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

I'm a Christian Worship Leader (guitar, until good enough to alternate with piano lol), so use this software developed by a local company , Power Music and the foot pedal and laptop stand they also advertise.

http://www.cambronsoftware.co.uk/index.php

Hiya Carl, thanks for the welcome back. Now you are just trying to confuse me, same avatar but different username.

Yep, tis me.

Hello. Can anyone please tell me what are the differences between

"Alfred All-In-One Adult Piano Course(Theory, Lessons, Technic)" and "Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course Lessons"?

Am I missing anything in the Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course (which I currently own)?

Thanks

Day Dreamer - The Alfred's AIO Adult Piano Course books have a bit more of theory and a couple more songs than the Basic Adult books, but other than that it's basically (no pun intended!) the same ...Except the AIO book has a convenient spiral binding! You should be O.K. with what you have DD!

Thanks Emissary,

I was wondering about the "Technic" in the title

The new "chic" for technique...perhaps! Nothing on disassembling pianos, tho' digital or otherwise, if "Technic" ...was missing "al".

Perhaps Technic is for those of us playing on digital pianos instead of acoustic ?

Well I can now play the pieces up to , and including, The Entertainer, without opening the book.

There is one measure in The Entertainer ,that I sometimes still need to isolate and play a few times before going back to the piece, but its at tempo now and I have it memorized, so going to start Amazing Grace today.

I have now memorized Amazing grace and its nearly at tempo. It is a lot easier than it looks.

So book two will take its place on the music stand tomorrow. I will keep reviewing The Entertainer and Amazing Grace for a few weeks though.

Hello. I am 25 and a completely beginner. I got Alfred basic piano course book 1 last week. I'm walking through the book and currently at page 50. I can say that I'm disappointed with the music. It's too childish and over-simplified. Practicing songs in the book got me bored lately.

So may I know how long more I need to practice until I can start working Marriage D' Amour (Richard Clayderman) ?

Your advices are appreciated

Welcome Day Dreamer!

I was a beginner too, as of Christmas 2009. I am almost done with Book one. Yes, some of the music is very rudimentary, but it was not made, I don't think, to be entertaining, but to help us learn a certain technique or scale. If you use it as a learning experience, and build up...you will be able to play the songs you want. I have a book of songs that I want to play, but I know it will frustrate me if I don't go through the learning experience first. Think of it as, for example, learning the multiplication or addition tables in school. Totally borning, but necessary. You are getting a foundation for later.

Good luck with you..and most of all..enjoy the experience!

Nancy

Day Dreamer - You have expressed the desire that is near and dear to most of the posters in this thread, namely, playing a favorite song or piece that is currently beyond our capabilities. You're not alone in that by a long shot! I also empathize with your dislike of some of the material in Alfred's. There are some songs in that book where I'd rather be "waterboarded at Gitmo" than be forced to play them! For me, "He's got the Whole World in His Hands" comes to mind. Arrrgh! I only like that song if Jessye Norman or Kathleen Battle is singing it! Everyone has their own list of "dogs"

I've tried to alleviate boredom with some of the songs by learning about the history behind them. For instance, Scarborough Fair ...it started in 1253 as a "trade show" in England. That song has been indelibly burned into my brain by Simon and Garfunkel (can you tell I'm a Baby Boomer?) I wonder if its composer started singing it in "Old English" as a "Top 40 Hit of 1254". Well, no pianos in those days ..everyone get out your Lute to play along! Hey, for our UK friends, "Is Scarborough anywhere near Penzance, with those pesky Pirates?"

Raisins and Almonds was a song I didn't really know. Alfred's authors label it a folk song. I found it was written by Abraham Goldfaden, the father of Yiddish musical theater with the melody composed by his cousin in the late 1800's. It was a well-known song to the European Jewish population. It was probably sung by mothers to their children as they were herded into trains on their way to Auschwitz. For me, that thought conveys a poignant sadness to the song that the label of "folk song" in Alfred's cannot.

So, I've tried to make lemons into lemonade whenever possible! It does make me feel good to go back and play some of the songs I was not fond of and discover that my ability has progressed to the point where I can easily play them. That alone, makes them somewhat more enjoyable!

Day Dreamer - I think we all wish we had a crystal ball that would tell us "in only 2 years, 3 days and 47 minutes, we'll all be playing that one piece that we so desire to do! But if we stick with it, we'll get to that magic moment! (He said hopefully!!!) BTW, Richard Clayderman had a piano teacher father ...lucky stiff!! He has about a 40 year head start, so keep practicing!!! You'll get there!!!

Hi Emissary and Nancy,

Thank you for the inspiring and encouraging words. It really motivates me.

Well, you are absolutely right. Yesterday I tried to play the piece and soon got frustrated. The problems were bigger than I thought:

1. I was struggling with 2 octaves span. Not less than 10 times I hit the notes incorrectly. My hand doesn't seem to estimate the distance well.

