*went and grabbed book* Yes that is the fingering for alfred's. I'm going to try out your fingering today. I'll report back later (after tea to wake up lol)

Thanks so much Richard!

F = 1-3-5 and G7 = 1-4-5 requires you to move your hand laterally as you change finger 3 for 4.

With the fingering I've provided the third finger STAYS on F and the hand PIVOTS on it with just a change from finger 5 to 4.

It doesn't LOOK much different on paper but when I do eight swift chord changes at rock 'n' roll speed it sure feels easier my way.

Also my way lets you change easily to Am (C-E-A, 1-2-5) from C (C-E-G, 1-2-4) and that opens up a few more tunes for you to try. The mother lode, in fact.

C-Am-F-G/G7 is the old I-vi-IV-V; Runaround Sue (pretty much anything by Dion and the Belmonts), If I Had a Hammer, Crocodile Rock, Stand By Me, Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis), I Will Always Love You, Walking In Memphis (juxtaposed: F-G7-C-Am) etc.

I've always found chords with my right hand more difficult than I do with the left - and I'm right handed.
Maybe subconciously we think chords with the left and melody with right??
I get days where I wonder who came in and changed all the keys on my piano because they're not where they're supposed to be and my fingers are all over except where they're supposed to be!

Well, tonight I was digging through all my books looking for a lullabye and realized what my issue is. I need to work on my basics: letter names while playing them, slow steady rythmic counting, hitting each note correctly. My basics are really weak (or I've just noticed.) So I've figured out to use about five books at one. One page of each, each one a different focus while still working steadily on Alfred's. So I've got Faber, lesson, performance, and technique level 1, Alfreds Adult basic level 1 and the jazz rock course (which is way above my skill now.)

I carried that out with my practice tonight and bingo! I left feeling really good. Fabers to reinforce the basics, Alfred's to move forward and Jazz for more advanced.

Tomorrow I'll mix in the chords with different fingering.

Lyn: That kinda sounds right. My left can do both with ease but my right doesn't want to play nothing but melody! However I'm ambi so I'm not sure it's the handedness at work. Perhaps it's a way of analzing music?

I just started playing piano and I was wondering if the Alfred books were only meant to be used to complement an actual course or can a complete beginner learn with those books without an instructor?

Yes you can learn from these. I started out with the Faber series, switch to Alfreds and am now doing both of them. I've been teaching myself since last Nov (with the exception of two months this summer.) Alfreds is an actual course.

Thank you so much for the info. I will buy book #1 and see how much I can learn from it.

Well I still haven't tried the alternative fingering for the chords. I slowed myself right down and with the extra pratice using all the books I have available I've managed to get my fingers to do right hand chords. I'm still working on those (found a good practice song Tambourin to go with it) and am working on the "G" position now. Slowly moving forward!

Sounds good Becca! I just got Alfred's yesterday. On page 14- really love this book- best adult beginner's book I've come across!

I think there's a self-teaching version of the Alfred's books.

yes, here: http://www.amazon.com/Alfreds-Self-Teaching-Adult-Piano-Course/dp/0739052055/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348128801&sr=1-1&keywords=alfred%27s+adult+piano+self-teaching

What I don't know is how it differs from the all in one version of Alfred's. Does anyone know?

Yay Edward! I'm not far ahead of you. I'm on page 50. I turn a page about once a week. LOL It is a very nice method book. Did you get any supplemental books (performance, technique or theory?) I have a few Faber performance books which I'm slogging through along with the alfreds. Gives me more meat to work on.

Yes- already had a chords book my bro gave me, two theory books a friend gave me and some piano sheet music books. Didn't have a ;piano course book for adults tho. I had photocopied some pages from books from the library and printouts from websites but needed a proper course book.

They say great minds think alike...

Hi all,

I have just ordered this book Alfreds book

Is this the same book as this thread pertains to? If it is different what are the differnces and which one is the "correct" one to get as i'll order that also.

Cheers, Mark

MM, I have the all in one book which includes theory. I have a teacher, so I didn't get the self-teaching one. I'm assuming the one you link to has more extensive explanations of technique and how to approach each piece.

That should be perfect! Most of us have the regular All In One Piano Course, but the Basic, the All in One, and the Self Teaching have basically the same pieces, give or take a few. I have the regular All in One, because the one you have wasn't available when I started. I wish it had been. It sounds like it has more explanation for each piece, and I could have used all the help I could get. Plus there are a few additional pieces at the end that the others don't have. Enjoy!

That's great. It should be here soon and then my wife and I can get started. We can't wait!

Still waiting for the book to arrive. Been using Learn and Master this last week (not sure what peoples thoughts are on that series).

Does alfreds show you different styles as you progress i.e. Blues/rock? Just curious is all.

Yes Alfreds will introduce different styles. You can even buy seperate style Methods. For instance I have the Jazz/Rock Course for beginners by Alfreds. It coincides with pages 73 or something like that?

