Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and ALL in One Adult Piano Course Book #1

So I just started taking lessons, I have 4 weeks in and I using this book too. After 4 weeks I'm on page 54( Money Can't Buy Everything). I'm very happy with how far I have came in 4 short weeks.

Hi, manitobagirl! Welcome. "Money Can't Buy Everything" was a fun song. You are doing great for 4 weeks.

Thank you Mom3gram. I'm kind of shocked as to where I'm all ready since every school music teacher I had growing up said I had no music talent. LOL. With that being said, I still am not sing, so that could be another matter altogether.

Hey everyone,
I hope everyone is doing well... I just got my "Greatest hits, book 1" and just finished "Beauty and the Beast" and now working on "A Whole New World". In my All-in-one book, I'm working on "The Can-Can" song...it's tricky. Playing the hands separately is no problem...together at the same time is the hard part.

Angelojf, congratulations on your progress!

Manitobagirl, congratulations to you, as well! You've really progressed quickly. BTW, it makes me so sad/mad when I hear people say music teachers told them they didn't have any talent. We are all musical; some of may have some inborn ease of learning, but we can all learn - so good for you! I think many times music teachers who say those things are really saying they can't teach you. (The lack is on the teacher's side, not the student's.)

Hi Romolo, yep, the Can-Can is definitely a tricky one for hands together. I wrote an article about practicing hands together that might be helpful -- http://www.you-can-play-piano.com/practicing-hands-together.html. I talk a bit about the complexity of putting hands together and how to break it down in order to allow your body and mind to learn what's needed to play the song.

Hope everyone is having a good start to the week!

Best,

Kim

I'm looking at getting the Greatest Hit book too, but I'm having a hard time finding it in my city. I'm hoping to order one in, if not I guess I will be ordering it on-line. I'm can't wait to get it. Can someone tell me the best place to order one from?

I really like Sheet Music Plus. Cheap shipping and I've never had a problem!

That's a good article! I must bear that in mind. I always want to start to fast.

Welcome aboard manitobagirl!

Congrats angelojf.

Has anyone heard how barbva is doing?

Manitobagirl....I got my "Greatest Hits" book along with 2 Christmas books from sheetmusicplus.com
It's a really good site. The shipping to Canada wasn't that much and it was fast. I ordered my books on a Friday and it was here on the following Thursday...less than a week. And they even gave me a coupon for my next purchase...it was only $1.50 off but the books are only like 8 bucks anyways so that's still good. I only ordered from there cuz amazon didn't have all the books I wanted.

Pianoteacherkim...thanks for the article
I will definitely keep those tips in mind

Thank you Romolo. I will give them a try, I love coupons. Which Christmas book did you buy? I'm looking for a Christmas book that both me and my husband can play (he is learning the Guitar) from for this upcoming Christmas.

Manitobagirl...
I got this one...
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store...amp;cm_re=289.1.4-_-Results+Item-_-Title

and the Level 2 book as well.

So after using Alfred's Basic Book for a few days, I believe I'm moving steadily through it. Easier to follow this book than I expected to tell the truth. Great book.

However, I had a questions concerning slurs/legato. From what I understand (plus reading through some posts) a slur is done when you press the next key before releasing the key that is already pressed to give a connected sound. So if a slur is over a group of notes, then you use this method for each note in the phrase?

Also what about if there are two notes they are the same next to each other within the phrase. How would you make them sound connected? Love Somebody! would be an example where in the first measure there is a slur over G-B-D-D (Page 31 in Alfred's Basic). Am I supposed to make the D-D note sound connected?

I was using Bastien's Piano For Adults Book 1, but last week -after reading this Topic- I bought Alfred 1.
Now I am at pag. 33 (Money Can't Buy Ev'rything) and I have just started the first tune in Greatest Hits 1: Love me Tender.
I am at pag. 16 of the Alfred's Sight Reading Book too.
Furthermore I am working on Colin Davey's Learn Boogie Woogie Piano, because that's the music I would like to play.
I find Alfred 1 a very good book and I think to finish it.
I have been playing fingerpicking and flatpicking guitar (acoustic blues, old timey music) for 40 years, so I know a little Theory and I just need a very simple piano book. That's why I like Alfred's Basic Adult.
Of course it is simple, but not easy for me, as I do not have a teacher.
Thanks to everybody for this inspiring Topic! :-)

Welcome Azk and Boogieman.

I'll let others answer you slur question Azk but if the same note is connected with a curved line it's a "tie" as opposed to a "slur" and it would just be held for the duration of the combined count. My belief is that you are right about the slur technique.

Hi Azk,

Ties connect only two notes, they have to be the same note, and the tie is almost always drawn pointing from one note head to the other.

Slurs (or sometimes you need to think of them as phrases) encompass the notes, like the ones you are talking about on page 31. Since two of the notes in the phrase are the same, it is impossible to make them sound legato. You can make them sound as close as possible and that is a good first start. However, as you learn as you keep playing, this is not quite the only thing that is involved in playing (or turning) a phrase.

The next step is to start thinking of this as a musical phrase or sentence and the slur is the musical punctuation. Just like when you speak a sentence, you have a beginning and end. A spoken sentence is not said in a monotone voice, you make parts louder or softer to help give it meaning and direction. At pause points in a sentence, you take a breath. You do all the same things in music. A good way to start learning how to do this is to hum or sing along with the music. Then, you learn how to make what you are playing have that same feel. This is important when you start trying to give your music your own interpretation and make it sound more musical as opposed to mechanical.

Rich

Hi Azk and Boogieman! Glad you're enjoying Alfred's!

Romolo, let us know how you like the Christmas books. I'll have to look at the contents and see if they're the same is that older Alfred's Christmas books I have.

Rick, great thoughts on phrasing! Very well said.

Best,

Kim

I am an older adult beginner also. I was so happy to find these forums!!! Had accordian (of all things) lessons as a kid and have now started piano lessons. I've been doing it for 2 months now. I'm doing the Alfred Book 1 and am now up to the Can Can (which I hate). Some of the music in this book is really nice and some I just can't stand to play. Thre are great books out there for beginners - one that I love is "My First Book of Classical Music" - it's not too difficult but also not too easy.
I can play 3 pieces from it so far.
I've been playing on a 76 key Casio WK200 but really want something more. I just ordered a Roland RP 101 - it's what I play on when I take lessons. It feels and sounds like an acoustic piano and I can't wait to get it home.

I finally have a somewhat decent recording of "Chiapanecas" in the can. I can't tell you how glad I am to have that done. This one has been kicking my butt for almost 4 weeks. I will probably never play it again I am so of it!

I am signing off on "Auld Lang Syne" as well... what a marshmallow- compared to "Good People", "LBJ" and "Chiapanecas"

Next up "O Sole Mio"

Welcome to the AAIO- dee180!

I'm also on O Sole Mio. It took me a while to get the beginning and I still haven't gone all the way through (I've been slacking off a bit lately). It's seems moderately difficult. It took me a while to get through Chiapanecas too but I'm pretty happy with it now, although I still pause a little at the top of the second page and the end doesn't come through very smoothly.

I'm just so thrilled that I can play "On Broadway" from the Greatest Hits book so well. For the longest time, I couldn't coordinate my hands but it sounds great now.