2. Tricky rhythm. There are a lots of rhythm changes in the song and there are numerous triplets (16th note / 8th notes, 12 notes / 8 notes).

3. Co ordination between 2 hands.

... and etc

It seems clear to me that I need to let this go. And hope that one day i can take a "revenge" . Hope that day isn't too far. I will resume with the Alfred journey from now on. I hope even though the music isn't so exciting to me, it will eventually reward some techniques.

Thank you all and have fun playing

Steve

Steve - Tackling a few measures from musical pieces that you really desire to play is a good thing. I do it myself! It makes you realize just how much work you have to put into learning piano, but can also reward you in that, as you progress further, you gain much better insight into those pieces, as well as getting incrementally better at playing some of those measures that comprise them.

Looking at some of the music I would like to play, it reminds me of a third grader learning multiplication looking at the calculus homework of a college freshman. It looks daunting from that perspective. But after getting through algebra, geometry and trig, that calculus homework starts to appear less intimidating. Playing a piano well is definitely something that requires a lot of time and commitment, but I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't worth it!

I would like to think about the time that I can play a fairly difficult piece and daydream a little, yet not make a single mistake. I wonder if that's what the pros do! Oh well, hope springs eternal!!

Craig

I've been in Book One, Lvl One for four days. I'm up to page 41. Most of it isn't too difficult (I have a background reading music). Its the chord fingerings that are getting to me. The book recently introduced the "G position.." What is this for? I've been playing from the G position since... is there a time when I go back to the "C position?" Will charts specify? Is it up to me?

I bought a method book in hopes of aiding my learning. As a trumpet player, I drilled and drilled in method books to improve my articulation. I opened this method book and was disappointed to learn that I'm not that far along yet.

I've been doing my own drills... back and forth with different chords sets. I just feel like I'm missing something. Rather, I feel that the book offers a lot.. but its not offering what I need. This could be completely incorrect, I'm well aware. I might be a bit impatient.. but seriously.. I know what sharps and quarter notes are.. I need a book that focuses on the things I don't know.

Any advice is much appreciated. Even if its, "suck it up," which I've been telling myself since Friday.

Aaron - Don't feel bad at this point! Sometimes, I think it's harder for people who have musical knowledge to get through this sort of material, than for absolute noobies who barely know where middle C is. You might be able to play the theme for Masterpiece Theatre with your toes ...in your sleep, on the trumpet, while here you're pretty much presented with "Row,Row,Row Your Boat" type pieces, which may be a big let-down for you! Part of the difference, is that with the piano, you will end up playing multiple melody lines, many of which, are constructed with chords. As a trumpet player, you just have your one line to play. Piano may be analogous to playing a trumpet and clarinet at the same time with a bassoon thrown in for good measure. When you add up the musical lines of these three instruments, they are probably sounding out chords along the way. I play guitar, so I'm used to chords and end up "seeing them" in measures when I play, even if they're not so marked in the Alfred songs. I miss those guitar chord fret boxes in Alfreds's (LOL). Too many old songbooks (Piano,Guitar,Vocals) I guess!

So, Aaron, you have to make that instrument adjustment, which might be a bit painful for a while, but in the long run, will increase your musical knowledge and perhaps, give you a greater appreciation for your trumpet as well as some new-found respect for the piano as a musical instrument! Hang in there!!!

Sorry Aaron, I forgot to answer your main question! Yes, the C and G positions are basically a place to park your hands, and start out from, especially when learning to play these simple songs. You'll learn a few more over the course of the Alfred series. They'll tell you where to put your hands. It's like an "initial comfort zone", located over the major chord in each key, where you can branch out from. As you play more complex material, these positions gradually fade in importance.

Ha thanks a lot

Hi Aaron,

I started piano as an adult from a previous background in classical guitar . I also learned the guitar from drill type exercises, with pieces at the level the exercises were preparing me for, placed in the method book appropriately.
Alfred's uses a Left Hand chord style to give a fuller sound, but misses out the drill type finger exercises that are in children's slower speed of learning books.
You can buy various exercise books such as Czerny,(lots of books some much easier than others, level usually shown on website stores) Hanon and Dozen a day and/or supplement with easy classical pieces, such as joy of classics/ classics to moderns in order to supplement your learning.

ETA: Do not worry over hand positions. This is only a way of telling a beginner where to place their hands at the start of a piece. The hands will not stay in one position as your skills develop, but move in a fluid motion up and down the keyboard. Instead of fingers sitting closely together e.g. 1 on C and 5 on G, they will learn to stretch, squeeze, cross under etc. So don't start thinking finger 1 on C in C position, on G in G position etc. just look at where the fingers should be placed in order to start the piece. Fingering will develop naturally as you progress.

Fordotted to say, scales, broken chords and arpeggios are also a great way to learn and develop dexterity too.