5 comments about Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing.

1. Perhaps the previous reviewer did not take note of the title - "Basic Principles in Piano Forte Playing", which is just what it is - nothing more, nothing less. Josef Lehvinne is of the old school of thinking, namely, he believes that only meisters should be teaching how to play music, although he grudgingly acknowledges that demand outstrips supply and American "method" teaching has reached acceptable standards. I dread what he would think of me trying to teach myself. I could make fun of his attitude, but in reality he is a perfectionist, and that is what it really takes to make an outstanding musician of any instrument. Furthermore, he shares in a very readable style what is important when mastering the piano. Even a beginner like me can appreciate the value of his very generous advice. Every page has at least one or more important gems, and his style of writing is such that you are sure to remember them!



2. I didn't find this book very useful, I recommend saving your money for some of the more recently written books on piano playing, such as the wonderful book by Gyorgy Sandor (On Piano Playing: Motion, Sound, and Expression), or the one by Seymour Fink (Mastering Piano Technique: A Guide for Students, Teachers, and Performers). Those are much more helpful in detailed technical and artistic suggestions.

   Actually, those others are so much better you must have a copy if you are serious about the piano.




3. This is still the most influential source on the Russian School of Piano Playing. It starts here - all other publications follow it. Still THE best book on piano playing.



4. The author wrote this with the underlying belief that not every way of hitting a piano key will produce the same sound. I can't subscribe to that, because at the end of the chain of events that produces a note, the sound is caused by a hammer hitting the string(s). Whether you hit that key with "the fleshy part of your finger", your fist or a waffle iron, it's still just hammers striking strings.
   
   When the author isn't going on and on about the theatrics of your wrist and arm motion to better hit a key so as to let him think you're producing a different tone, the rest of this book can actually be of some help to some pianists and wannabes.



5. In a way, I can understand the attitude of the reviewer below who prefers to play the piano with a waffle iron --- that is, who claims all notes sound the same no matter how the keys are struck. What a tragic attitude. But it is true, also, that in the latter half of the 20th Century, much of piano playing was reduced to the mere technicalities of hitting the right notes in the right places at the right time, the poetry of the music pretty much forgotten, displaced by waffle iron tachnique.
   
   Lhevinne truly is one of the pianistic giants of the first half of the last century, among the giants of the late Russian romantic school. Schonberg (I think it was) wrote of him as among the pantheon of performers, along with his colleagues Levitzky, Rosenthal, Rubenstein and such youngsters as Horowitz and the forever young Earl Wild. Rachmaninov said Lhevinne had the greatest left hand technique of any pianist. His few recordings, even though not re-mastered, leave you breathless.
   
   I am willing to enjoy the idiocyncratic few pages of such a giant. If you were into baseball, wouldn't you enjoy a few pages of Joe diMaggio? Of course, probably not, if you use a waffle iron instead of a bat.

5 comments about Library Of Piano Classics 2 (Library of Series).

1. The best thing about this book is the variety. There are so many songs included in this book and several different levels of difficulty. This is by no means a beginner book, but there are songs that will challenge you and songs that will please you.



2. I really love this book. I have found that the spiral binding is great for beginners. It opens flat and turns easily, so when I am looking for a new book to add to my collection, I am immediately drawn to yours and as in the past, this is a wonderful collection. I am enjoying learning the music of the masters. Thank you for your talent of creating such a combination of pieces that make learning much easier and yet will be so gareatly appreciated by the expert for years to come.



3. I used to be an early advanced player when I was a teen but lost interest and stopped playing altogether. Now some 15 odd years later I'm trying to pick it up again, and even though I'm probably back down to intermediate level I'm just glad I didn't lose it all. This is a great big book with a nice selection of about 100 songs, over 300 pages. I love the plastic coil binding, the book STAYS open! A definite gem to add to your collection.



4. This is an amazing book. I bought it for my niece and she loves it. This is the third piano book I have purchased from Amy Appleby and Peter Pickow and will buy many more i am sure.



