Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and All in One Adult Piano Course Book #2

Me. I'm still trying to crack Canon. I can play all the variations, but can't quite string them all together yet. Mind you, I have been away for a while, and got a little rusty, but I am doing ok after the rest. I am now concentrating on brushing up my last few pieces in book 2. I have made a start on book 3 just to keep my sight reading in. The 1st few pieces are not too bad and I am getting the hang of them fairly quickly. That must be a good sign. But I think I will find the later pieces hard going...especially after the Alberto bass section.

Romolo. When you do get to grips with Danny Boy, you will find it most satisfying, especially when you find you can play it from memory. I did. But I still make the odd mistake now and then. Well, quite often really. LOL.

I too can relate to your looking at right and left hands. I think its probably normal. I sometimes find that if I close my eyes, after I have memorised it, feeling my way can have a surprising and satisfying effect, but not on all pieces. Try it. It really works?

i-Scherzo, when you get Cannon to where you are happy with it, will you please post a recording. I'd love to hear it.

just started chopins etude. what a beautiful piece i love this melody.(knew i heard it before somewhere) and the song previous to it dark eyes is such a beautiful melody. anxious as usual. also lazy =)

Sidelined for a while. I tripped yesterday and broke my fall with my right arm. Didn't want to sit in ER for hours so will see my ortho doc tomorrow. Hard to type lefty.

Ouch! Sounds like what I did last spring. Did you get it X-rayed?

Ouch indeed, hope nothing is broken mom3gram.

mom3gram, let us know how your arm is after your appointment.

Well I think I'm done with Alfred's method book. I've lost complete interest in playing from it. Can't stand the songs and they don't do much with the left hand. I think book #1 was great though. I asked my teacher if I had to keep going through the book and she said no, and that was it.

I really enjoyed going through book #1 with you guys!

GracieCat, which book(s) have you considered or are considering instead of book 2?

Well, I tried the ortho doc twice this morning, must have been too early because I only got the answering machine. Then I took off the sling I had been using and showered. It was feeling a bit better - fingers, wrist, elbow and shoulder worked fine, a little pain when I rotated my wrist, but nothing like the excruciating pain on Saturday and Sunday. I'm sure nothing is broken, so I decided to just let it ride. I was able to type, and to do a small sketch in my journal. Not ready to carry anything, or to drive or play piano, but maybe in a few days.

wow i can't wait for that day when i can do that. i hate that _____book lol

I'm not going to use any method book. I'm basically playing out of "Easy Piano Classics" (book WP42). It says selected and edited by James Bastien. Nothing my teacher has chosen for me is hard, it's just that the left hand works more. No more banging chords in the left hand.

Outside of that book I'm learning Canon in D, which I just can't get to flow together. It's so choppy. And I'm learning Minuet BWV 116. I'm also going through Alfred's theory book and doing scales. (or not doing scales seeing as I hardly ever practice them...)

Joe, if you hate the book, ask to play from something else. Just throw the book in the trash and go find something that you'll enjoy. Frankly, I don't like to sit and listen to classical music, but I'm really enjoying playing the music.

same with me. nothing compares. honestly if you can learn classical you can play anything and theres nothing like it on the piano. i fell in love with it and it's a whole world i knew nothing about and just starting to delve into

Thanks GracieCat, book on order.

Bastien's 'Easy Piano Classics' is a great book - I hate to say it, but I've been playing out of it for a number of years now. Not too easy - not too hard.

Which is the best book to get the basic course or the all in one book? thanks for reading my post.

neither lol jk. the all in one

I found this link which will enable you to listen to all the pieces in the Bastien book.

http://www.virtualpianist.com/HOF/player/pianomusicplayer.php

Seems to be a very good book. I am just finishing Alfred's book 1 and thinking about asking my teacher if i can use this book alongside Alfred's book 2.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing that link.

Wow! I really did a job on my arm when I fell two weeks ago. Nothing was broken, but I had wrist, elbow, finger and shoulder pain, had trouble opening jars, cutting bagels, driving, carrying laundry downstairs, etc. I just started playing piano again yesterday, and can last about 5 minutes at a time, 3 or 4 times a day. I started re-learning Amazing Grace from Book 1. I really like the piece, and never really got it sounding good the first time around. It's coming back pretty quickly this time. Today was also the first time I've driven my car in the two weeks. Everything is feeling a lot better, but still hurts if I overdo. So I'm taking it slow.

Are you seeing a physio for your arm, too?

I went back to Amazing Grace this weekend, too, & I can almost play it now. For some reason I found it really difficult when I was doing Alfred I, & never did pass it. Now that I'm almost at the end of Beyer I wondered if I could play AG now. Almost - much better than before!!