Book Description
Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-One Course is designed for the beginner looking for a truly complete piano course that includes lesson, theory, technic and popular repertoire in one convenient, all-in-one book. This course has a number of features that make it particularly successful in achieving this goal, among them are smooth progression between concepts, the thorough explanation of chords and outstanding song material. At the completion of this course, the student will have learned to play some of the most popular music ever written and will have gained a thorough understanding of the basic concepts of music.
Customer Reviews:
Well crafted course for the older beginner.......2007-09-09
After reviewing numerous 'method' books on piano, I found this one to be the most comprehensive and well rounded of the lot. Utilizing the best apsects from the myriad methods developed over the years, this book engages the student with popular tunes, theory and technical exercises from the likes of Hanon and Leschetizky, without overemphasising any one element at the expense of another.
Excellant!.......2007-08-26
This book is easy-to-understand and very thorough. I'm using it under the guidance of a professional instructor, but I think it could be used independantly with great effect, as well. It starts with the absolute basics, but it's amazing how quickly an adult can move along. I feel quite confident playing everything covered in this book, and I've enjoyed it very much.
I'm 31 years old, and I've spent, probably, 6-9 mos total in Level 1 (with a few months off this summer). I've just purchased Level 2, and I fully intend to finish this course through Level 3.
Get This Freakin Book!!!!!.......2007-08-07
I have had no prior knowledge of the piano whatsoever. I mean no lessons no nothing! I bought the book and after 1 week of practicing at 1 hour everyday I'm half way through this book. I'm playing music with ease folks! I signed up for a piano course and found out about this book. After looking through it I dropped the class and started teaching myself. Call me crazy but its paying off. You actually can learn on your own. Imagine what your friends and family will think of you when you said you learned from a book. Can we say "gasps". It's easy to understand and takes you along the way the RIGHT way. Get this Freakin Book!
Great method book.......2007-08-03
I love this series for teaching piano. It is very methodical and logical. And I love that it incorporates the Hanon exercises. I see students grow leaps and bounds using those!
If you use the correlated 'Greatest Hits' book, you've got a teaching/learning package that can't be beat.
By the way, the series is labeled 'Adult' but I would recommend it for any student who is past the age of brightly colored pictures and kiddie lyrics. I guess I'd recommend it for anyone over the age of 13.
useful beginner's guide .......2007-05-18
I found it useful but I use many other pieces of music to complement this book.
Book Description
A beginning course for adults who prefer a chord approach. It teaches chords for both hands so that the student can play more than single note melodies. It contains outstanding songs such as "The Entertainer," "Scarborough Fair," "Greensleeves" and "Amazing Grace."
Customer Reviews:
Love this book.......2007-08-31
I had knowledge on music and some self-studied skills on Guitar and Harmonica, but no experience with any keyboard instruments. I found this book very easy to follow and very well structured. After a little bit more than one month, I have finished the C position exercises, and fell very comfortable with self-studying piano.
Highly recommend to adults who want to self-study piano in their own pace!
Great for Lessons.......2007-08-17
These books were required by my piano teachers. They were very easy to learn from and and use for more practice and fun.
Highly recommended.......2007-08-15
I have no musical background whatsoever and this book makes me feel like I've got lots of talent. It is easy to navigate and learn the basics. A truly must have for every beginner.
Just what I needed!.......2007-03-21
I am a thirty-something person learning the piano with no musical experience at all. This book has definitely taught me to play, and no other book I picked up came close. The Alfred book starts at the very beginning with pictures of numbered fingers and numbered keys. And within a few pages you're reading music and playing with two hands! The pace is appropriate for an adult, progressing quickly, but with full explanation of each new skill.
I would still recommend getting additional beginner books if you're serious about learning the piano, because it's useful to have a variety of resources, but this book is the one that taught me to play.
Good luck!
CD Not Shipped With Book. Buyer Beware.......2007-01-09
I bought this book with a lot of excitement and was surprised when I saw that the CD was not shipped with the book. I don't know how I am supposed to purchase the CD or download the audio files. It's a little frustrating.
I have not judged the quality of the book.
Other buyers, please be aware that the book does not ship with the companion audio CD.