5. A wonderful assortment of pieces accompanied by wonderfully arranged interpretations. The songs in here continue the Piano Classics that everyone should know and provides a nice mix of easy-as-pie to finger-bleeding arrangements.
   
   Playing from this book will not only exercise your mind and help cultivate your understanding of the art, but will also provide you with wonderful presentation pieces.

3 comments about Piano Essentials: Scales, Chords, Arpeggios, and Cadences for the Contemporary Pianist (Book & CD).

1. I got this book about 3 weeks ago and already its improved my skills in a number of areas. Everything is organized in such a way that you just automatically progress. The incluion of every scale with chords gives you a good warm-up for every practice.
   The really cool thing about this book is it doesn't overwhelm you with theory, but has just enough for you to understand (or remember if you forgot)the basics. I feel that even after you advance you could still use this book as a review and a warm-up. Great for beginners and those of us wanting a a good basis for review or practice. The only thing I wish they would've thought of was to use a ring binding instead of regular book. That way you can lay the book out on the music stand better.



2. I've been playing scales, chords, arpeggios and cadences on the piano for 55 years. I've digested countless music theory texts and workbooks in those years.
   
   No one puts it all together as well as Ross Ramsay. His text is clear, logical and wonderful, wonderful, from the first definition of a scale to the advanced exercises at the end. This book is a great find and a great help for any pianist.
   
   Plus, when you work your way to page 81, you learn that you have mastered the major and minor scales that are part of the Berklee College of Music Piano Department requirements. You'll play as well as Diana Krall! This is a real life book. Treat yourself.
   D. Strong



3. Like many aspiring musicians, I'd heard a lot about Berklee, so when I decided to try to teach myself piano, this is one of the books I turned to. Although I haven't gotten that far into it yet, I'm finding it pretty useful. The theory review and accompanying exercises are good for getting the musical juices flowing, and the clear text is concise and vaguely satisfying (keep reading). I don't know that this book is helping me to play any better (yet), but I like the feeling of security it provides me by filling in gaps in my musical knowledge. This book includes a CD that is very helpful in learning the passages and seeing where you are going next. Throughout the book, I get the feeling that they are setting up an instructor to give the student a little more information and "inspiration", as though they are telling you what the juicy kernel of piano knowledge is without actually letting you touch it. Hopefully, this feeling will go away when I get to the later lessons. I would say this book is useful for the serious self-instructing student, but would probably serve a beginning pianist with a regular instructor even better. But in an area where quality instruction manuals are sparse and individual needs vary so widely, I think this book has a good amount of utility.

5 comments about Music Reading For Keyboard: The Complete Method (Musicians Institute Essential Concepts).

1. Reading music may be difficult at first-hand, but when you're getting assistance from Berklee, you know it's worth it. So take advantage of the best composers and their teachings and receive it and apply it to creativity.



2. As a former organist who after a twenty year hiatus decided to become a self-taught pianist, I bought this book to help me get back to reading music quickly and easily. The church music that I played was largely a treble clef melody line with chord names written above it, leaving my bass clef reading, slow, laborious, and highly dubious. ("It's a 'D', no, C! Wait...B") Once I got hold of some piano music, I found that I just couldn't keep the left hand going and couldn't decipher the notes fast enough to play much of anything. This book promised to help in that area, and I have used it as a supplement to a number of other books to help my overall playing. (Check out my other reviews.) So far, I have found this helpful in improving my note reading ability. Keep in mind, I already knew how to read notes in treble and bass clef, just needed to brush it up, so I'm not sure how useful this book would be for a raw beginner. The random note exercises are something entirely different for me, and they provide a good challenge and excellent sight reading practice. I don't think the rhythm exercises are terribly useful without having somebody on hand to tell you if you have the right rhythm or not (I suppose a metronome would help), but I didn't really buy the book for that aspect. I haven't gotten far enough in the book yet to tell if it is going to help me as much as I want in the ledger lines area above and below the normal clefs, but if it continues to perform in the later lessons as well as it has in the early lessons, I'm sure I will gain a lot from this manual.



