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Its taken me only a few days to get Chopin prelude down well. I've allowed myself one weeks practice on this small piece. This comeing monday I will begin the last piece in the book. I started playing it briefly and find it fairly easy. Patterns motifs are not that difficult. I guess,this piece may take me five days to get through. At the start of my learning piano for the life of me I could not play the pieces in this book 3. I guess I can conclude this series had payed off. I would recommend this series.

I write these things in order that you may witness to the progress this series has developed in me. Which should reflex the quality of this publication set. Though to be fair the "Alfred Adult series" was not the only publication from which I studied from. I used Hanon together with little known "Henry Slaughter Gospel piano"

I have made it through. It has been about four years or more in the making. And I refused to quit or change books.

I would like to see a fouth level to this series. But I know its not going to happen.

For my next step in learning to play the piano I have chosen to proceed through "Classic to Moderns: early advanced" The green book. I hope to finish this book also. The pieces within are short not longer than four pages, something I prefer. There are just over fifty pieces within. I hope this book takes me up to a higher level in my playing. With all my ability to site read well and learn these piece in a rather short time; I still can't sit down an play the piano like a real musican.

Thanks for the info David. I was wondering where people would go once they completed book 3.

As for playing like a real musician, I think you are under estimating your abilities. To be able to sight read and play book 3 makes you a real musician in my book. Sticking with and completing this series is a major accomplishment and I congratulate you.

Mark

Sounds like you are doing well. I'm jealous of you book 3 people...:lol: How long have you been working with the series? Any advice?

Thanks

Mark

Hi David!

You said,

Could you expand on that a bit? What is it about your playing that isn't where you would like? What constitutes "real musician" for you?

I ask because I find a lot of my adult students have a belief down somewhere that they have to reach a certain level of proficiency before they can "trust themselves" to add personal interpretation to the music, or change/modify things they'd prefer differently, such as tempo, dynamic changes, or the like.

For me, the real freedom of playing isn't level-based; I regularly practice the very first songs I teach my students, very simple melodies -- to play them as soulfully and beautifully and inspiringly as I can. You can do the same! You could go back to your Alfred Level One book and find your favorite pieces. They're easy now! So decide if you like them slower or faster. Maybe you want to put an arpeggio in the left hand where there's just a block chord. Maybe you like different articulation or dynamics. Maybe you want to repeat a certain section, or repeat the whole thing in a different octave.

That freedom, for me, is what feels like being a musician. I actually enjoy playing less complex pieces because of the amount of interpretation I can put into them in real time, and sometimes I play them differently from day to day.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts. You're already a real musician, by the way, just like Mark said. You were from the moment you put your hands on the keyboard!

Best,

Kim

Kim,

Well, I suppose, I mean Playing Music without sheet music. If someone were to ask me to sit down and play something at the piano I could not. I would need to go home, pick a piece to play, practice it for a week, then come back to them and play in front of them.

Or would be satisfied to be like one of my many college professors who can take a piece (I lie not) and play it perfect first time seeing it. Or even like my voice teacher who in choosing a song to sing accompanies well enough to sing along with. And this upon turning to the song in choosing. She may not be without flaw but 95percent of the song is there the first time.

I'm anticipating entering into this level someday.
Oh, I know those mentioned above have been playing since there child hood while I recently began at
in my mid adult years.

Thanks

Hi David!

Thanks for taking the time to post that. I think it's a really helpful discussion as folks get to this intermediate level of playing.

First: learning to play without sheet music is one of two things: memorized music or improvisation (which is nearly always based on chords). Both of which you already have the skills to begin doing; it's just that the Alfred's books aren't really going to teach you to do them!

You could begin by choosing 2 songs you really like, and learning them chunk by chunk. Don't just try to memorize notes, look at the patterns and shapes your hands are making, and notice the feeling of the keys and chords beneath your hands. Notice patterns in the songs (certain bars repeating at beginning and end, the same pattern in the left hand but on different chord notes, etc.)

Improvisation is just like talking. You have this vocabulary that you draw on to express yourself. You could start with the three major chords in C major: C, G, and F. You know those already, you know what notes are in them and how to play them in both hands. Sit at the piano, with those three chords, and start playing -- anything, even triads in both hands. Start exploring sounds.

I find many adults don't give themselves permission to do this kind of exploration at the piano, believing you have to have all the theory knowledge in place before you're qualified to improvise. But trying things out, and exploring, is how we learn to do everything else! Think of a child learning to speak.

Having a goal to play anything at sight is a really lofty goal. Not being satisfied with your playing until you reach it, however, is pretty self-defeating! At least inside my head!

It's the "if-then" thinking that bothers me, I think. If I reach this point, then I'll be satisfied. But there's no guarantee you'll get there! What if being an amazing sight reader isn't your strength at the piano? What if (God forbid) you get hit by a bus next week?

