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

You're welcome n303y.

For me, in order to play a song smoothly, especially the harder ones, I have to put in a lot of practice. Naturally, all those repetitions automatically get my brain and hands to memorize the entire song. So yes, I have that problem too. I can’t give advice because I am new just like everyone here. But I’ll outline some common sense that I find very helpful to me. I think it’ll also be beneficial to all of us. If anyone has better ideas, please kindly add as well.

- Naturally, instinctively, I want to practice a song as much as I have to. Get it smooth and sounds good, then move on. I want to be ahead or at least on the same page with everyone else. I don’t want to fall behind; I want to brag about it too; so I rush through. I thought, it sounds great, let’s move on, knowing full well that my brain and hands memorizing all the moves but my eyes and my counting aren’t up to par. That’s a problem because when I do that, I can’t learn everything the piece meant to teach me. I realized this weakness so I have to constantly remind myself to slow down, take the time it needs to learn everything. I have to admit, this isn’t easy. It’s easy in theory, but I’ve found it’s one of the hardest things to stick to. If I don’t stick to this mindset, I would hinder the steps outline as follows:

- Counting is pretty easy without playing but once I count as I play, it’s hard. It’s exhausting trying to count and play. And count those syncopated notes? Don’t even get me started. I skipped counting on some songs because like above, I rushed through them. I know I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t help it. I want to get to the next song, and perfecting counts wouldn’t let me do that so I skipped. I don’t know how to fix this except to slow down and do all the steps the book suggests: count, read and count, play and count, play and read and finally play and sing for songs with lyrics.

- Once a song is smooth and up to CD tempo in my opinion, then I practice reading. I can’t read both hands, only either right or left hand at a much slower pace. Then eventually increase tempo. My left hand reading is very weak. I need a lot more work to get it to read as well as my right hand so I make copies and review my left hand when I can. As of right now, I can read right hand along all the songs I have done at tempo but not left hand. I find it extremely difficult trying to read left hand at tempo, because it always messes up my right hand melody. Again, when reading is too taxing and time consuming, I skip and move on. I don’t want it to hold me back. Not a good idea (but we all know why), I can’t help it so I moved on. So again, the only solution I can think of is slow down, practice and more practice. Hopefully one day it’ll get better.

I think most (not all) of us new beginners have some if not all of the above problems.

Good day all.

Thanks, that is helpful for me. My teacher also did remind me about couting and he did slow down my progress. After that I reviewed all the pieces from Jingle bells to When the saints. That helped me in playing the pieces more smooth but I still don't count so I went on up to Lavender's Blue. I thought that if I could just play a piece at a contant tempo I shouldn't have to count at all. I suppose it's the same problem as with reading notes. My next lesson is friday so I'm curious what he has to say about this, even when a piece is played at a constant tempo.
I am going to try what you did though, counting and play at slower speed. Starting with Jingle bells again...

I'm facing the same issues, rushing through songs without counting and reading properly, because I want to move on. That's why I'm happy I finally found a teacher, which will hopefully force me to have more discipline.

I poked around a little with "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands". Lots of banging on those chords! It has a somewhat syncopated rhythm - thank goodness for BTMD.

I'm also working on pedalling smoothly for "Greensleeves". I tend to hesitate when I have to pedal. And it was sounding so good before I started the pedal. Haven't started the pedal yet on "Raisins and Almonds". I said goodbye to "Go Down Moses", and probably in a day or two to "The Stranger" although I kind of like it so I may play it for fun occasionally.

I'm closing in on those two big ones at the end of the book. I'm hoping to finish by February - that would be the 2 year mark for me - already longer, I think, than anyone else who has come through this thread.

My teacher points out that how I try to speed up as I play. I start at a good pace and then speed up as fast as I can play it - until I start making mistakes. She points out that when I get to that point, I not only make mistakes, I stop breathing until the end of the piece. Not counting and not reading properly.

Her advise is to relax - a great deal more. Playing someting faster isn't palying it better. I need to play at a consistent pace where I don't make mistakes.

No lesson next week for Thanksgiving. Two weeks to work on relaxing. Ironically I cannot hardly wait to get started. Will I never learn?

Book 1 indicates I will be ready for level 1 greatest hits if all goes well next lesson. That is an incentive.

Hello Everyone,

I am Will and I am new to the forum. I am 34, and have been playing the drums for a few years and decided I wanted to try to learn more about music to be a better drummer. A few months ago I bought a Yamaha keyboard and Alfred's All In One - Book 1. I had very limited music reading experience from playing the drums, so I was essentially starting from scratch. I bought the book because of the good reviews on Amazon, and I am very happy with it so far. I do not have an instructor, and have never taken a music lesson for piano or drums.