3. I want to learn how to sight-read, and perhaps its not a goal that I can accomplish with just a book and no teacher. I have an idea that for a person who has played an instrument in the past, or has a fundamental understanding of notation, this book is just fine. However, if you're like me, just starting, the book reads like a school textbook that the teacher is going to use in class, and then quiz you on next week! I'm going to keep it because I'm taking piano lessons, and the book might actually mean something in a few weeks/months.



4. I just got this book 1 week ago, and its helping me read the maple leaf rag with ease! The book offers a good workbook style work out. The author does not write long paragraphs about piano, the author just tells you what piano is and how to play it. The book will truly help you play the piano better.



5. I like this instructional book. It's great for practice. If you have'nt played for a while it will help you get back to the fun of music.

4 comments about FastTrack Music Instruction - Keyboard, Book 1 (Fasttrack Series).

1. If your looking for an excellent book to help you on your quest to learning how to play your keyboard and read music. Then this is the book for you. It really makes learning a fun part of the proccess. I liked the cd and the way this book was written. I will defintaly buy more fasttrack books in the future.



2. I have to say, given all the choices for keyboard instruction available, I got really lucky in choosing this one! After just 5-6 weeks, I am halfway thru book 1 and they've got me playing loads of songs with 2 hands(something I thought I wouldn't be able to do for awhile!). This book takes a very 'hands-on' approach(this is key!), and includes a CD for you jam along to. The keyboard parts you are intended to play are panned to the right, so that you can hear what they're supposed to sound like, and later pan to the left in case you no longer wish to hear them. I also like the book's laid-back 'take it easy on yourself' attitude, while teaching the reader music theory one piece at a time. Granted, you do start out playing some songs you've probably heard too many times already("skip to my lou", for example), but they are good teaching exercises, and later on the book has you playing material that is more rock, blues, and classical-oriented. I can't wait to start book 2!



3. very easy to understand and follow and encourages a keen interest to learn quickly and accurately



4. I have enjoyed the book very much. For a beginner it is very helpful.

4 comments about After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance.

1. A must read for any serious piano students and piano teachers. This is an eye-opener that reveals how far piano recitals have strayed from those of the Romantic 19th Century.



2. In its relatively concise length, Kenneth Hamilton's book deals with several related questions concerning the history of piano performance in a remarkably comprehensive fashion. Beginning with the broadest questions, such as where and for whom pianists customarily performed in the nineteenth century, the author, himself a distinguished pianist, continues with issues such as the length and composition of concert programs, the role of improvisation in public performances, memorization, and the eternal problem of fidelity to the printed score and respect for the composer's intentions.
   
   It is inevitable that the figure of Franz Liszt would take center stage in a book that asks whether there was indeed a "golden age" of pianism. One of the singular virtues of Hamilton's work is that the great pianist and composer is presented as the complex, multifaceted figure he was. His public performances were very different from piano recitals today, with assisting artists, improvisation, so-called "preluding," and above all, vocal and frequently riotous audience expression. In fact, they were quite a bit like popular music concerts are today. How we got from those lively, frequently lightweight and sloppy, but exciting events to the solemn, reverent affairs that piano concerts are today is a central, though hardly the only, topic of Hamilton's discourse. He shows us that although something has arguably been gained by this transformation, something also has been lost.
   
   There are some tedious stretches in the book--it is difficult to enliven, for example, a chapter that is basically a recitation of concert programs played by this or that pianist--and not all of the author's observations are fresh. It is hardly news to read, for example, that modern recording technology has altered both performer's attitudes toward and audiences' expectations of live performance. Nevertheless, Hamilton's perception and frequent sharp wit serve to make "After the Golden Age" an engaging and entertaining read, despite copious footnotes and documentation.



3. i certainly enjoyed the opening chapters of this book yet by the time i got to the end i felt the author had overextended his reach. as a professional pianist i find a lot of the information near the beginning new to me and very interesting. by the end the information is repetitive and pretty much common knowledge.



