5 comments about John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course Part 1.

1. I used these books when I was a kid. I bought this one for my daughter to help her learn the piano. It is very well put together and kid friendly.



2. I love it. Students learn the notes one-by-one in songs with duet accompaniment. There are work pages to do along with songs to play. The book is colorful and fun to look at. The progression moves along slowly so that each concept is learned; while at the same time students are playing songs each week and feeling much success. I like it a lot better then the old Thompson series.



3. I've been teaching my 5-year-old to play and she has progressed quickly using this book. I've been playing since I was 4 myself, but I haven't taught music to anyone. This has been easy to use and I like that it comes with accompaniments to each piece that I can play with her. It references a CD, but mine didn't come with one.



4. I keep this book and its sequel on my piano. Recently a friend came over with her 4 year-old daughter and started playing the lessons in the book. The two of them were able to make significant progress in about 30 minutes.
   
   I am using the activities to jump start my toddler's music exposure. She enjoys the cover, and the notes are simple enough to engage her. She is learning timing and correspondence between tone and piano key, and I am using the time to fine-tune my own understanding of piano playing.
   
   Overall, this book is a very good companion for your piano if you want to give guests and children the opportunity to play your piano and learn even with no previous lessons.



5. I have been teaching piano to children and adult beginners for five years now. At first I picked up this "classic" for my young beginners, ages 4-7.
   Experience has taught me that this method is tedious, slow and CONFUSING. Too much information is thrown at the learners in the first three written pages. Too little actual playing is done from the get-go.
   
   At an estate sale I found an old, out-of-print book that helped me to re-think ALL of the current piano methods. Beginners should be taught on a single treble staff until they master most of the notes. The non-dominant hand should be used equally or MORE than the dominant hand.
   
   As the child learns to read notes, then music can be written on a double treble staff. Once melody and chords are mastered in both hands you can introduce the bass staff using the same technique.
   
   After the pupil has mastered all of the above then the GRAND STAFF should be introduced.
   
   Unfortunately, I have not found ANY published method using this method, so I handwrite music for my pupils. Maybe I'LL have to publish my own! LOL.
   

5 comments about Pride and Prejudice: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack.

1. Yes, this music is pretty easy and simple to play, but if you listen to the soundtrack on the movie, it's simple. Just add feeling as you play, and it's beautiful. I'd buy the music again!



2. For me, these songs are more difficult to play than expected. They seem so simple, but you really have to watch your timing. I will be purchasing a metronome soon! It is fun to try and play the songs from the film. This book has been an enjoyable way to practice the piano and feel like I'm in the movie at the same time.



3. Every pianist should learn these timeless, fantastic scores. Usable for any situation up to and including weddings, recitals, etc. Such soothing music.



4. The sheet music is incredibly well transcribed and is very complete. I do wish it had ALL of the songs that are on the CD, but the book is still definitely worth the price!



5. This version of the sheet music is more advanced than an earlier version that I purchased. It is clearly more difficult to play, but not so difficult that with a little work it can't be accomplished. And the results are worth it .... more harmonically rich and interesting.

5 comments about Alfred's Basic Piano Library: Lesson Book Level 1A (Alfred's Basic Piano Library).

1. I chose this book to teach a 6 year old new student. It's a wonderful book because it progresses slowly- each page introduces one new concept and has the child practise it in small steps. It is perfect because the child does not become overwhelmed. The illustrations are really nice too. And the print is big and spacious-looking. You can also get it with a CD that goes along with it for $1 more.
   After ordering the Usborne book here and finding it crowded and confusing, I went to my local music store and picked this book out of all the beginning piano books. It's a really nice one.



2. I have been using this book with young students [...] for the past 8 years. It moves at a comfortable pace and introduces good musical concepts. I definitely recommend the accompanying Theory Book to reinforce the concepts over the time between lessons. My students have had good results and advanced quickly with this as their start. I have been very happy with it.