Last week, I got to the point in the book (~pg 54) where it says you are ready for the Greatest Hits book 1. I was quite happy to read that, because I have been wanting something to supplement the songs in the AIO book. I ordered the Greatest Hits Level 1 last week, and it came yesterday. I was looking forward to trying to play some songs, but last night when I sat down with it I was very disappointed.

The first song in the Greatest Hits book that corresponds to where I am in the AIO book is "Love Me Tender." I sat down with Love Me Tender, and the FIRST notes had me confused. The right hand finger numbers for the notes did not seem to line up with either the middle C position or the G position that had been covered so far in the AIO book. So far in the AIO book, I have been mentally assigning a note on the staff to the corresponding finger to play the note. Now, with Love Me Tender, it seems like assigning a note to a finger won't work, and that I should have been assigning a note to a key and remembering where that key is - not remembering which finger it is under.

Anyway, I was feeling really good about my progress through the book, but now I think I may have been doing it wrong all along. My confidence is crushed at this point, and I am not sure how I should proceed. I was hoping to find a support group - aka Online Forum - that had some other people that where using the book. I never dreamed I would find a forum like this one. Google brought me right to it, and I joined up right away. First, I hope that I explained my problem clearly enough so that others will understand, and second I hope someone can give me some guidance on how I should proceed.

I am sorry that my introduction has turned into my first question, but I am just happy to have found this forum.

Will

I found that the pieces in the "Greatest Hits", and the "Pop Songbook" are considerably harder than the ones in the lesson book, and that I was definitely not ready for them at the point where the lesson book said I would be. I don't think what you are experiencing is unusual at all. I haven't really played much from them after my first few attempts because I have my hands full with the lesson book, but I do play around with the "Pop Songbook" once in a while. When I finish my AIO Book 1, I want to work up a few more songs in the supplemental books before getting too involved with Book 2. Wait a month or so and try the "Greatest Hits" again.

One problem may be that the entry on p.54 is a missprint which should have been included later in the book.

Welcome Will. It's ok, your intruction is good. We enjoy seeing new faces and when you have a question, even better, it gets everyone involved.

Back to your question. I agree with mom3gram. The supplemental books that the method book suggests are much harder. It's sad you feel crushed but don't be. Keep in mind that Alfred's methods or any methods are meant to go with guidance of an instructor. With an instructor, I'm sure he or she can assist you tackle this piece. If you don't have the mean to have an instructor or choose to go it alone for now, it will require a lot of discipline, hard work, and patience to tackle any piece. Be patient, maybe wait a little longer when you get toward the end of the book and see how you do with them. If I were you, I would also go back and review reading and counting. If I understand your message correctly, it seems you are assigning numbers to fingers instead of reading those notes and assign the notes to certain fingers by referencing the suggested numbers.

Stay upbeat. Be positive.

Hi Wil, the songs in the Greatest Hits book are *definitely* harder than the corresponding sections of the regular book, but I strongly recommend trying them out. They will take you a longer time, but it's well worth the effort.

I know exactly what you mean about Love Me Tender; the fingering requires both hands to be in a position so that BOTH thumbs are on the same key - Middle D. For every key other than the middle D you can do what you've been doing, i.e. assign a finger to the note. For the middle D you play it with your left hand when it appears on the Bass staff and with your right hand when it appears on the Treble staff. It's a bit tricky to get down at first but like everything else it becomes easier with practice.

When I first learned Love Me Tender, it was BY FAR the hardest song I'd played up until that point. However, once I mastered it it was also the most satisfying song that I had learned up until that point simply because it took me so much effort.

One thing I have learned from the piano is that *everything* is much harder than it seems at first. Each individual concept isn't so bad, but coordinating them all is VERY tricky. It's very hard to make quick progress through the book and still do everything properly. I'd recommend just taking things very slowly.

Good luck!!

I've just spend an hour playing trying to play "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands". I tried one measure at a time, I tried one bar at a time. I tried writing in the counts. I tried counting out loud, I tried counting and playing, I tried the metronome (way too confusing ). I tried drawing lines between each beat - something that worked really well with "Blow the Man Down". Sometimes I think that I've almost got it, but then I lose it again. The rhythm on this one is tough, and because it's meant to be played fast, it sounds really bad played slowly. If anyone who has been through this one has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

On the plus side, I can see that when if I get the hang of these three bars, the others should come easily, since they are just repeats of the same in other keys.

mom3gram: I know what you mean about He's Got the Whole World In His Hands. I did all sorts of elaborate things just to get those syncopated beats right - writing the counting on the score, for instance, very slow practice and counting, but nothing was working. So I cheated a little... We all know the tune of that song even without having to count every single beat, right? So the only thing left is to put in the LH chords. What I did is think of my LH as a drum, keeping steady time (metronome-like, which is easy because the note values are the same and the chords just repeat), then play the melody over the steady beating of that 'drum.' Whatever you do, just keep the beat steady. I don't know if it'll work for you, but that's what worked for me. Keep on practicing!

