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I just listened to a few tracks on the CD that accompanied my Alfred's All-in-one. Yikes! I thought that the complaints about poor quality must be exaggerations. Well, they are not. I can't believe how awful it sounds. I am currently playing on a relatively inexpensive keyboard, but if you took my keyboard and put in in a plastic bag and played in underwater it would sound better than this CD.

But, I suppose that it might still give me some hint as to what I am going for in any music that I am not familiar with.

Back to Jingle Bells. :-)

Keep it up, mom! It took me a good three days to get comfortable with Jingle Bells. As I mentioned earlier, it required a greater degree of RH / LH cooperation than was required from my daughter's book. That's what held me up.

I remember it took me a while to get Jingle Bells down, but once I did I was prepared for the next several songs. I like the way Alfred’s builds you up a little at a time. It is a great confidence builder when you can finally play a new song that has been challenging you.

My problem now is with Blow the Man Down and Lone Star Waltz. I can't seem to make them flow. I have been working on them for a couple of weeks and I am hoping for that moment when I finally 'get it'. Have others had problems with them?

Thanks, and keep practicing.

You guys are impressing me. I never spent less than a week or two on every page.

Mark, Blow the Man Down gave me fits until I started to play the LH like a pirate lifting his glass in the tavern movies (you know, punching the beats in the air, swaying back and forth).

Lone Star Waltz was OK, but not one of my favorites.

In both songs, think "OMPH Pah Pah", the standard 3/4 curse. It's hard to hear a waltz without the "OMPH Pah Pah" kicking in....

I'm currently simul-tasking three songs. I'm finishing up Cafe Vienna and focusing on mastering Lullaby and Joy to the World.


Uncle Mark:
Blow the Man Down is a milestone accomplishment, in my opinion. That is the first song that really stumped me for awhile until I found the way to play it.

When I played it, I realized that the left hand was overshadowing the right hand by high volume, so I learned to play the left hand softer while the right hand play more confidently and takes the spotlight and make the melody sing.

Oh, heavens, I think my family would have nailed the piano shut had I spent a week on Jingle Bells. I must admit, I am going through the book more quickly than I thought, but that's because the progression seems, to me, very incremental. I'm still working on "When the Saints... "(this would be about day 3 or 4); it still isn't totally smooth, especially when I need to throw in that one F chord (I think it's an F chord... the book is upstairs). But some of the pieces on the pages that follow are really not that difficult, and I am already pleased with how they sound.

I think Saints will take another couple of days.

Hmmm. Maybe that's why I have been relagated to the basement.....

Makes sense, now.....

That made me laugh out loud, Turleyfan.

My adult son, who lives with me, (and whose 4th and 5th grade trombone practice I very patiently listened to years ago) bought me headphones so he wouldn't have to listen to me play. That's gratitude for you!

Hi mom3gram, I too thought the accompanying CD's sounded poor until I discovered they are recorded in stereo, one side plays the part as in the book and the other side an accompaniment, not in the book, both sides still sound electric pianoish but help with understanding how the songs go.

Yup, I'm fighting with Blow the Man Down at the moment too. Supplementing with some Blues from Tim Richards, Improvising Blues Piano, Bach's Minuet in G (just the first part) and Fur Elise (Just the first part lol)

Not sure if I'd do better to concentrate more on one thing or not. It keeps me intested though!

It's only 4 pianos. The old Shoninger isn't tunable to A440, so we really don't play it (except for "The Entertainer" - it sounds great for that). The old Yamaha isn't a full keyboard and isn't weighted, so I don't play it anymore. The kids still do occasionally. So my choice is really between the Bluthner and the Roland. Guess which one I ordinarily play? I like the Roland, but I love the Bluthner.

I'm making pretty good progress through Alfred's but I'm not done yet. I'm taking my time with "Amazing Grace". As others have pointed out, it's a challenging piece to play well. So I've been taking it more slowly than other pieces. I think once you get into the book, you'll find that some pieces are much more difficult than others. So, you progress in fits and starts - at least I did.

I do have a teacher. (She's my kids' teacher as well). Our lessons have focused less on the Alfred's book than on technical points (how to play legato correctly, recognizing chords, how to pedal, etc). I think she's ambivalent about Alfred's.

I think that the "fun" part for me extends beyond either the book or my teacher (although she's become an important part of our family). It has more to do with the fact that I'm actually accomplishing something I had convinced myself I could never do. . .play piano. I'm discovering something I had convinced myself I didn't have. . .musical ability. I've really found that playing requires a wonderful combination of mental, physical and emotional/spiritual skills. I know that each song or skill I learn is taking me closer to my dream. Sounds corny but there it is.