Book Description
This bible of the piano marketplace is indispensable to buyers and owners of pianos, amateur and professional players alike. Hundreds of thousands of pianos are bought and sold each year, yet most people buy a piano with only the vaguest idea of what to look for as they make this major purchase. The Piano Book evaluates and compares every brand and style of piano sold in the United States. There is information on piano moving and storage, inspecting individual new and used pianos, the special market for Steinways, and sales gimmicks to watch out for. An annual supplement, sold separately, lists current prices for more than 2,500 new piano models.
Customer Reviews:
Required reading.......2007-03-31
If you're buying a piano, you have to read this thoroughly first. This applies to acoustic pianos, both vertical and grand, new and used. This book taught me how a piano works and how to tell what's wrong with it (in general). Didn't make me an expert, but I now feel qualified to buy a piano and not get ripped and get one that will suit my needs.
You also have to get the bi-annual(?) supplement that includes pricing.
Very good except for ratings which are useless.......2006-12-20
This is a very good book for people with little knowledge of pianos. The sections on construction, things to look out for, sales gimmicks and techniques etc. It is a very good source for most things related to pianos purchasing except his ratings. The historical information about the companies is interesting if not particularly helpful but the ratings which are based on biased opinions are essentially useless. It has created a tier system which basically just feeds people egos. the pricing secions are a little more helpful but not greatly.
I recommend using the informations sections and ignoring the rating sections.
BUYER BEWARE!.......2006-10-08
I agree that this book is a compendium of very valuable information, especially for the novice buyer. But despite a lifetime playing the piano and a career as a piano teacher, I made a terrible mistake following his recommendation. He raves about the Schimmel piano, a German-made instrument. I bought one about twelve years ago and have hated it ever since. The store owner even replaced it with another identical model, which was no better. The dampers don't work properly and the strings continue to vibrate after the key is released so it sounds as if you always have a half pedal in use. Both pianos did the same thing. I am now shopping for a replacement...without the book.
A Must Have.......2006-08-27
Unfortunately, I purchased a piano before reading this book. Fortunately, based on the information in this book, I made the right decision. I just happened to be lucky. But I wish I had bought the book earlier.
For the person wanting to buy a new or used piano, this book is a must have. Most people want to know what the best piano is for the money. Using the information in this book, you will be able to figure that out. And without this book, you could spend years spinning your wheels.
The bottom line is - quality costs money. Buy the best piano you can afford up front. Don't buy a spinet or mini-grand. Just by reading this book I found out they are a waste of money. I wouldn't have know that otherwise. Read this book. You will save yourself time, headaches, and money.
By the way, I bought a Yamaha U1.
THE book for Piano Consumers.......2006-03-18
If you are considering the purchase of an acoustic piano now or in the future, this book must be on your short reading list. Fine tells you about how a piano functions and what potential pitfalls to be aware of in the purchase of a new or used instrument.
Average customer rating:
- easy to read
- An easy way to learn...
- Excellent place to begin
- Perfect just for beginners
- Excellent despite the stale jokes
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Piano for Dummies
Blake Neely
Manufacturer: For Dummies
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ASIN: 0764551051 |
Book Description
At first glance, a piano may seem like an intimidating instrument that would be very difficult to learn how to play, but despite what your seventh-grade piano teacher may say, playing piano isn't brain surgery. It just takes time, practice, and patience.
Piano For Dummies starts at the very beginning and walks you through everything you need to know to turn that oversized hunk of furniture into an instrument that can make beautiful music. If you don't know how to read music, this book explains in friendly, uncomplicated language all the basics of music theory and applying it to playing the piano. And if you've been playing piano for a while – or took piano lessons when you were a child but haven't played since – you can pick up some valuable tips to improve your playing or use the book as a refresher course.
Here are some of the topics you'll find in Piano For Dummies:
- Buying a piano: Acoustic versus electronic
- How a piano works, and how to care for one
- Left- and right-hand piano techniques
- Examining keys, scales, melodies, harmonies, and chords
- Plenty of musical examples to play
- The history of piano musical styles
- Advice for piano teachers
- A Top Ten list of pianists you should know about
Piano For Dummies also includes a glossary and a free CD, which includes audio of all of the examples in the book so that you can play along.
So if you've always wanted to learn to play piano, but you don't have the time to take piano lessons, you can pick up the basics in Piano For Dummies; you'll be tickling the ivories with ease in no time!