"Whole Wide World" was definitely tricky, but like you said, once you get the rhythm worked out, it's just the same thing repeated in different keys. Of course remembering to hit the sharps and flats will present another problem altogether.

As for me, I've given myself a pass on "Part of Your World" from the Greatest Hits book because I couldn't stand playing it anymore. I got most of it down very well but didn't feel like memorizing it all so I played through the rest a couple times and was done with it. That and "Memory" were the only two I didn't perfect. Those 3-page songs really get to me.

So anyway, that means that I am (drum roll please) done with Alfred's AIO and Greatest Hits #1. Sometimes I still get very frustrated that I can't read better than I can and I feel like I'm still terrible but then I think at how far I've come in the past year and remind myself that it takes time, a lot of time.

So today I went to my music store and picked up the number 2 books along with "The Beatles Best" for easy piano. I started on "Across the Universe" already because it looked easier than most (and it's the first song in the book).

I guess I have a lot or reading to do now in the next thread but I'll still keep up with this one also. I'm very glad I found this forum and wish everyone the best.


Adam

Ok, Little Brown Jug is finally sounding like one! My fingers don't always listen to me, but I will make them to!
Chiapanecas is getting there - quite good fun, once I get the transition between cords smooth.
O Sole Mio is a nightmare, but I will nail it down!!!
Auld Lang Song is done (even if I say so myself)
Jericho - half way there...

Oh, and I can't resist playing Scarborough Fair once in a while.... I think it is easier that O Sole Mio... Maybe that is because I haven't applied the pedal yet!

gintarec, you are catching up to me. (Everyone does sooner or later, LOL). As you can see from several posts back, many of us thought that Scarborough, and Greensleeves, and a couple of others, were easier than O Sole Mio. You will get it if you keep working on it. Ha ha - that's what I tell everyone else, but when I get stuck on something, like now with "Hes Got The Whole..." I forget my own advice. Little Brown Jug tied my fingers up in knots too, and I would sometimes get similar parts confused, but I got past it eventually.

In the past, I was working with a couple of method books, and a few supplementary books at a time. But in the last several weeks I've stuck primarily to my Alfred book so that I can finish it up. I'm going to go on to Book 2 when I finish, but I'm going to find the songs in Bk. 1 that I had the most trouble with and work on one or two of them again.

I finished the Alfred AIO Book #1 today. I finally got "Amazing Grace" after about 6 weeks. Book #1 took me about 21 months. Not as quickly as I had originally hoped, but progress nonetheless. I'm already started on Book #2.

mom3gram - it doesn't matter how long it takes, I just want to play piano! I am having so much fun when I play!

The other night I was trying "O sole mio" - my husband is Italian, I am not. His comment was "it is so strange to hear my Lithuanian wife playing O sole mio!". Well, I suppose it is for him - like it would be for me if he suddenly started talking Lithuanian!

Congratulations rodmichael! I'm right there with you.

Sorry, rodmicheal - I missed your post earlier!!!! Congratulations!!!! And it just shows, that perseverance (with Amazing Grace) pays off in the end!!!

Good luck with Book 2!

Mom3gram,
I feel your pain. I am also poking at “He’s Got the Whole World…” the last few nights. This one’s syncopated are as tough as there is up until this point in the book. My solution so far is just to learn the first section in G, very slow now and it indeed sounds awful but I have no other choice. I read marimorimo’s post last night and suddenly “Why Am I Blue” comes to mind. So I went back and played “Why Am I Blue” a few times to get a feel for the LH and RH coordination. I applied “Why Am I Blue” LH rhythm to “He’s Got…” and it helps a lot. I can play “He’s Got…” G section smooth now, but very slow so it’s still awful. Just thought it might help.

Gintarec,
You’ve made amazing progress. The songs that you are doing right now (Little Brown Jug, Chiapanecas) were my nightmare. 2 thumbs up & a *wink*!

Rodmichael,
Congrats. It’s so inspiring to see another Graduate. 6 weeks will be my goal if and when I get there.

Last night I was doing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and was thinking about all of us struggling through the book. I was naïve and thinking how nice it’d be if some of us live near each other and form a once a week group study or something… that’d be so awesome… Wishful thinking…


Sorry for the long post. Everytime I seat down and write, I can't make it short.

Good Day!