That's not to say that having goals is a bad thing. But not fully enjoying your current achievements? You're missing out on so much enjoyment! I talk to adults every day who wish they could play... well, anything. Mary Had a Little Lamb. Chopsticks. They'd love to understand written music and be in Alfred's Level 3. It seems worlds away, and unreachable to them.

The fact is, if you're playing music, you're a musician.

Those are my feelings on it, at any rate. This strikes a chord with me because I spent most of my college years with many of the feelings you describe, comparing myself to other players in all kinds of ways, and as a result a kept myself from not only enjoying what I could do - but also preventing myself from learning and experiencing everything I could have!

I don't want to see you or any other adult miss out on anything, either learning or enjoyment, by thinking only about the future. Beginners are musicians too!

Best,

Kim

Well, we cracked open Book #3 last week. I will start by saying this time, I bought the All-in-One book, just so anyone who does not have this is not scratching their heads and saying: "Where did she find THAT in this book?" LOL

I have to say, their "Super Special Song" is a bit less than super-special, at least for me. But I'm getting thru it. I pretty much have the pedal study, Calypso Rhumba, figured out. The Fandango is tripping me up- can't quite get it fast enough. More like a medium andante than allegro. And that's one of my biggest problems- I can't play stuff fast. I get to a certain speed and can't seem to increase, no matter what I do!

And- homework!!! Yikes, I haven't had homework since- well, a loooooong time ago! But since this book has the theory pages in it, too, my teacher says- Do 'em! And she's gonna check! Hope I get a gold star!!! LOL

That's my progress report so far...

Thanks Kim

Good Job IrishMak
Stay with it. The entire series progresses slowly.
I made sure; I didn't rush through this book. Took over a year, I believe.

Thanks, David! I am planning on taking it slowly, in order to get it right and learn the stuff. It took me over a year to get thru Book 2, so I am not thinking this will be a rush thru!

Irishmak, glad you are delving into book 3. there is alot of great music in it!! i kinda liked the super special song, although not overly thrilled but it wasnt a drag to get through. calypso is also kinda fun, and the fandango i absolutly love!! once you get it up it will all fall into place, just practice it slowly--of course we have all heard that a million times:) the only piece for me to have dragged was the serenade from string quartet, to me it made no sense, and still doesnt. i do like listening to it on strings but not for piano. congrats on entering book 3:)

ooooooo when i get to book 3 I'll do the serenade on the digital. You have a digital funburger do you have voices to do it in strings?

loly, i had a digital, i sold it:) i have too many instruments in this little apt. as it is, the upright, grand and an organ:) i think the organ is going soon too though as i dont really like it, but will try the serenade on it first with strings and see if i like it:)

edited: oh, i just read you bought the kawai k-8, congrats!!! betcha your not getting much sleep now:) cant wait to see(pictures) and hear it(must have recordings)!!

funburger, I wanted to ask you how you got that many instruments in your apt but I refrained. he he he

if you want to look into a nice digital keyboard, look at the ypg 625, it's the one I have. the voices are outstanding and it has about 5 organ voices that sound so much like the real thing. you get a lot for a small package.

ooooo you evil thing, how did you know I wasn't getting any sleep? I was able to sleep last night though.

Page 18 in this book and I've hit a wall! This Jazz Sequences thing has got me stuck. I just cannot get it right! We slowed it waaaaaaay down at last week's lesson and my teacher said she doesn't want me trying to speed it up at all, but I STILL can't quite get it right. What it is showing quite clearly is how bad my hand independence still is. And this is not even a hard piece! It's dotted quarter-eighths in the right hand against straight quarters in the left. Should be easy, but it's got me quite frustrated. I think I may have to work for a while longer on this one with hands separate before I truly get it.

Are you practicing exercises or only trying to learn from this method series? Playing from the series alone "may" leave your hands weak. I did Hanon 60 exercises along with this series. Though Alfred's trained me how to play, I attribute strength and reaching power to Hanon, hands down. Strength that I believe would not have come from any other means.

I hope your taking your time throughout this searies.
I heard someone recommend moving through this series quickly, Like under two years. I suggest the entire series to be learned in between three to four years. And closer to four would be better.

For the record, I'm in my fifth year of lessons - and only halfway thru the Alfred's 3 book. I, too, do Hanon along with the Alfred's, plus some theory books and I keep a solo recital or two book going at the same time. But I'm reallllly slow! Liz :rolleyes:

Oh, I do scales, chords, arpeggios and Hanon, as well as some outside the Alfred's series pieces, along with it. I'm not rushing- my teacher won't let me!! LOL Took me a bit over a year to get thru the 2nd book, and I figure it will be a good year or so in this one, too. Just one of those walls you hit now and then, I suppose.

You'll get there, then, sounds like you're doing a good mix of things.

I'm at a wall myself right now and it's terribly frustrating to keep going to lessons week after week and seemingly not making any progress, at least anything marked that really shows. I have lots of sympathy for you, but not much advice, I'm afraid, other than to keep plugging away...Liz