Adult All-in-One Course: Lesson, Theory, Technique Level 1 (Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course)

I'm old now, but in my teens I played flute to grade 3 and keyboard had become a recognised instrument around the time, and I did my grade 1. Meanwhile 30 years passes with no interest in any instrument or need to read music, hence my starting point is having some understanding of reading music but am very, very rusty. Plus, predominantly being used to flute, where you only play one note at a time from the treble clef, looking at the grand staff is very disorienting. I've had this book a few days and it's been quite good overall. A good mix of introducing a concept or chord, then putting it into a bit of practice with a very short piece, small chunks of music theory with some audience participation (you're asked to write in the book to help reinforce and remember concepts), rinse and repeat. I quite like the pacing of it overall, but it does feel a little chaotic. The issues I have with it are that I hate the "finger number" system used, it's completely slowing down learning to sight read and I feel it's a bad habit forming, even though I understand it exists as you do need strategies for where to position your hands on the keys - I just wish it would tell you the hand position at the very start and nowhere else as it's such a massive crutch and a block to learning properly. Another minor grumble is common with most books, in that the music pieces are old stuffy (presumably copyright free) pieces of music that feel quite juvenile, though at least they're not nursery rhymes or anything that bad. I still give 5 stars for this because it's affordable for what you get, there does seem to be method to the madness, and I'm sure going through the book and jumping backwards to try and make knowledge stick (particularly with chords) when you feel you're not quite ready to progress will work in the long term. I have reached a sticking point where suddenly I can't play the piece, but overall the pacing has been good. I would recommend, but I have also recently ordered the "piano adventures" book 1 to supplement this.

This is a review of the version ISBN 0-88284-816-6. I've made that clear because there are different versions about, with or without a CD and with different numbers of pages. This version does not have a CD (not needed in my opinion) and is 159 pages long. Before starting this book, I'd played guitar using tab, but could not play piano or read sheet music. I'm now up to page 117, so feel that I can review this through my own experience. With some determination, I have learned entirely from reading this book and have not taken any piano lessons. This book has given me all I needed in terms of knowledge and confidence. The plastic comb spine is great as the pages spread easily. The lessons are designed for adults to learn without a tutor. It's worked for me so far. The only downside is that a lot of the songs are cheesy (eg: Kum-Ba-Yah, Michael Row The Boat Ashore). However, they are OK because each song has something in it - a new challenge - that made me forget the cheesiness and focus on trying to play it properly. Helpful Hints: 1. Make sure you fully understand every bit before moving on to the next page. Take your time. 2. Learning takes effort. It's about the journey, rather than getting to any finish line. It's not a race! 3. Make the effort to figure out how to play pieces where you don't know the tune, without help from external sources, because this really embeds the knowledge. It has done with me anyway! Then hear how it should be done by going to YouTube (see point 4), and you'll be so proud that you figured it out for yourself. 4. There is a man who has made a lesson on YouTube for every tune in this version of the book. Although he seems rather weary at times, I've grown to love what he has done. If you really get stuck, seek him out. 5. You don't need a CD because of point 4 above :) In conclusion: I definitely recommend this book. Hope my review helps your buying decision!

I am working my way through this book and finding it relatively easy to follow so far, although I am not very far through yet (I have only had the book for just over a week). Would recommend this book, as it has everything you need to make a start on learning the piano. I have tried before to learn, both with and without tuition but without too much success. I hope to persevere this time with the help of this very useful book and at my own pace. Look forward to progressing through the book and actually being able to play some simple tunes without constantly having to look at what I am doing!

I started to learn how to play piano around 5 months ago and this was the book my teacher asked me to buy so we could have lessons based on it. I did not know anything about piano. Even though I have been having lessons with a teacher, this book could easily be used by an autodidact as it is really easy to follow. I usually work on the book by myself as it is very clear and self-explanatory. If you already have where to practice piano, I highly recommend this book. There is theory, exercises to do, and songs to practice what was taught so you can put the theory into practice. It is really rewarding the feeling of improvement when the songs get more complex and have a better melody. I intend to buy the next volume when I finish this one. I cannot wait!

As a child, many moons and summers ago, I wanted to play piano, but was very impatient and gave up. Now when I see people playing beautiful music on public pianos, I admire them and wish to be able to do that. I stopped wishing, and started planning, and got myself a piano teacher. They were good for the first 8 weeks, but I felt I wasn't being taught in the way I needed to learn. I decided to get this book instead and focus on teaching myself, plus it was more cost effective. In the 3 times I've opened this book, I have learnt more than i did with a teacher, in terms of reading sheet music and being able to play with both hands while reading the sheet. I'm grateful for the tutorials on video sharing sites that allow me to hear what the music is supposed to sound like to make sure im doing it right . But apart from that, I am glad I got this book and decided to learn from it. I only see myself getting better, and I am already looking to get the 2nd and 3rd book. The only thing I would add are the major, minor and other scales in colourful diagrams to make learning easier. Apart from that I'm very happy and would definitely recommend.

My son is loving this. Lots of clear information. Well set out. Handy because of its sturdy spiral thick binding it doesnt close and fold up whilst playing

I am a teacher and order this book and the Hal Leonard Adult piano method as well. I went through both books and like the latter much more for the following reasons: - there's a logical progression of concepts - from 2 black keys, 3 black keys, CDE keys, FGAB keys, note values, - modern sounding accompaniments - the focus is on quality rather than quantity I do think liking a book or not has much to do with personal preferences and personality too.

I'm in my 60's, and decided to take up my dream hobby, learn to play the piano and keep my brain active with a challenge (you're never too old to try new things). I've recently started this book. It gives clear instructions and I'm doing well with it. I will ensure I keep going 😁. (He also has accompanying videos on YouTube).

Muy útil y práctico para las clases de piano, llega en buenas condiciones. El contenido bastante completo. Obviamente viene todo en Inglés.

This course book has been the perfect way to start learning as an adult. My tutor guided me through it, it is very well laid out and easy to follow. Makes learning as an adult more accessible!

Ho provato diversi libri per lo studio del pianoforte, tra cui lo Stark, Pianorama e James Bastien, ma questo è assolutamente il migliore. La musica è come una lingua straniera, va ascoltata oltre che suonata e per quasi ogni brano c'è un CD (o youtube, un sacco di pianisti hanno riproposto i brani) che riproduce gli spartiti. Lo consiglio

J'utilise cette méthode en parallèle de mes cours en école de musique. Elle m'est très utile car elle me permets de travailler progressivement : exercices des doigts, apprentissage des accords, enchaînement des accords. Tout cela avec des morceaux simples et progressifs en parallèle des exercices.

I'm really happy with this self-study piano book. It's easy to use. I highly recommend it! Plus, you can find helpful YouTube lessons for almost every page. After this I am definitely buying the next level 2 book!