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

Wow! I leave for a week, and everybody is moving along so quickly! I picked up my Alfred's lesson book #1 after not playing while I was on vacation, and it was painful. Today I practiced Amazing Grace (kind of a jazzy version!) for an hour. Although I was better at the end, it was so SLOOOOW...(now I am on break)In a minute I will go back and try again. I love this version of Amazing Grace, it is very cool.Next week we start on Alfred's Level 2! I feel like I should get a gold star or something from my teacher for completing level #1.

Keep up the good work guys, you are an inspiration to me.

Here ya go:

Ha ha! I want one too...

Hello everyone!

I am just starting out on the Alfred Adults Course Book 1. I have booked in with a Teacher who uses these books but I don't start with her for another 3 weeks as she is getting married this weekend and will be away on her honeymoon!

I was wondering if you think it is ok for me to start on the books in the meantime? I dont want to pick up any bad habits without a teacher to guide me but I just got a new piano and I am impatient to get started!! So far I have been practicing scales (I have a book of these also from the Alfred series)as well as some theory and sight reading, but do you think it would be unwise of me to start working through Alfred?

I am also in the market for a metronome and know absolutely nothing about them! Any advice or recomendations of brand, digital v's pendulum etc. would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Welcome Kokoro. I'm new here too, using the books and teaching myself.

Oh.... all right!

I've got a bad habit for you.
Habitualy playing the same music over and over. ARGGG.
Move forward like a strong wind not a comfortable breeze.

Johann Nepomuk Mälzel inventer of the ticking torture.
Also inventor of hearing devices for Beethoven.

Digital Metronome, Chinese ones I find are great, but you have to order online. One with an ear plug is good to, some are too quiet.
Beethoven was the first to place MM markings in his music and wanted everyone to have one. So you can see the strict importance of them. Also count aloud with it, I can't stress this enough, talk to the hand people. And do not sing your numbers, talk like a robot.

Ha ha...thanks Kenny...that made my day

Slow but steady progress for me this week. I've pretty much got Jingle Bells down, still could be a little more perfect so will keep going back and reviewing/practicing it. Brother John was way easier for me than Jingle bells -- a lot more just straight chord accompaniment. Working on Largo (from the New World) trying to get my fingers to smoothly shift between the CM and G7 ...

Thanks Kenny, I needed that!

Am I the only one who thinks the last song (Amazing Grace) in Alfred's Book #1 is kind of HARD? I love the song, but holy cow, who knew they could jazz-up Amazing Grace of all songs, and what would possess someone to do so?

Cool. I love Amazing Grace. I learned it on my Tin Whistle and looking forward to learning it on the piano!

I haven't really looked at it closely. I've still got a lot of book to get through before the last page.

I have been working on Amazing Grace for couple of weeks now. I can play it but not very smooth on my chord changes. It jumps around a bit. Not happy enough to pass myself on it yet....I am wanting to go on to book two but need to feel that I have accomplished book one first.

Well, I have a ways to go before I get to Amazing Grace...at least a couple of weeks. I did order the Greatest Hits books 1 & 2 from Amazon and they should arrive Monday. I need a bit of supplemental music, so those should work out just fine for me.

I'm slowly getting back to piano, spending no more than 15 minutes at a time. I've got Lone Star Waltz down and ready to move on, just have to take it slow for a little bit longer (hopefully).

Great job Barb!

Good for you!

Glad you're back to playing again. Take it slow. :-)

That's great news Barb! Slow and easy...just do as much as you feel like doing.

Well I think I've got Jingle Bells under control, Got Merrily We Roll Along checked off I've been working on Largo (pretty close to done) and beginning to work on Saints Go Marching In - 1st version.

Still a lot of work and practice to get my chord changes smooth and playing up to speed. Probably be working on Saints most of the week I'll bet.

Oh, you'll like "Saints", Kenny. Lots of fast chord changes. The second version drove me nuts.

Yep, I'm seeing/experiencing that already.