3. I have taught piano lessons for over 20 years. During that time, I have found that Alfred's Basic Piano Library Level 1A is great for young beginners. When children are about 5-6 years old, they have trouble controlling their hands, as well as multi-tasking. So, learning to use fingers correctly, count, and learn letter names can be very frustrating. In ABPL Level 1A, children do not have to learn the names of the notes at first. They merely play the notes according to the numbers of their fingers. The notes go up or down the scale, but they are not on a staff. So, they learn fingering and counting, but not letter names for the first several weeks.
   Level 1A also introduces C D E first and then F in the bass. This is better for the children because they often mistake B below middle C for D above middle C. They also mistake A for E, and G for F, and vice versa. B A and G in the bass clef (right below middle C) are not introduced until later in the series.



4. I use this with my students. It is easy to understand and well laid out. The students enjoy the little songs to both play and sing. Excellent lesson book.



5. This book works well for me. It starts out with the very basics and introduces the fundamentals of piano. Then it offers great practice pieces. My piano teacher turned me on to this book and I love it.

5 comments about The Jazz Piano Book.

1. Use the concepts in this to help you decipher & transcribe jazz you like into you're own playing.



2. The product was fine. More than fine. Your shipping department needs some training. They put this book in a box 15 times times larger than the book (I measured) with a few air bags. The book bounced around in the box during shipping and arrived damaged. Pretty annoying for a $30+ purchase. I received a few dollars credit for the damages. Would have requested a new book but it would have been shipped the same. The person I talked to was very nice, but he was in India, so I rather doubt if your shipping department heard of my complaint.
   Camille Gollon



3. I have searched high and low for a comprehensive instructional book that contains equal parts application and exercises. This is the book. The book is replete with snippets of famous jazz songs that provide a window into the techniques of many great players, and Mr. Levine is thoughtful enough to provide source albums and songs for listening purposes.
   
   Additionally, the book provides you, early on, with a method for interpreting songs out of the real book. With this easy method, you can instantly begin building a repertoire of material, and revisit these songs with the techniques learned in later chapters



4. The author states (I don't know his exact words) that 6/9 chords are essentially equivalent to maj7 chords and throughout the book he uses them interchangeably. To me this is an example of slipshod thinking and therefore I wonder just how far one can trust this author. On the plus side, the discography is excellent.



5. This is not an easy book to get a handle on. Beginner's may be overwhelmed. Intermediate students will need help in structuring the topics and lessons. Advanced students will probably find plenty of nuggets of jazz wisdom to make the purchase of this book worthwhile. As a long time musician relatively new to jazz, I find this book extremely valuable for learning about jazz, but it isn't terribly helpful in improving my piano chops. I still give it five stars because I didn't buy it to learn the piano so much as to learn jazz, and obviously, jazz piano. That may sound crazy, but it makes sense when you realize there aren't many specific "drills" to learn the various aspects that Levine teaches about jazz and specifically, jazz piano. Yeah, he may say something like, "Be sure you can do this in all twelve keys", but you're not going to stop reading the book, rush to the piano and practice for four weeks before you continuing reading. The kind of stuff he "teaches" takes a lifetime of experience and playing to learn. So I appreciate being told about it, and I like having some perspective added to such a very deep field of music, but after you buy this book, you're still going to need to do some drills, (try Jazz Chord Hanon: 70 Exercises for the Beginning to Professional Pianist, Jazz Hanon (Private Lessons), Post-Bop Jazz Piano - The Complete Guide with CD!: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series (Hal Leonard Keyboard Style), and even Piano Essentials: Scales, Chords, Arpeggios, and Cadences for the Contemporary Pianist (Book & CD)), learn some songs (use The Real Book: Sixth Edition), and get some instruction (try your local community college or music store). In short, Levine's book is a wonderful map and a readable, useful guide for just about anyone with interest in playing jazz on the piano.

5 comments about Wicked - Piano/Vocal Arrangement.

1. Many a time has this book come in handy. It is perfect for a recital or review type performance. If you have the talent and skill to actually play these pieces, kudos to you!



2. I love the Broadway show and adore listening to the CD. But the music in this book is very difficult to play and enjoy. I'm an advanced intermediate who just plays the piano for fun, and so far, this hasn't been fun! I'll keep practicing - maybe it will become more enjoyable.