4. A thought-provoking and enjoyable book! It is written skillfully and with humour, so it's a real pleasure to read it; but at the meantime it provides the reader with the most advanced scholarly research, with a complete and thorough insight on performance practice, and has the added value of combining the musicologist's knowledge with the pianist's practical experience and creativity. a MUST!

5 comments about Dan Coates Complete / Advanced Piano Solos.

1. I bought this for my wife who studied the piano up to a pretty advanced level, but stopped playing regularly about 6 years ago. Other reviews made me think that it would be a challenging book for her...in fact, she is enjoying the variety and smoothness of it. I guess that is both an advantage and disadvantage...depends on your expectations. One thing is for sure...she is loving it.



2. I play for numerous weddings where the bride chooses piano for the service music. These arrangements are a wonderful resource for these events. They are absolutely gorgeous, and they are a great source with a mix of classical, sacred, and modern songs. The arrangement of "Prayer" is worth the price for the whole volume. It is one of the best values I've encountered in many years.



3. This is one of my favorite piano solo books. Some of the music takes work as it is mostly level 4-5, but the arrangements are wonderful. I take this book with me wherever I know there will be a piano. I'm a senior citizen who has played for years and Dan Coates improvisations fit my abilities very well. I hope there will be another book from him one of these days.



4. Dan Coates writes in a style much like my own, so I really enjoy the selection of songs and his arrangements of them. I've searched for years for a book like this! So pleased with it. There are 77 songs, most of them will always be timeless favorites. Some of the pieces are a little challenging, but I like that. I've been asked to play for a wedding and reception. Most all of these songs will be appropriate for the occasion, and they are professional-sounding, too. I'll be proud of this book for years to come, unlike many I wish I had never wasted my money on and are now collecting dust.



5. This book is very enjoyable and fun to play. The selections are very interesting and I feel like I'm actually improvising. I love the arrangements and look forward to practicing!

No comments about The Music Tree Activities (Part 1) (Music Tree (Summy)).

2 comments about High School Musical 2 (Piano/Vocal/Guitar).

1. My 13 year old daughter is at an intermediate piano level (level 3-4) and wanted to play something more contemporary than the piano methods, or classical scores, or the NYSMA selections. She liked the songs from High School Musical 2 better than the first, and asked me for the music. This songbook sounds authentic. The transcriptions play nicely and sound like that used in the movie. My daughter is pleased that she can now play songs that her schoolmates recognize and can sing along with.



2. I bought this for my 14 year old son, who is taking piano lesson's, and loved the movie's. He was very pleased with and is playing from this song book.

5 comments about The Elton John Keyboard Book.

1. This book has revolutionized the way I play the keyboard. Often times, printed sheet music is only a loose guide for what is actually played on a recorded track. This book is almost verbatim what Elton is playing on the original recored versions of the tracks. This book is a definite for any serious musician and or Elton fan. It is very accurate and wonderful for an average player and for a seasoned player to expound upon and improvise. I agree with another reviewer that they should publish volume 2 for sure!!! and 3 and 4!!!



2. I am interested in getting the original EJ piano music as I had a similar inclusive book years ago- and I HATE the silly chord melody arrangements-
   BUT AMAZON NEEDS TO LIST WHAT ALL THE SONGS ARE SOMEWHERE just like they do in a CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get with it Amazon- it is hard to buy when you do not know what is in there!



3. These songs are the real thing-written by SEJ himself! The level is intermediate to advanced but I am going to enjoy the challenge.



4. This book has exactly what Elton John plays on the piano, for pretty much all of his best songs. It even includes some of the other instrumental parts if you want to incorporate some of them into your playing. Awesome stuff for anyone who wants to learn to accompany these songs. Elton John was quite a good pianist though so some of the parts can be quite hard if you're not a competent piano player.



5. I just received the three books and they are great. As you progress reading and listening to what you play, you can recognize their notes (BJ, EJ, Beatles) as actually performed. Great to see how those songs come out from your hands and piano!!!
   But..Song for Guy is missing!!! May be in a next edition. They are worth your money.