I just had my first lesson in 20 years and my teacher gave me this book. It was such a nice little book to start with because it refreshed my memory on pieces I used to play a long time ago. I went through the whole book in just an hour. It was really nice because it felt familiar, and it gave me confidence that I really could remember how to play. If you are just about to start lessons again after many years, it's a nice little book to start with. It goes in a progression from easy to harder which can be really useful for you to judge where your current skill level is.

What book is it?

Your thread title reminds me of the line from the book by Cooke, "Playing Piano for Pleasure"

In effect he states, the saddest words a person can say are "I used to play the piano"

What a joy to play again. Enjoy your lessons!

Please keep us posted on your lessons and how you like your teacher. What kind of exercises are you doing? How long are your lessons, and is she/he supportive and inspiring?

And yes, what book are you talking about?

I think darb means the actual book is called I used to play piano !

~kat

Okay, got it........thanks!

Sorry to not make it clear...It is actually called "I Used to Play Piano." There is a subtitle that says "Start playing today - you'll be surprised at what you remember!"

And it's true. It's organized progressively and has reminders as to theory and technique. To make it easier and more encouraging, they transposed some of the pieces into easier keys and edit them down a bit like an "abridged" version of a long Russian novel.

It was a great thing to start off with for that first week of lessons. I read through it in about an hour and it gave me lots of confidence that I could really remember how to play.

The authors/editors are E. L. Lancaster and Victoria McArthur. The publisher is Alfred. On the top it says "For adults returning to the piano."