3. Thank you!! What a deal!! I received my order within a few days. I'm delighted.



4. good product (amazing musical), excellent condition, quick deliver. "Thats why I couldn't be happier. Thank goodness." :)



5. Wicked is fabulous on every level. Just know that this score is not easy to play from if you are not a good piano player. Also as voice teacher, prepare yourself for a lot of students who will not be able to even touch the high belt required for some of these songs!
   
   Check Out: Vocalize!

5 comments about Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises - Complete: Piano Technique.

1. This book is great and is in great shape. Perfect for strengthening and training fingers.



2. I used this book in grade school when I took piano lessons and HATED it with a passion. Some decades later, I'm picking up the piano again, and my weak fingers made me think about these exercises. I acquired the book, and have been working through the exercises again, and over just the space of 6 weeks have noticed dramatic improvement. It's taken a while because I don't practice every day, or for the same length of time. Just for giggles I've tried playing the first exercise a couple times at the fast end of the recommended metronome speed (60-108). At first I just couldn't do it. Now I can get through about half of it at top speed, and I can play the first two exercises with quality at 80. I find that by practicing the exercises first without the metronome, then with at the low end, then slowly increasing the speed, that I get a real sense of accomplishment and progress in smaller doses, which is very satisfying and motivating to work on the longer term goals of learning whole pieces of music.



3. I'm just learning play piano, this exercises are very good to develop agility and strength in both hands.



4. This book takes the budding pianist through exercise to strengthen fingers and build up agility and coordination. The exercises can be quite melodic themselves, especially as one builds up speed using increasingly fast settings on a metronome.
   While repetitive and bound to drive your closest nuts, it is the best way to achieve a solid foundation as a piano player.



5. I teach piano, in addition to having played for over twenty years, and this book is essential. For my beginning students ages 8-adult, it's a great way for them to get started sight-reading using the interval-reading method as opposed to the note-reading method. The exercises will build up finger strength and dexterity, and make the note-patterns second nature. The scales and arpeggios are presented in a such a way that even my first-year students can do them with very little difficulty, as long as all the exercises are played in order.
   
   For more advanced students, there's a way to liven up the exercises 1-20 so that even the most advanced students are challenged--play one exercise in one hand, and simultaneously play a different one in the other hand, then when that exercise is complete, switch them. After five minutes of this, you'll be asking yourself, "Who needs caffeine?" because you'll definitely be wide-awake!
   
   This book also enforces good technique because it hurts if your fingers/hands are not used properly. There shouldn't be pain, throbbing or burning--you have relaxed hands and be able to play this all day long. If you can't, you need to see a teacher for a few lessons at a minimum, to fix your technique.
   
   If you have any aspirations of playing piano well, this book is the place to start, and you'll be playing from it all your life . . . so just jump in and buy it!

5 comments about Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course: Lesson Book, Level One.

1. For those who didn't find the CD with the book, I found the songs online at http://www.sonicx.com/Alfred/



2. I have used Alfred's Basic (non-adult) Piano Course for years with my students with great success. When I began to teach an older beginner, I thought I'd try the adult course. I am not as pleased with it. The adult course focuses mostly on chords in the left hand, so one does not learn to read the independent notes as readily in the left hand. The left hand does not get the strength and independence that the right hand does because of this emphasis on chords. Therefor I will be switching back to the regular Alfred Basic (non-Adult) course.



3. Excellent book. Easy to read and follow. I am new to piano and the instruction in the book is very clear. The books actually helps to give me more encourage to continue to learn piano. Definitely recommnend to others. I will finish the book and conitnue to the next level.



4. I have never played piano before and I'm halfway through book 1. I'm taking my time, but its been about 3 weeks. The stuff coming from my fingers sounds like real music and I'm using both hands to play complex music. I never felt overly intimidated though, each new song is a challenge, but never too much of one. The first few songs take minutes, then a couple sessions. I try to practice in tiny chunks (I have a 5 year old son), of about 15 minutes and the length of the songs in this book are great for that. I can't recommend this highly enough.