Customer Reviews:
easy to read.......2007-10-01
This is an excellent book for teaching yourself piano. All the reviewers who slam this book for corny humor can go jump in a lake. There are plenty of serious music books that just shovel out the facts in a dry manner, so if that is what you want, fine, no reason to get uptight about a book that trys to use a more human touch. I want to also make it clear that the book does not tell jokes per say, so you dont have to read through long groaners to get to the material. The author simply interjects personal examples. Its a technique that is used in all the dummies books, if you dont like it, dont read dummies books.
An easy way to learn..........2007-07-16
It's very easy to learn piano with the this book and it's really funny. You learn without the stress of a regular "learning manual".
Excellent place to begin.......2007-07-06
Easy to understand - even for someone with no musical talent or experience. Great place to start.
Perfect just for beginners .......2007-05-14
This book is perfect if you want to play piano and you don't know anything about it. The book is plenty of jokes and all kind of information but nothing complex that you can't take it. This book is worthy of its title :-P I bought this one because I bought first "The piano handbook" and this one is not so good for beginners, but perfect for intermediate and advance that missed something or what to learn a different scale or style.
Excellent despite the stale jokes.......2007-04-20
I wanted to brush up on piano playing as I haven't been near a piano for about 40 years, and for this purpose I found the book excellent, though I haven't read similar introductory books so can't compare. Other reviewers have complained about the stale jokes, but for me this was a minor irritation. Music theory can be tedious, and the typically light "Dummies" touch counteracts what could otherwise have been a ponderous read. Even bad jokes are preferable to learned tomes that take themselves oh-so-seriously.
The book contains a wealth of basic and reference information, and the various issues are explained clearly, assuming no prior music knowledge. Unlike many introductory books the chapters do not necessarily have to be read in sequence (though doing so would probably provide a better basis) - the book is well structured, with lots of references to other chapters should you need clarification of terms explained elsewhere.
Using a DIY book effectively instead of piano lessons obviously requires some effort from the reader's side, though the accompanying CD does help. I also liked the attention given to the various styles, from classical to rock, blues, pop, jazz, country and soul.
One of the first hurdles is learning to read notes, after which things become much easier. If you want to start playing real songs and tunes as soon as possible, you'll find a few in this book, including the beautiful "Aura Lee" (made famous by Elvis Presley as "Love me Tender") which is surprisingly easy to play.
On the downside, many of the other tunes serving to illustrate a point are, to my mind, not very exciting, but then having musical notation of the more modern hits would probably have increased the selling price due to royalties considerations. So, for instance, we get the traditional and rather tame version of "The House of the Rising Sun" instead of the haunting hit arrangement by The Animals, who made it famous in popular culture.
When I was a kid I had a year's piano lessons, but it just didn't work for me. Reading this book has helped me looking at music and the piano / keyboard in a new way, and I have since bought a few "Easy Piano" songbooks and enjoy mastering new tunes.
Amazon.com
Daniel Mason's debut novel, The Piano Tuner, is the mesmerizing story of Edgar Drake, commissioned by the British War Office in 1886 to travel to hostile Burma to repair a rare Erard grand piano vital to the Crown's strategic interests. Eccentric Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll has brokered peace with local warlords primarily through music, a free medical clinic, and the "powers" of common scientific instruments, much to the dismay of warmongering officers suspect of such unorthodox methods. Drake is an introspective, well-mannered soul who, once there, falls in love with Burma and stays long past the piano-fixing to aid Carroll's political agenda. Drake's arduous journey to reach the outpost, however, takes far too long (nearly half the book) and the plotting is rather heavy-handed at times (one night, Drake learns of a mysterious "Man with One Story" who rarely speaks, and the very next morning the Man tells all to Drake). The story is ambitious, the language florid and sure to please, but the dialogue and melodrama are sometimes tedious. While out on the town with Carroll's love interest, Khin Myo (who enchants Drake), Mason offers the townspersons' view of Drake:
It is only natural that a guest be treated with hospitality, the quiet man who has come to mend the singing elephant is shy, and walks with the posture of one who is unsure of the world, we too would keep him company to make him feel welcome, but we do not speak English.... They say he is one of the kind of men who has dreams, but tells no one.
Drake's complexity is thin; perhaps the beauty of Burma takes over any real need for introspection. Despite these quibbles, The Piano Tuner is a memorable achievement. --Michael Ferch
Book Description
In 1886 a shy, middle-aged piano tuner named Edgar Drake receives an unusual commission from the British War Office: to travel to the remote jungles of northeast Burma and there repair a rare piano belonging to an eccentric army surgeon who has proven mysteriously indispensable to the imperial design. From this irresistible beginning,
The Piano Tuner launches its protagonist into a world of seductive loveliness and nightmarish intrigue. And as he follows Drake’s journey, Mason dazzles readers with his erudition, moves them with his vibrantly rendered characters, and enmeshes them in the unbreakable spell of his storytelling.
