Learn How To Play Piano

Review by GothCrone:

This book was adequate in the description and explanation of music theory, but it is not my favourite . . in several areas there are details that are not very clear – the instruction seems to start off very basic (which is exactly how it should start) but then ramps nearly too quickly into hazy but complex explanation . . it is a slim volume and brief, but a bit too brief for some of the more hard to grasp concepts. For just about the same money you can get (from Amazon) Gather to Read Music by Howard Shanet which is much more thorough, still starts with the very bare bones basics, but then is more consistent with the explanations as the concepts become more and more hard.

Review by :

I found this to be a very excellent book to gather the basics of how to read music. I sing in a choir and permanently had a hard time following the music in the sheet music books. The book helped a fantastic deal, and I only wish that it contained a bit more instruction.. but I reckon that for less than ten bucks, it’s a fantastic deal.

Review by M. Morrison:

I was looking for an introductory book for adult piano student. Although I could do without the title “dummies,” the cartoons, and the jokes, the meat of this book was the best of all the others on Amazon.Most of the other books teach very small except unadorned well loved ditties. This book really had — yes — scales and other exercises for both the left and right hands, with fingering techniques simply applied, but fully clarified.And for those who want some tunes, there are (in addition to the standard ditties) really some worthwhile classical adaptions, such as some of the best-renowned themes from the Bach cantatas.I was quite impressed with how much basic and even intermediate clarification was included in the book, and clarified with clarity and simplicity.Since I read music by now, I was able to skip many of the first chapters and get right into the practice and technique clarification, so I can’t comment on how clear the music-reading chapters would be for a total beginner. But, I expect that if they are as excellent as the rest of the clarification, they should be fine for that purpose as well.

Review by Marquis:

I bought this book 2 months ago and ongoing involved an hour from it day after day. The results were dreadfully fantastic and speedy. After a week of practice I would go back and shoot through the preliminary songs as if they were child’s play!My one problem with it is the way you’re presented with practice clarification. It’s never specified how long or often you should practice something before moving on. Just be patient and ONLY MOVE ON ONCE YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH A PIECE. Do that and this minor problem won’t change you at all.I really like the play along cd. It does help alot. Also, the humorous way in which you’re presented with all of the clarification this book contains will have you learning fantastic amounts of theory and technique without even realizing it. This book is fantastic as a reference book as well.So, although it’s challenging (sight-reading in particular), you’ll soon gather that with a small consistence and assiduity you’ll be on your way to “tickling the ivories with the best of ‘em”!

Review by Dr. Lee D. Carlson:

This book is written for the person just beginning to gather the prerequisites of music notation and is small, concise, and well organized. Dancers who need a knowledge of how to read music could benefit from the book, along with parents who need to teach their children how to read music. Certainly a bargain price also. There are myriads of other books on reading music and advanced treatises on music theory for those who want to go on.