5. I bought the book AND the CD from Barnes & Noble. I don't know why Amazon doesn't stock them both together. I found the book very good, but the CD has a really cheesy soundtrack which sometimes drowns out the piano examples. The pages are clear and precise, the diagrams easy to see, and the concepts clear. Overall I would say that this is a good book for the beginner and you really should buy it WITH the CD, just try and forget the awful din coming from your speakers; just listen to the piano examples to see what it should sound like.

5 comments about The Piano Handbook: A Complete Guide for Mastering Piano.

1. I am a professional musician who never really got around to formally learning how to play the piano. I was looking for a book that didn't spend a lot of time introducing fundamental musical concepts and "cut to the chase" fairly quickly. This is entirely the case with this book. Although the highly motivated beginner music student could use this book, I think it's best for those who are coming to the instrument with some background knowledge of music as well as good practicing habits (as the book doesn't get into this at all). The range of subjects covered is really wide, and you really get into the "meat" of everything rather quickly. Highly reccommended!



2. This is a bit more advanced than I had anticipated. But as I move into it I find that I am learning very quickly and am impressed by the overall quality of instruction. Sometimes I have a few double takes where I don't fully understand something(I have 0 musical background) but I just pop on the internet for clarification. Using the book combined with various internet sites I'm progressing rapidly.
   
   So if you are a beginner and are not easily intimidated go for this book. But know that it doesn't exactly hold your hand through the exercises.



3. I am a professional pianist who wanted to get out of some bad habits.
   Mr Humphrie's book takes you back to the beginning so you can undo bad habits and weaknesses you did not even know you had.
   The CD is a marvellous drilling tool.
   Set your CD player on repeat and you can drill until you get the the exercise right.
   Yes,he progesses rapidly but if you are determined and dead serious about becoming as good as you can be,this book may be for you.



4. 
   
   This book's ambitions are tremendous within a single volume; perhaps that is the reason why it fails so monstrously. With the aim of giving the player footholds in classical, jazz, bebop, fusion and experimental music along with instruction in music theory, history and development of the modern piano dovetailed with biographies of immortal figureheads of music within the bound of 290 pages, each page is about another twenty laps around the track. What's worse is that in order to maintain its pace, the author must sacrifice valuable practice exercises designed not only to strengthen and improve performance and flexibility, but to give the player some confidence, especially for a beginner.
   
   We are not all music prodigies, nor are we actors in a musical in which everything magically falls into place the second or third time after first becoming acquainted with the move. The book does come with a CD of how the music should sound. However, the paradigm moves as such a quick pace as to make the aspirant not only confused, but cringe at the height of the new summit of work to be called at least fairly performed.
   
   To the beginning student, I would recommend this book only as a supplement beside a far more general piano book to serve as a test for particular skills and challenging music. For the more advanced student, still, I would urge him not to buy this since it mixes very general terms and skills with incongruous and brief music: it would be better to find a book that matched both musical difficulty with learned information.



5. This is a great book to learn from as an adult beginner. As a voice and piano teacher I run across a lot of different teaching materials. This book holds the interest of the piano student.
   
   For Voice Check out:
   Vocalize!

5 comments about Teaching Little Fingers to Play: A Book for the Earliest Beginner (John Thompsons Modern Course for The Piano).

1. My grandmother had this book at her house when I was a child. I taught myself how to play piano ( a little bit) with it. I am going to use it to teach my children.



2. Good first book for learning piano, but our teacher requested we get another book to accompany this, since this one moves a little too fast for our kindergartener.



3. Beyond the simple enjoyment of playing a song, learning to play music is a catalyst for discovery and learning in life. Rudiments such as fractions are learned by understanding the key signature. Motor skills are developed in both hands. Processing of symbols into piano keys and then piano keys into musical tones that, when played together, create a song. We often forget this as adults, or never learned it. The key with teaching these things effectively to kids is to make it fun, keep the lessons to a reasonable length and to get involved as a parent or teacher.
   