Your last question is a good one and is actually related to all of this. Although some Suzuki students start right off with the Suzuki method (my youngest will) my older children started with a more traditional method with the same teacher. I think she makes a decision after a while which method will be best for a particular child/family (Suzuki is kind of a family deal). In fact, on more than one occasion she's hinted that she views each Suzuki book as about a year more advanced than a "typical" course. (e.g. Suzuki Book 1 is appropriate for student beginning their second year of piano). When I told her that I'd decided to learn the Minuet she said "Well you've jumped ahead about a year." (The Minuet is in the middle of Book 2 of Suzuki).

If you really want to focus on classical music I think there are probably "methods" or "courses" that have a repertoire more geared for classical music. On the other hand, Alfred's does teach some very important skills and gets you off the ground pretty quickly. So it's by no means a waste of time.

At some point, you really may want to try to find a teacher. Every time I have a lesson I really learn something important and new and fun. In fact, talking of fun, I've just started learning "Gymnopedie No. 1" with my teacher. It sounds simple but it's going to be a challenge.

Good luck!

That pretty much sums up how I've felt about piano playing. Alfred's organized system and my great teacher have made my dream that much more realistic. I'm not there yet, but at least I know in time its doable...

Woo Hoo!!! I am playing Largo (Going Home) now!!! I'm slow switching between the two chords, but it's coming along. I'm getting excited now. I know this is baby stuff to most of you so please bear with me. :-)

I really liked that, too. It was nice to play something that sounded familiar, but wasn't, say, Mary Had a Little Lamb.

I'm very new to this and a complete begginer but I had a question about the early music in this book. Jingle Bells sounds completely correct but when I play Mexican Hat Dance from this book it sounds NOTHING like any version of Mexican hat dance that I've heard before. Are some of these versions in this book new or something?

Many times the pieces are simplifed for beginners and this gives then a slightly different sound that you are used to hearing.

Ogrt48 is right, it sounds nothing like Mexican Hat Dance, not even a really simplified version. That confused me a bit at first, because it's easier to know if you are playing something correctly if it sounds familiar. Doesn't matter now though, I practiced it several times and moved on.

Michelle

I've discussed this with a few people around here and to be totally honest, I just turned 40 on Feb. 12. I started learning the piano at the end of November last year, so I'm like 3 months into it. Personally, I haven't set any limitations on what I can accomplish. I don't believe that an old dog can't learn new tricks. Kids pick up so quickly because they don't know the words "This is difficult" adults, on the other hand, have learned to put up barriers. The only thing that can stop you from being a great piano player is yourself and the limits you allow yourself to set. My advice to you would be to set that "I'm already 25 and it's too late" thinking to the side and just do what you have to do. Good luck with it. It may take a bit longer to achieve your goal but you'll get there.
MULLY

I'll chime in with an update. It's been a few days.

Saints gave me some fits, but I feel like I have it down now. In fact, I have practiced it so much, I have it memorized. The next couple of pieces (Love Somebody!, A Friend Like You, Money Can't Buy Everything and The Cuckoo) came pretty easily, I thought. I still go back to these when I need a confidence boost. Of these, my favorite would probably be The Cuckoo.

Then we added the D7 right hand chords. This is where I am stuck. I posted on this in a separate thread, and from I got there, I concluded that I just need to practice this. But the transition from G to D7 is not coming easy for my right hand. This means that I have had some difficulty with any of the pieces that require this transition, like Harp Song and Alpine Melody. The last few days, I have been slogging through Beautiful Brown Eyes, and I can't quite put my finger on what gives me trouble with it.

So that's where I am. If I can get some good practice time in the next couple of days, I bet I will overcome these difficulties and move on to... 8th notes!

That's the same spot I'm in turleyfan! I've played through beautiful brown eyes, the waltz and am on Good morning to you. However, I'm not completely confident in those pieces and will still practice them.

For the D7 chord, I had the same problem. Here's what my teacher recommended that really helped.

Play a G chord. From there, lift your hand off the piano into the air, and come straight down on the D7. At first, you will miss completely, however in time you will begin to get it.

This will get you comfortable with the move. From there, you work on not making such a big jump into the air and onto the keys. Eventually it will seem like second nature.

Another problem I had with the G to D7 was my finger positioning. For the D7, use your 1, 4, and 5 finger on your right hand.

Good luck, buddy!