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

Alfreds Adult All in one, teaches theroy as you go along. I think it is a great book for absolute beginners as I was one when I started. Plus you will get a ton of help from the nice people here in this thread.

Congrats, wj3, on your graduation from Book 1. Good luck with Book 2, but I hope you do pop in from time to time as some of us on the last pages of Book 1 will need advice to make it through.

Welcome, Pianonub! As one leaves, a newbie comes in. Yes, Alfred AIO is a good one for absolute beginners, and I definitely recommend it. There is also a new version called the Self Teaching Book (yellow cover) that I think has most of the same songs and theory, plus some extra directions for self teachers. A few of the newer people to the thread have purchased the self teaching version and seem to like it. Pick yourself up a book and join us.

Hi, new user here as well that is about to start. Just received my px120 from Amazon and now waiting for my stand and book to arrive. Always wanted to play for a while now, but finally took the plunge.

Is there a big difference between Alfred's All in One book and the Basic book? I ordered the Basic book based on Reviews that it would be more than suitable for a complete beginner.

I suppose it depends on what is meant by "reading music"! I have no problem quickly identifying notes on the grand staff and finding them on the piano, I'm getting better at recognizing melodic intervals, and I'm even getting better at identifying broken chord patterns. But for me, the term "reading music" implies a physical act. If you're anything like me (and for your sake, I sincerely hope you aren't ), it takes a great deal of effort getting your fingers to do what you know they're supposed to do. In other words, I can read the notation, but that doesn't necessarily mean I can play something on my first attempt, because I lack the technical ability. That's what I meant when I wrote that I need to study pieces to be able to play them up to a basic standard. Playing the piano is a conglomeration of many different skills; think of all they things we must keep track of to be able to play anything! Until now, I've had to concentrate on technical issues such as basic finger extensions and hand contractions, or playing different articulations or different dynamics in each hand, just to name a couple. Thus, I haven't been able to focus my utmost attention on reading. Now that I have some technical skill, however minimal, I'm hoping I can focus my concentration on reading in isolation of everything else.

I agree with you that there is close relationship between sight-reading, (which is reading a piece of music one has never seen before), and "reading from a score," as one does when studying a piece of music. Basically, I'd like to improve my overall reading ability, as you suggested comes with experience.

Good for you! Keep at it. I'll follow your exploits in the Book 2 thread and maybe someday be there myself.

Enjoy!

Welcome pianonub and Azk!

Azl, the basic book has the songs, but no theory. You are expected to also purchase the separate theory book, and there is possibly a third book - technique maybe - that goes along with the set. So you would be purchasing three books at each level.

The All-in-One book combines the songs, the theory and the technique - but probably does not have ALL of the theory and technique that you would get in the set. Most of the songs are identical - with maybe 3 or 4 exceptions. There are people here who use both types of the Alfred Adult series. I would recommend the All-in-One for these reasons:
1. You only have to buy one book at each level.
2. The All-in-One Book is spiral bound and stays open at the piano.
3. Most people who buy the basic book don't bother buying the theory and technique books, so they miss out on the theory altogether.

Whichever one you choose, I hope you will join us here while you learn. It's fun to share our accomplishments and frustrations with others at the same level, and you can sometimes get real help when you are stuck.

I'm focusing on Over the Rainbow almost exclusively for the next week or so to see if I can get it ready for the recital will do a bit in book as well just as a 'change of taste' as I practice.

I recommend the All-In-One book, too - it's just a good, thorough foundation in piano. I also like that they throw in some songs of different styles. I have had adult students that didn't like the blues pieces initially (because the style was so unfamiliar), but practice won them over. I think playing a range of styles is a great thing.

I haven't seen the new self-teaching book yet; I'll have to check it out!

Best,

Kim

Well done wj3 !
Enjoy book two.
I'm going to start the last three pieces in two weeks time and hopefully join you not too long after that.
CUrrently playing scales and using Classics to Moderns book and Schaums adult course as supplement and variety.

Welcome Pianonub and AZk.

Looking forward to hearing your peice Kenny.

Congratulations, wj3 and good luck! Looking forward to book two myself.

Great work Carl! Good Luck and yes please continue to help us newbies.

Ah Thanks for the info. I guess I'll stop over at Barnes and Nobles after work and take a look at the All In One book.

Just got an acceptable, though not without a couple of mistakes, version of Schuman's Soldiers' March which was the first tune I learned when I started last year.

I've been keeping it in my rotation of things to play every now and then, so it didn't take too many takes to get it back up to speed.

This will be my backup piece in case I can't get my current piece, 12 Easy Pieces No.2 by Haydn up to speed in time.

Can we submit more than one piece in the mp3? If so I may submit them both since they only take about a minute each.

Is this for the recital thread??

Kenny
I am still here. Still have work to do in book one... but soon.

Yes, I must have clicked on the wrong thread

I'm up to: "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands"...............

Great job angelojf

Thanks, kennychaffin! (Cool art work!)

Great angelojf! Only 3 more to go.