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Milana Zilnik

by Jim J.
Verified
Milana is a pleasure to work with...a great pianist, accommodating and kind. Highly recommended.
by Bav
Verified
Milana did great work on a difficult track, and took on changes i made to the track half way through like a pro. High quality work and great to work with. Highly recommend.
by Leonard R.
Verified
I really let Milana run with a very basic idea I had, and it totally paid off. She delivered much more than I was expecting, and really went out of her way to make sure I was happy.
by Bav
Verified
Milana was very easy to work with and talented in her chosen craft. Turnaround was quick and the end product was very high quality.
by Bav
Verified
Milana was very easy to work with, great communication with high quality work and fast turnaround. Highly recommended.
by Max S.
Verified
Milana is absolutely brilliant to work with. She is an amazing and highly creative pianist. The quality of recording is first rate. Communication is excellent as well. I very much look forward to working with Milana again!
by Rohit P.
Verified
I asked Milana to create a Piano line for my song, and she did a great job. It was a pleasure working with Milana, she is very easy to work with, and gave me enough takes to choose from which is always appreciated. Milana is a very talented Pianist and I'd definitely recommend it to other musicians.

Interview with Milana Zilnik

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: An acoustic or a digital recording? Is there a score? What genre and style (e.g. more chords or more melodies, repetitive or free, etc)? Are there any existing songs, which sound similar?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: To save time on the back and forth communication, please include all the details with your request: acoustic piano or sampled one, the genre, the style, the structure, the bpm, whether you have the score (if not then the list of chords), what other instruments are there in your composition. All this helps to estimate the effort and provide you with the accurate quote from the beginning.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is piano improvisation: taking some simple melodies and extending them into a full composition on the fly.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: The feeling, the emotion.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Usually I ask many clarifying questions at first to get the exact picture of what client wants, then I record 2-3 quick rough takes and send them back, asking which version the client likes the best. Once I get the answer, I produce the final version by polishing the chosen take (fixing wrong notes, the timing, rerecording some parts and so on) and send it back to the client.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: An acoustic or a digital recording? Is there a score? What genre and style (e.g. more chords or more melodies, repetitive or free, etc)? Are there any existing songs, which sound similar?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: To save time on the back and forth communication, please include all the details with your request: acoustic piano or sampled one, the genre, the style, the structure, the bpm, whether you have the score (if not then the list of chords), what other instruments are there in your composition. All this helps to estimate the effort and provide you with the accurate quote from the beginning.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is piano improvisation: taking some simple melodies and extending them into a full composition on the fly.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: The feeling, the emotion.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Usually I ask many clarifying questions at first to get the exact picture of client wants, then I record 2-3 quick rough takes and send them back, asking which version the client likes the best. Once I get the answer, I produce the final version by polishing the chosen take (fixing wrong notes, the timing, rerecording some parts and so on) and send it back to the client.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both. It really depends on the production and on the goals.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: A crossover between jazz, classical and soft-rock.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: All kinds ranging from middle-eastern to hip-hop, classical to jazz, cinematic soundtracks to alternative rocks.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: - Acoustic baby grand piano Kawai GE-30 with a stereo pair of Audio Technica 4041 mics and ART ProMPAII mic pre-amp in a studio treated with acoustic panels. An optional recording with an additional Rode NT1A mic for picking up lows. - Yamaha Clavinova digital piano / Korg SP250 keyboard. MIDI recording can be provided along with the synthesized WAV file, using various sampled pianos, including electric piano, organ or any other synth of your choice. - Stereo pair of Rode NT1A mics for recording lead and back vocals in an acoustically treated room. - Audio interface: Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 - Host computer: PC, 64GB RAM, 2TB HD + 1.5TB SSD (for sample libraries) - DAW: Pro Tools 12, Propellerhead Reason 8, Native Instrument Komplete 10 Ultimate.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Recording acoustic and digital piano for songs, composing original soundtracks for short films and advertisements.