Book arrived today. Had a quick glance through it, looks very interesting, can't wait!

To save me looking through all the pages on this rather large thread, can anyone summarise any tips or tricks that may be useful whilst using this method book?

Thanks in advance,Mark

Mark, I don't think there are really any magical tips or tricks. Just work your way though, be patient, be sure that you can play a piece well before moving on, and don't rush your way through the book. You will hit a few what seem to be brick walls - the most famous of those is "Blow the Man Down". You can read through pages and pages where someone (often me) tells about being stuck on a piece, and people who have been there just recommending patience. Eventually you break through that wall and wonder why it was so hard. And then probably get stuck on another piece a couple of pages later. That seems to be the way it works. There are probably a few good tips and insights on particular pieces, but you can always do a search or ask questions about those when you come to them. The book is a good teaching/learning tool and you will learn a lot. Of course, I'm sure that a good teacher would help, but for a lot of reasons, I chose to go it alone. (That's why I'm still slogging my way through Book 2, LOL!) Enjoy!

Hi All,

I came back from holidays, to get back to Alfred, "The Stranger". I decided to re-start in the piece before it, "Jericho".

It is nice to see some new studens here, and see the old students are still there working hard

I also like to start some Christmas Songs in middle of October.


I printed this thread to a pdf file and I make a search with the piece name before start to learn it.

Starting to fiddle with Chattanooga choo choo, feel like I've been yanked out of the shallow end and thrown into the sea..

Ok, maybe a silly question, but how do you print a full thread to PDF?

Please do not be afraid to ask, if you want to know, we are here to help

1) Click in "Topic Optins" (menu over the header of the first topic of the page of the thread you want to print)

2) Then click in "Print Topic"
You will have a printable version of the full thread. You have to wait a while because the thread is very long, with a lot of nice information

3)Print to a pdf file


To print to a pdf file I have the freeware "CutePDF writer" but there are other software, also free.
http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Thanks fliper, I'll try that when I'm next on my laptop (using iPod right now).


How long do people usually stay on one piece/page?

Only right at the beginning, trying jingle bells and largo. Just wondered if you keep at it until you have it consistently nailed, or just till your happy then move on?

P.S. My sticking point right now seems to be sight reading to slowly.

At the moment I don’t get much piano time, that should change soon though. Any tips or resources that could help keeping in mind I’m at the very basics? Preferably something I can print out and keep in my pocket. I can’t always be at a computer at work but I do get plenty of opportunities to read.

Manyt thanks for all your help.

"How long do people usually stay on one piece/page?

Only right at the beginning, trying jingle bells and largo. Just wondered if you keep at it until you have it consistently nailed, or just till your happy then move on?"

ANSWER: I go to next piece when I can play the piece without errors with right tempo.


"Any tips or resources that could help keeping in mind I’m at the very basics?"
A new piece is a new challenge and new things to learn. As mom3gram said there is no magic tips. From this forum and other sources here are some tips:
- I start a piece clapping and count loud as advised in the beginning of Alfred
- Start to play very slow without errors is better than try to play faster with errors. Your mind will learn the correct keys not the errors.
- Play small parts of the piece until you learn it and than pass to the next small part of the piece, instead to try to play the complete piece. Do this when you practice. Do not practice the complete piece again and again. Practice the things you can not play so good as you want.
- use other sources to play other pices in addition to Alfred book.
- Listen de CD and otherpiano pieces, you have in this forum the recitals and the "Piano Bar"

Here are some books mentioned in this thread, as supplement to
the Alfred Basic Adult course or Alfred AIO Piano Adult Course

Alfred's Greatest Hits Book 1
Alfred's Pop Songbook Book 1
Alfred's Sacred Book 1
Alfred's Jazz, Blues and Rags
Piano Handbook by Humphries (I have this book. I did not start it yet. CD has nice piano sound)
My First Book of Classical Music
Alfred All Time Favorites (I have this one. Pieeces are challeging for me. I only played the first two)

Faber Adult Piano Adventures (Method Book, as Alfred)
Bastien Piano Basics Book 1 (Method Book, as Alfred)


The first two books are the most popular in this thread. Each piece has the piece number of Alfred Piano Book you should know to play it.


See also these thread
Sources for simple music
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1671838/

I'm now on the "Good People" piece from this book. This is definitely the most difficult piece I've tried so far. In the book, it looks like the notes in the first "response" is the same as the last "response", but I've seen videos in youtube that it seems to be played quite differently. Any ideas why?

Welcome to this thread bolodski.

In "Alfred All-In-One" book, measures 10 and 14 are the same. Is your question about those measures? May be there is different versions of the piece in other books. Did you listen the CD that come with the book? Please remember that the web recordings are made by students like us

"Good People" is also difficult to me, I think it is the tempo it is not easy to play right. I will return to it to have a better recording.