Customer Reviews:
One of our best young writers.......2007-07-19
I loved Daniel Mason's A FAR COUNTRY, and due to several recommendations from Amazon reviewers I thought I'd try THE PIANO TUNER, his first novel.
I was most impressed with the author's curiosity as a person and his intelligence. He spent a year studying malaria on the Thai-Myanmar border while at the same time working on this book. Mason imbues Edgar Drake, the protagonist, with much of what he learned. For instance, the native Shan people believed in divinations: "omens from the sky, the omens of flying birds, the omens of feeding fowl, and the movements of four-footed beasts . . . . one must look for augury in the eggs of hens, in the swarming of bees, and not only if but also where a lizard, rat, or spider drops on one's body."
When Drake arrives in Mandalay he is exposed to Burmese street theater known as "pwe." He is especially impressed by "yokthe pwe," or puppet theater. Some of the "pwes" tell stories of the Buddha's lives, one of which has Nemi, one of the Buddha's incarnations, visit heaven and hell.
The main story involves Drake's commission to tune Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll's Erard grand piano. Carroll is integral in British negotiations with the Shan peoples. Carroll is a complex man who uses music in his efforts to placate the Shan. Drake falls in love with the place and finds himself reluctant to leave. There is also a romance of sorts with Carroll's female assistant.
Once again Mason shows his impressive craftsmanship, working piano tuning into the narrative. Drake is very attuned to his senses. He hears music in everything, including swarms of mosquitoes. Mason also uses an actual historical incident when the British were trying to subjugate the Burmese people. The Limbin Confederacy of Burmese princes fought back, as did brigand Twet Nga Lu. As you will see in the denouement, it's not clear on whose side Surgeon-Major Carroll really was.
I cannot recommend Daniel Mason highly enough. The man is one of our most skilled young writers. Here he describes the music in the laughter of children playing in the water: "I feel both a tremendous sadness and a joy, a wanting, a welling from within me, something
ecstatic . . . .it rises in my chest like water from a well, and I swallow and my eyes brim with tears as if I will overflow."
I don't think I've ever read a writer with so much profound respect for other cultures.
This book and all the publicity around it is a SHAM.......2007-05-24
I just finished THE PIANO TUNER and honestly, I wish I could have that time back. Oh that I had spent it with a book worthy of reading! I kept plugging away because of all the good publicity around it, but really, this book is a cheap copy of HEART OF DARKNESS with thin cardboard characters, a love story that doesn't work, and a premise ripped off from a famous book that pretty much everyone who would read this book has already read. Don't waste your time with this sham of a novel.
A lovely metal odysse, but ultimately, a little disappointing.......2007-02-07
I agree with other reviewers that the book paints a wonderful visual/conceptual image of travel across India and SE Asia in the late 1800s. I found the situations somewhat, and delightfully mysterious - a military man in the jungles of Burma putting the British army over a barrel for the sake of his own musical indulgence, first by insisting on the delivery of a piano, and then the delivery of a man to fix and tune it.
The action kept my interest, and there was what seemed like a good bit of symbolism, but either much of the symbolism was lost on me, or it was never explained. For example, the curious question of the little temple at which the mysterious Khin Myo stops on route to the fort from Rangoon. Since the point was made in the book, I thought certainly that it would be explained or expanded on later in the story, but it never really was. The curious "man with one story" was the biggest mystery for me. I kept thinking that the one story would have a large bearing on the tale, and actually thought it did - allegorically representing the piano tuner's own later experience - until late in the book, when Doctor Carroll comments on the veracity of the story - throwing its meaning into greater obscurity for me.
The book is a very enjoyable armchair journey through time and across geography. I enjoyed the characters - the interplay between them and events surrounding them held my interest throughout the book, always driving me to the next page. But ultimately, I didn't find the book satisfying, because I felt like I just didn't understand so much of what really had happened (perhaps the same predicament of the piano tuner himself).
I suppose that a good book should leave meaning and interpretation to the reader. But like others, I found the ending a chaotic rush of new questions that were not subsequently fleshed out enough for me to come to my own conclusions about what happened to the piano tuner, or exactly what it meant.