   Teaching Little Fingers To Play is perfect for introducing children to the joy of playing a piano. It provides short, fun songs that kids can sing along to as they develop their skills playing. My daughter finds so much enjoyment in practicing and can't wait to "figure out" the next song. The skills and knowledge are added little by little in such a way that they build on what is already developed, rather than overwhelming the child. The notes to the teacher are also helpful, particularly when the teacher is simply a parent who isn't a piano virtuoso.
   
   The price is VERY affordable and the book simply works well, particularly for my child. I'd recommend this book for any child under the age of 10. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you buy this book. I certainly wasn't.



4. My 7 year old has enjoyed learning piano w/ this book. I don't play but I've been able to "teach" her with it. This is great for beginners.



5. I've taught out of this to some of my piano students and it works out nicely.

5 comments about A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano.

1. "A Romance on Three Legs" falls into the category of "Who knew?" books. As in, "Who knew that a story about pianos and piano tuning, of all things, could be so engrossing?" But Katie Hafner has done what writers like John McPhee do -- taken what might at first glance seem to be a mundane subject and given it great vibrancy and life. Of course, "A Romance on Three Legs" turns out to be not really about pianos and piano tuning, but about people -- about Glenn Gould and his strange obsessiveness, and about Gould's longtime technician, Verne Edquist, and his dogged efforts to satisfy his boss. Along the way you do learn a lot about pianos and what makes them tick, thanks to Hafner's clear and engaging writing. But it's the stories of Gould, Edquist and others that elevate this book far above the ordinary -- stories that Hafner has told exceedingly well.



2. This book deserves a spot on the bookshelf of any Gould enthusiast. Honestly, I can't imagine it being very interesting for anyone not already familiar with the pianist and his eccentricities, although other reviewers may disagree. As far as the story goes--it's fascinating. Filled with priceless details about Steinway, piano tuning and the characters involved in CD318's adventure. Of course, the precious anecdotes about Gould are always a welcome treat.
   In terms of literary achievement, I'm on the border with this book. It reads as if it was written quickly, and Hafner occasionally drifts into giddy cliches that made me cringe. However, this fault had the benefit of revealing her obvious passion for the topic. Also, I found the second half much more interesting than the first, as it focuses more on the piano and Gould's relationship with it.
   Overall, a very pleasant and interesting story that is a must-read for anyone interested in Glenn Gould.



3. If someone would have told me that I would be up reading this book at 2:00 am learning how someone voices a Steinway Piano, I would have said that they were nuts. But, it was true. Once I entered this Romance on Three Legs, I needed to hear how massaging of the felt, lacquering the soundboard and needling the hammers made each piano a unique sound and of unique personality.
   
   Katie Hafner has taken this true story and created this wonderful voyage through intertwined stories of love and compassion. The feature story is about this eccentric, gifted pianist [Glenn Gould] and his search for his 88 key, life partner. But via Hafner's weaving of extraordinary detail, I found myself feeling close to this unloved, unappreciated, abandoned World War orphan piano [Steinway unit number CD318] and its quest for a caring home. Eventually the two find each other.
   
   Then another compelling love story emerges. This one is about a once great manufacturer and its courtship of customers. Hafner takes us into the foundation and history of a last century institution called Steinway Piano. Like our `Breakfast of Champions' [Wheaties], we learn how Steinway goes to extraordinary measures to become known as the "Instrument of the Immortals".
   
   For a while you feel that both romances are on safe footing. Then disaster strikes both.
   
   Don't think of this book as a story written for students of music. This is a rich and enjoyable voyage about people, companies and their obsessive quest for perfection.



4. This book has inspired me to leave my first-ever Amazon review. Katie Hafner's masterful storytelling captivated me from page one and didn't lose me even once in 232 pages. She weaves the stories of the tortured Gould, his treasured concert grand and his surpassing tuner into a yarn so rich in carefully researched detail that you feel you're alongside Gould for every fateful turn in his "obsessive quest for the perfect piano." The deeply human drama includes artful explanations of the technology of piano-making and tuning in the early chapters --just enough to usher any non-musician into the rarefied orbit in which the piano known as CD 318 becomes an irresistible love object, not only for Gould but also for the reader. The writing is beautiful and economical, making for a quick read that is also intellectually rewarding. Besides all that, it's a fascinating--alternately hilarious, uplifting and heartbreaking-- exposition on the creative soul.



