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Hmmm...it's not like you can have everyone in hearing distance of the tower wear earplugs. :-)

I don't suppose that there would be another practice keyboard anywhere within driving distance?

You never said where the tower is. Is it somewhere where perhaps there aren't a lot of people around on certain days, or times of day?

Can you make yourself up a "paper keyboard" like the ones piano students used to practice on, only lots bigger?

I don't have any real practical solutions for you, 1silkyferret. I guess you will just have to take a deep breath and go for it. You know, if you practice your songs very slowly it may just sound like random "gongs" and no one will try to recognize the tune.

In any case, good luck with it.

May I ask which supplemental materials you've found helpful to you in terms of learning LH note knowledge, dexterity and independence? I may look into it.

Thanks!

Key Notes

May I ask which supplemental materials you've found helpful to you in terms of learning LH note knowledge, dexterity and independence? I may look into it.

Thanks!

Key Notes [/QB][/QUOTE]

Hello
I've given some thought to your question. I did post, back in September, in Mark's Supplement thread {see post one of this thread} on the additional material I was finding useful 6 months into learning, but I thought I would add some qualification.

My view of course is personal and subjective and very much that of the lone beginner. As well as becoming bored my left hand began to ache, then hurt. Also, I can read treble, but bass clef was a new ball game for me so I wanted something that would help me more with the bass clef than I felt Alfred was achieving. I initially looked for simple pieces that offered more to the LH. I cannot say that my choices were the right ones but I footled about with rather more than I mentioned in the supplement thread! I am slow and it maybe that my predilection for variety has contributed to that slowness, but I am not unhappy with what I have achieved. I looked at other methods and etudes eg Czerny and material relating to ABRSM, preliminary and grade 1. I recently discovered Mikrokosmos, the first book of which I have found relatively easy. Admittedly I am somewhat further on now but I think Book 1 might work as an Alfred Book 1 supplement. There seems to be quite a bit of free easy music online that might be worth investigating.

I did work my way about a third into Book 2 and there have been pieces I enjoyed. I may pick Book 2 up from time to time, I may not. So much out there, it is the start of a journey of discovery, helped by the forums of course. For now, Alfred gathers dust.

I admire anyone who can spend a week practicing a piece from Alfred Book 1 and nothing else. I can't. It would have driven me nuts and probably ended my adventure!I have however, several times gone back to the beginning of the book {and others}. I find moving on then covering previous ground again helpful.

It's just me of course and YMMV.

Ok I'm still stuck only a few pages after switching to the G position. I really think that I should pick up a 2nd book to learn with for the moments I don't feel like dealing with this book? Does anyone have any suggestions on books for me considering how little progress into book 1 I've made so far?

hi Mom3 gram,

I did the chicken route and just used the practice board at the church. Knuckles hurt a bit. Now i know why frank wears gloves I am starting to think I am not coordinated enough for this. You need to move your hand on the keyboard a lot further then on piano.
Wend is gonna be "d"day.
Now I really understand the idea of getting 2 to 3 years of piano training in. I have learned if I work the music pieces on the piano, it helps but it doesn't find all the hard spots.
does anyone think the little finger nos over some of the Alfred's pieces is distracting. The more stuff on the page the harder for me to read and react to.
Any ideas?
I tend to read music 3 bars at a time at most.

Hi 1silkyferret, I find that those numbers both helped and hurt me at the same time. Help in a sense that they'll allow me to make quicker and smoother transitions between measure, etc., but also hurt in terms of making me dependent on them too much instead of learning how to read those particular notes on my own.

Once I realized that I'm relying on them a bit too much, I tried to visually blurred them out and just focused on the actual location of the notes themselves. But this is hard to do concistently because sometimes I can still see the numbers. I'm hoping that somewhere down the line within this book they'll eliminate these numbering hints all together.

Just a thought but if they bother you that much then perhaps you might try filling them in and blacking them out all together.

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Let us know how it goes Wednesday, 1silkyferret.

Key Notes, whenever I get stuck in Alfred (which is happening more and more as the songs get harder) I play from a few of the Bastien lesson books that my grandchildren had. I've even purchased a few of the Bastien supplemental books - Classic Favorites, Christmas Favorites and Hymn Favorites. They are easier than what I'm working on in Alfred's, so I can relax and just enjoy playing after struggling with my current Alfred piece. I've also ordered a notespeller to help me with learning/remembering the notes. There is so much out there for beginners, it's just a matter of figuring out what you need help with first.

I decided to do some shopping on Amazon for some books to kill time with when I don't feel like looking at my Alfred Book. G position makes me wanna quit So I ordered: The Piano Handbook, Disney Collection (easy piano), Alfred's Basic Piano Course Notespeller 1a, and A Dozen a Day Preparatory Book.

Those sound like good supplements, Ogrt48. Let us know how they work out for you.

Oops! Sorry I double posted.

Hi mom3gram,

Thank you so much for all of your encouragements and recommendations as always.