Except that taking a chance, and embarking on an unplanned journey to the unknown might awaken passions that could change your life, and maybe even your understanding of the meaning of life.
In that respect, maybe I liked it a lot.
Breathtaking.......2007-02-02
This original and simple story is one of the most beautiful and engaging books I've ever read. Not only is the plot line different, the subject of British colonies in Burma is not one often touched upon. After reading the first chapter I was hooked simply by the strangeness of it.
It starts with a simple piano tuner from late 19th century London, Edgar Drake, who receives a strange commission to travel to the jungles of Burma to repair a priceless Erard piano. Through beautiful description, David Mason takes us on the boats and trains and has us meet strangers with their own compelling stories through the middle aged man, Edgar Drake. We are allowed a look into the British colonies in Burma and the lives of the natives. We meeet the eccentric and indespensible army surgeon, Anthony Carrol, who is the owner of the piano. The novel takes many twists and turns, though the story is quite simple. David Mason's description allowed me to perfectly picture the jungles and people of Burma in 1886. When I think now of the novel, I feel as if I watched a movie instead of reading a book because the images are so clear in my head.
The curious ending of the novel also leaves its mark in your mind as you continue to wonder, even months after completing the book, what actually happened to Mr. Edgar Drake the piano tuner.
One of my favorite books of all time, I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Especially to those who enjoy history, drama, moving stories, beautiful writing, and exceptional characters.
Disappointing.......2006-11-29
Daniel Mason's The Piano Tuner turned out to be a disappointment. Impressive as the it was as a first novel, the lack of editorial skill applied to its pages was overwhelming. A few pages into the novel, two facts are obvious: one, that the writer was American while his subject was the British, and two, that the author inappropriately projected his twentieth century values on a different time and place. Most dialogues were difficult if not impossible to imagine taking place between the English (for instance, the drunken soldiers talking about Carroll) because of language use, sentence structure, diction ,etc. Certain scenarios were so American in their construct that transferring it to British Burma (or to British anywhere - even today) was ludicrous. The outcome is unfortunate: stilted and contrived.
For those readers who are interested only in plot, you will probably enjoy this book. However, if you are concerned with historical realism or style, you will be disappointed before you hit the second chapter.
Book Description
Designed for those who have limited piano skills as well as those who play electronic keyboard, this deluxe edition includes a set of peel-off stickers for the piano or electric keyboard. One hundred hits, such as Alexander's Ragtime Band * Tomorrow * You Made Me Love You are featured.
Customer Reviews:
Easy way to play 100 unforgettable hits.......2001-02-16
There are a hundred reasons why I love this book and would recommend it to anyone. 1...It has the notes, the chords and best of all it has the easy numbering system where c is 1 ; d is 2; e is 3 ; f is 4; etc........2...don't let the easy numbering system discourage you.....the opposite is true......if you have some initial success playing show tunes and old favorites you will continue playing music.........3.....Your success will motivate you to practice without noticing how much work you are doing....it will be fun..........4.......You will do songs like THE WAY WE WERE, I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO, STARDUAST, SEPTEMBER SONG, FLY ME TO THE MOON, APRIL IN PARIS, DIXID, THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, GOD BLESS AMERICA, ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT AND SO much, much more.......5......the idea with music is to have fun.........6......to be able to gather around the piano and play some tunes is a real confidence builder.......7......like exercise equipment, language courses and so many other activities, if you don't have success along the way you will give up.......you have success which motivates even more success............8....even more remarkable is that from playing these show songs you develope a feel or style of your own and you get a "sense of music" that is invaluable..........9.......I like the idea that with a few hours of practice on a song you can have fun with it.........10......maybe your classical music teacher will shake his head, but you will make more progress on the time put in than with so many of the other courses or books......11....Here is the sad and funny part to the whole review....something this wonderful is out of print.......it shows you that people in our society often fail to appreciate wonderful and simple pleasures............It was written in 1991........12.....the reason I would buy and own one or more of these books is that they will help you in family and social situations.....suppose you want to meet that cute girl or handsome guy........being able to sit down and play EMBRACEABLE YOU, FOOLS RUSH IN , GREENSLEEVES, I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU OR IN THE MOOD can be very useful............it is great to be able to teach others to play, to share this book, for romantic moments, .......it is useful to play the piano the way knowing how to dance is useful...........13....nearly all of us have taken a few piano lessons and we learned dumb, go no where songs.....when we see someone who can play great show tunes, great film memories, look back fondly tunes or inspiration, country or special