5. Although it is almost 26 years ago that the oracle of Toronto met his untimely end, the market for his recordings and new biographies remains alive and kicking. After having read myself through many of the earlier biographies devoted to history's greatest recording artist, I was not entirely sure that there was a need for yet another book. Yet upon reading "A Romance on Three Legs" I would rate it only second after Bazzana's on my list of best Gould biographies.
   
   As discussed by my fellow reviewers, this short and pleasant read focuses not only on Gould, but also on his tuner Verne Edquist and the Steinway piano. With all the Gould biographies that have accumulated on the shelf over the last 25 years, it should not come as a surprise that only a few new details are presented.
   
   Surprisingly, if you consider the "piano subject", there is unprecedented detail on the 12 year affair between Gould and the married Mrs. Foss. While Gould recording engineer Andrew Kazdin was savagely attacked for mentioning the conductor-composer's wife name in his caustic "Creative Lying", we apparently live in such "Enquirer Days" that even conscientious biographers don't have to feel bad about exposing the dirty laundry of the most private of persons. Sic transit...
   
   But back to the good news.
   Even GG himself would likely have enjoyed the counterpoint in this book. Starting with the first theme of the comet-like rise of the well off golden boy, and then adding a starkly different second voice with Edquist's early years of extreme hardship, in turn followed by the rise (and fall?) of the Steinway factory, the book offers a well paced triple fugue. As with all well written counterpoint the total by far exceeds the sum of the individual parts.
   
   More importantly -and maybe it took a woman's touch to get it right- this is probably the most accurate psychological portrait of Gould. Neither a result of the standard Friedrich hagiography or Kazdin attack approaches, Hafner's Gould is neither saint nor sinner. Driven, neurotic, manipulative, living in barely organized chaos striving for unsurpassed perfection, an improbable mix of equal parts pragmatic rationality and mystical madness. Moreover, Haffner really did a great job to describe the workings of the Gould team (GG, Edquist, Kazdin, Tulk) and shows how an almost guild like group of craftsmen put together some of music history's most memorable recordings.
   
   While GG knew a lot about the recording process and did an awful lot of things supperbly -Gould's recording is still the only one that got the deepest octaves in the Brahms Ballades right- most of them in no way represented the then current state of the art. They're noisy, there's humming and chair noise and, as Hafner discusses, there was a period best illustrated in the Bach Inventions/Symfonia recording when Gould's endless need for tactile control resulted in disastrous side effects.
   
   Gould developed a highly individual approach to piano sound way before CD318 became his instrument of choice. CD318 was crisp, clear and clean and became the ultimate tool to achieve the distinctive Gould sound in his (pre)baroque recordings. Yet to me, Gould the pianist never sounded better than in his first recording of Haydn's 49th piano sonata on an unidentified instrument.
   
   Although some may complain of Gould's lack of traditional pianism -say compared to Pogorelich or Pollini- I consider the absence of the Hollywood Steinway sound highly appropriate for Bach and the likes. Yet, Hafner's choice of putting this instrument on a pedestal and dismissing the modern Steinways strikes me as a little strange. Sure, compared to the disastrously badly sounding Yamaha that Gould used to record his eternal second Goldbergs on, it could be qualified as a miracle, yet when I compare it to the modern Steinways that I have heard the likes of Cherkassky, Gelber, Pogorelich and Pollini on I see little reason for a CD318 Hallelujah Choir.
   
   Yet, to finish on a more appropriate positive note this is a really outstanding biography that every Gould aficionado should read. It is the equivalent of a fair Lucian Freud style portrait of a highly improbable subject. Compared to a previous biography by psychiatrist Ostwald it paints a much better psychological portrait and entirely leaves it to the reader to figure out how Glenn Gould was able to make such a lasting impression on the world of serious music.