Yes, from my web searches and readings through many of these postings, I did realized that there are a ton of supplimentary materials and options out there for both beginner and expert piano students alike. As you had aptly pointed out, it's a matter of knowing when and in what areas I needed help in. Being that I'm without a teacher, I will have to make those observations and decisions for myself and hope that they are the right ones.

While I can see why some people may be bored with learning and playing such simple elementary pieces in the beginners' lessons in Alfred's AIO, book 1, I've been enjoying the learning process itself and am pretty happy with it so far.

As some people here have already mentioned, they put up with repeatedly playing these simple tunes so that they can learn the basic skills, and I'm doing the same thing. I think that I will be sticking to it for a while until I feel that there's a need to add other supplimentary materials. I could be wrong but until I feel that I've comfortably grasped the basic skills first, I'm afraid that I can easily be confused and overwhelmed by adding too many of the other materials.

This notespeller materials sounded interesting. If you don't mind, please keep me posted on its effectiveness on wether it does helps you read more quickly and effeciently or not.

Thanks again for your thoughtful note and suggestions. Have a fabulous day.

Key Notes

Hi there
Mom3gram and others I survived my 1st practice session at the tower. Took me a while to actually START playing! I would run thru the pieces lightly touching the batons then play them. Now parts of Skater's Waltz are recognizable sort of.

I went thru some Disney songs that my teacher gave me as well. After about 45minutes or so of playing, I did the close down of closing the windows and turning off the audio system , I climbed down the stairs.
Opened the door to leave and found a lady and her 2 kids waiting. Thought "oh sh@t"closed the door and waited a few minutes thinking " u h now what do I do?!and maybe she'll leave. She didn't. She wanted to see the carillon and how it was played. I told her that I'm pnly a beginning student but the practice keyboard is downstairs so they were able to see it. The practice keyboard doesn't work at this point.
I just was not prepared for that at all!!! This is a totally new element for me. Carillon players are generally anonymous and LIKE it that way! Rank beginners like me do to.
my teacher and I have never had anyone approach us and he is GREAT!
Now crawling back to my happy hole....

Have a piano lesson as well tomorrow. I haven't worked on the alfreds stuff much. Carillon keyboard time doesn't really count for piano keyboard time I discovered.

Good to know that you survived, and that your songs were more or less recognizeable. :-) Next time will be easier.

For those who are having trouble with the G position may I suggest you stick with it. In time it wont be an issue. Its just another hurdle of a zillion hurdles we must go through. In a few months you will look back and wonder why you had a problem in the first place.

Learning this wonderful instrument is one challenge after another, don't let anything stop you.

Mark...

the only problems I had with G position was recognizing the bass clef.
I had a harder time learning "saints"
now on standing. I tend to play the 8th notes as swing

Whew! I can finally play "Beautiful Brown Eyes" at least moderately well, and am getting close with "Alpine Song" too, although I'm not crazy about the sound of the right hand D7 chord on my keyboard. (Too "plinky") My brain still blanks out sometimes when in G position but for the most part I can muddle through. We're not talking beautiful music here yet, (I definitely don't sound as good as the PianoNoob videos on you.tube) but I am feeling a lot more confident.

I haven't been able to practice as much as I'd like to lately due to illness. However I just dusted off my DP and got in some practice. I have Money Can't Buy everything down pat. I actually found it to be easiest of the first few G position songs. I still mess up the Donkey song. Money Can't Buy everything was probably just easy for me because I find it really catchy to listen too, especially when I speed play it . Harp song is so beautiful for my simple ears and yet so simple to play. I haven't moved on to Brown Eyes yet, that song is gonna kick me butt. Just looking at it gives me a headache. I'm hoping my other practice books come tomorrow, if not Monday I guess Don't get me wrong through, I really love Alfred's Book and it will be my main book still. I would have never made it this far on my own with any other book. I just need some other types of songs to practice when the current song in Alfred's is giving me trouble.

I started the book a few months ago then stopped due to other things going on in my life. Now I am getting back into routine. Got the book out the other day wiped of all the dust but can't seem to find the CD anywhere. Is there anywhere online where I could download the CD files as I need them before I can continue.

1silkyferret, Sounds like you made it through the first hurdle on Wed. and even made a big enough impression to an absolute stranger. Good for you, keep up the good work.

Mark, Thank you very much for your very reassuring and encouraging advise on our efforts to tame the chords. C major and G7 are much easier to do for me now, and I've just started on the F chord. As usual it seems new and difficult, so reading your post helps me tremendously. Thanks again.

mom3gram, I told you that you will tame that "Beautiful Brown Eyes" beast soon enough. Congrats! Keep up the great work.

Ogrt48, I don't think that there's anything wrong with your looking into using other supplimentary materials. If they help make your learning process more effective and enjoyable, then all the better for you. I haven't gotten up to Beautiful Brown Eyes yet but from hearing you and mom3gram talking, it sure makes me nervous.

Key Notes