songs at Christmas a sense of fun, envy and wanting to hang with that person happens.........14.....In several instances when I sat down with this book, girlfriends were impressed, wanted to hear more or we just had fun with the words and melodies.......15............In today's rushed world where time is at a premium, learning 100 old standards can be a priceless tool...........Instead of spending weeks learning Topcatta and Fuge in D minor which is great, learning a half dozen or two dozen show tunes can be priceless.........16.....not only does the book have words, but a little history of each song..............17.....finally, for the serious musician you will appreciate the fact that you can do blending......by that I mean you can effortlessly shift from THE WAY WE WERE to AS TIME GOES BY..... and then back again.......18.....also I found that as I learned these songs I learned a lot about logical chord progressions that make the songs work.......19....they picked easy to play but hard to forget melodies.....20.....once you mastered the melodies you were doing amazing chordal changes and fancy fingerwork............21.......I think of Liberace and other musical masters like Elvis and this book lets you build your own style...........22.......this book is great for situations where you sit down, play the piano and have nice relaxed songs that help people feel mellow.........MUSIC SHOULD NOT BE TORTURE ....MUSIC SHOULD NOT HUMILIATE YOU....... this book allows you to make the progress necessary to have fun and feel that future learning is worthwhile...........I was so happy with the book that I called the publisher and wanted to buy all the other easy way to play books and discovered it was out of print.............the old joke that the really great books are always out of print is true..............don't let that discourage you.......this book is great
Great piano for all levels.......2000-05-26
This book has several levels to play from, two hands, one hand notes, and one hand numbers, all together. This makes it easy to advance with both hands. For the more experienced player the tunes have the chords and enough changes in key to play a lot of nice songs quickly. Has sections for whatever mood you may feel like playing that day, such as show tunes, hits, and seasonal favorites. Large for easy reading and well worth adding to your collection.
Great songs - Great format!.......1998-02-22
If you like the classic songs from popular music to show tunes in an easy to read format, this is for you. It gives suggested settings for keyboard and melody line with chords. It also has easy to play treble and bass, but experienced musicians will be able to fill in as desired.
Average customer rating:
- Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils
- Must have for anyone seriously studying Chopin
- A must have
- You need this if you play Chopin
- great book on how to play Chopin
|
Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Chopin, Frederic
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ASIN: 0521367093 |
Book Description
The accounts of Chopin's pupils, acquaintances and contemporaries, together with his own writing, provide valuable insights into the musician's pianistic and stylistic practice, his teaching methods and his aesthetic beliefs. This unique collection of documents, edited and annotated by Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, reveals Chopin as teacher and interpreter of his own music. Included in this study is extensive appendix material that presents annotated scores, and personal accounts of Chopin's playing by pupils, writers, and critics.
Customer Reviews:
Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils.......2007-02-14
I satisfied with this book very much.
Must have for anyone seriously studying Chopin.......2006-07-14
To the general public Chopin is famous for his beautiful piano music. However, in his days he also was a renowned piano teacher with some revolutionary ideas (at least for his time) about piano technique. His students included rich, aristocratic ladies (he had to make a living) and some very talented students.
Luckily many of the things Chopin told his students during their lessons have been preserved in various diaries and notes by his students and have now been compiled in this book.
Also, Chopin made a start with a piano method (which he did not complete). This method is also included in this book.
If you are a piano student this book is simply a must-have.
If you are not a pianist, but seriously interested in Chopin's ideas about (his own) music and teaching you also should buy this book.
JJ Eigeldinger wrote more excellent books about Chopin which unfortunately are still only available in French.
A must have.......2004-06-06
AAA++++...a must have book if you are serious about playing Chopin. A wealth of valuable information. Very highly recommanded.
You need this if you play Chopin.......2004-02-15
You need this book if you play Chopin. There is a wealth of information on playing Chopin's music directly from the composer and his pupils. It has answered many questions and cleared up some misconceptions I had about this music.
great book on how to play Chopin.......2002-08-17
For those of us who bungle at the keyboard and can always use more guidance, this book offers a great start in understanding Chopin's music. Probably the most difficult piece to play in public is Chopin Ballade No. 4, and Chopin offers some incredible insight into how he wanted it played. As you know, the music notation on the sheet cannot cover every intention of the composer, much like writing cannot capture everything, but most of what we want to say. This book supplements your understanding of the music. I would not be surprised if your great piano teacher pulls material out of this book in order to advise you on how to play Chopin.
Average customer rating:
- The right thing to learn playng piano
- As described
- great book!...
- Euh...
- Still the best
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Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises - Complete: Piano Technique
Manufacturer: G. Schirmer, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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The Piano Handbook: A Complete Guide for Mastering Piano
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School of Velocity, Op. 299 (Complete): Piano Technique
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Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course: Lesson Book, Level One
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Adult All-In-One Course: Lesson-Theory-Technic: Level 1
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Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course : Lesson Book, Level Two
ASIN: 0793525446 |
Product Description
This collection of exercises has been a "Must Have" for many years. Designed to build independence and dexterity.
Customer Reviews:
The right thing to learn playng piano.......2007-08-01
A very rigorous metod to exercise all hand fingers at virtuosism of pianoforte.The first twenty exercises are a milestone:I did'nt find that in
others music's books.
As described.......2007-06-08
I'm trying to learn the piano, using the method used by Scott "the PianoGuy" Houston. His method helps you avoid reading a lot of standard music notation, especially the bass clef. A friend recommended the Hanon exercises to me, which is why I bought this book. It is forcing me to read music, which I don't much like. I've just started the exercises. I'm not very far along, but I have hopes that it will help me progress. About the only thing I can say, which is neutral, is that the book is as described. It is what I thought I was getting.
great book!..........2007-05-24
The reason why I love this book is because the drills get progressively difficult, but at a pace that is totally manageable... If you can get through this book and you can read music, I'm a firm believer that you will be able to play most anything that you wish to...
The drills contained in this book can knock 5-10 years off of taking piano lessons etc. There are generally two aspects of piano playing, reading music and technical ability and dexterity... This book can help elevate your technical ability and dexterity and confidence very effectively in a relatively short period of time with focused effort... It's a great book for the practicing technical pianist!
Euh..........2007-05-12
I don't know what to say about this book. Practice reading music before buying?
My personal exp goes like this: I cannot read music sheets like a pro, I'm completely juvenile, and it just didn't work for me, this book. IT IS COMPLETELY MY FAULT that it didn't work too. I never committed to it and honestly, the only thing I can complain about with this book was that it was just not engaging, I was never drawn in. I got bored.
I'm no Mozart or have any intention on being that good, so if you're like me, you'd further explore. I've yet to try any others, always open for suggestions too.
Still the best.......2007-04-21
Hanon's Virtuoso Pianist is still the best single-volume work for the pianist. It has everything: five-note patters to improve the strength of all the fingers (particularly 4th and 5th), scales (even the dreaded scales in double-thirds!), arpeggios. If you can be patient and work hard, the rewards are priceless. And, some people have mentioned "feeling the burn" when doing the exercises. If you feel a burning sensation, STOP. Playing the piano correctly should neither hurt nor burn.
While the demands on a pianist have certainly increased since Hanon wrote his exercises, so many technical problems can be eliminated after a complete mastery of this book. If you master this book--you can do EVERY exercise in EVERY key to the metronome specification--you are quite the virtuoso indeed.
Book Description
Endorsed by Kenny Barron, Jamey Aebersold, Richie Beirach, and more, this book presents all the information a student of jazz piano needs in an easy-to-understand, yet thorough, manner. For intermediate to advanced pianists, written by one of the acknowledged masters of jazz piano playing.
Customer Reviews:
A Treasure.......2007-08-22
This is the book I have been waiting for for many years. Levine has come up with the ultimate tool for teaching both yourself and others. It is amazing how skilful he is in proceeding progressively, building on previous chapters as he goes along. He convincingly pieces things together one by one. Following these steps you are invariably gaining competence and confidence in negotiating the piano. A bit of background knowledge in (not necessarily Jazz) harmony and scale theory on the side of the reader would be useful, but it is certainly not indispensable, since in this respect Levine takes nothing for granted, unlike many other authors who seem to relish in building up walls and talking to the initiated few exclusively. Particularly helpful are the suggested tunes to work on and the suggested recordings to listen to. They make you understand the points at issue by putting them into practice. Conversely, it is exciting to suddenly hear and understand often quite familiar compositions and solos on a different level by seeing how they "work".
The book may be a little hard, though, for beginners on the piano. The density of the material together with too many technical difficulties regarding playing would simply be overburdening. But an intermediary level of skills is perfectly sufficient, technical brilliance by no means necessary.
I should not forget to mention Levine's enthusiasm grounded on a breathtakingly complete command of the material. The pleasure he obviously has in teaching is also quite contagious. It must be wonderful to have him as a teacher.
The spiral binding is a rather good idea, since it keeps the pages in place. And the book smells alright when opened - not altogether unimportant, given that you are likely to sit in front of it for hours on end.
Wonderful one volume work on jazz piano...........2007-05-05
If you are already a piano player and have some knowledge of music theory, this book will help you take your understanding of jazz to a new level. It covers a LOT of musical ground and places it within a historical context.
This is not a book that is loaded with exercises, but it is packed with concepts that one could apply and that would take most pianists years to master. Even if you are very good, you will not outgrow it anytime soon.
The Jazz Piano book goes into various types of chords, voicings and how to use them. It also talks about modal harmony, constructing various types of scales and how to apply these ideas to improvistational solos.
This book is well-organized, fascinating, filled with good pictures, examples and ideas. It is a bargain at any price.
If you are new to the jazz world and classically trained, I recommend Jazz Improvisation for the Classical Pianist. This will help you to get away from thinking in patterns on a page with specific fingerings and get you to develop your ability to hear tones and intuit music in intervals. This is an important step toward being a good jazz pianist. It will also help you to break a lot of the conditioning that comes from many years of classical training that does not serve you well within jazz.
I also think it is essential for pianists getting into jazz to apply what they are learning as much as possible. For this reason, I recommend Vol. 3, The II/V7/I Progression: A New Approach To Jazz Improvisation (Book & CD Set) and anything else by Aebersold because this gives you experience playing. The specific link above covers a progression that constitutes 70% plus of most standards. Therefore, this is a good place to get started.
Only for the advanced piano player.......2007-02-17
I consider myself to be an intermediate piano player. But this book I found to be very challenging and intimidating. It is only for the advanced piano player. And unless you have an extensive Jazz music collection, you will won't recognize a majority of the songs in this book. So that makes it even harder to play and learn the material.
The book would probably make a great reference....but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are already a professional Jazz piano player, if not someone who is already playing in a Jazz trio or quartet.
Great Book!.......2007-01-30
I am a Jazz keyboard beginner. I have taught traditional piano lessons for 24 years. But Jazz and other areas of piano are in very separate worlds of learning.
The book seemed to be something I could read to help my learning to play the Jazz styles.
It is a little more advanced than I had hoped. I am sure though, that I will eventually get to that level and then I can enjoy it.
Great resource!.......2007-01-06
I love the fact the Levine's Jazz Piano book is very thorough. The layout is also very logical. One has to be very diligent to work through it, but if you do, there's no limit to the opportunities that will be available to you as a player. It's a lifetime of information for the price of one private lesson.
Book Description
". . . Barbara Owen has succeeded admirably in distilling three centuries of organ registration practice into a volume less than three hundred pages long. . . . Anyone with an interest in the history of the organ and its music . . . will not want to ignore this book." --Sixteenth Century Journal
"It is rare to find a book that combines such careful scholarship with a practical focus that makes it accessible to performing musicians as well as research specialists."--Notes
"An excellent volume from historical, musical style and interpretive standpoints. Highly recommended for all large academic and professional music collections."-- Choice
Barbara Owen has prepared the first work to present in a single book the registrational practices of organists from c.1550 to 1800. The four parts of the book move from the Renaissance through the Early, High, and Late Baroque. Each part starts with a brief description of the political and religious climate of the period and the way such factors affected the compositions and the organ-building of the time.
Customer Reviews:
Great Practical Guide with Historical Background.......2005-10-18
Barbara Owen succeeds in condensing more than 200 years of registration practice in a working volume. The book is organized by time period and nationality, allowing the reader to assimilate the trends of each of the organ "schools." Each chapter is prefaced by a list of the relevant composers, as well as stop lists of representative organs. Perhaps Owen's signal accomplishment is a combination of historical awareness with the practical needs of the performance. For instance, after giving the background on the Italian voce umana stop, she suggests that one can replicate the sound on a mechanical action organ by coupling two 8' principals, with one detuned (half drawn). Overall, a practical reference for the performance of 16th, 17th, and 18th-century organ music.
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Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises - Complete: Piano Technique
Adult All-in-one Course: Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course, Book 2
