Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course - Lesson Book - Level Two

I just finished a review for this book........put in under the theory book by mistake.........but do love this Alfred series. I'm excited to be playing songs after only a year and a half of piano lessons using these books.

Nice tutorial for those who have never played piano before, but not as a refresher for those who have or who are musicians. However, if you want to learn, this series of lesson books are really thorough and fun to use.

I didn't make it through this 2nd book completely but did tackle the beginning. I basically went from playing basic easy play songs to non-easy versions of popular tunes in just 6 months. I did not know how to read music prior and now can read music. Since I am a mature adult I found that the best way for me personally to learn was to just leap head first and once I did the Alfred Teach Yourself How To Play Piano for Adults (one book) I just went straight to easy versions of songs I wanted to play then after a couple months of that went to non-easy versions of other songs. I of course I don't want to become a concert pianist and I just wanted to learn to play some basic pop songs or a couple of standards. I am not too young and found that yes you can learn piano at any age. People are shocked that I am playing this fast but people teach themselves every day so if you practice a mere 15 mins. everyday you can do it too. I have also found it's best to practice at least 15 mins. a day as opposed to 2 hours on the weekend. I found it very easy to accomplish this by playing during commercial breaks of my favorite TV shows this quickly added up to more than 15 mins a day. As I got better I noticed on the weekends I would end up practicing much longer because as I got better I was enjoying the songs I was playing so practicing became fun. That's why simply playing the songs I wanted to as opposed to working on scales or learning chords was really motivating. So I recommend that if you are gong to teach yourself how to play be careful to not to get bogged down on exercises but take a couple months to learn the basics and then leap blindly into whatever pop songs or show tunes you want to learn. Sometimes it will take a month to learn a new song but you will eventually learn it and the next song is a bit easier. I do occasionally go back to this book to further my technique but it's not the main course anymore. Also, you will find that when you pick up piano in middle-age it improves your brain circuitry and because you are not bogged down with recitals and you are self-taught there is no pressure and it's pure joy.

Alfred's books have one special quality, when they introduce notes, they
have the notes hollowed on the score, with the name inside of the note. That
way the student is looking at the note and seeing the name. Other methods
they have to look away from the music to charts where with Alfred the eyes stay on
the music!

The book moves at a very reasonable pace. It starts very simple, 5 notes on one hand. A 6 year old can learn the early lessons. Each page advances slowly.

The secret is not how fast one learns, but that the student continues. Because the
student succeeds and has little frustration they enjoy their lessons. Slow and steady wins the race. I remind teachers to remain positive, avoid negative comments and wait for the child to do something right and praise that. For example, instead of correcting the child for playing with the flat of the finger, make a big deal
when the child plays one note on the fingertip.

I've been using this book to teach piano lessons for all ages for over 20 years.

I do add some easy solo pieces and later classical pieces, but all teachers supplement their methods. I have them sing the notes, to start ear training from the start. Many children first need to learn to match pitches, but everyone's ear
can be vastly improved.

I explain the theory behind what they are playing, such as identifying the underlying chord structure.

I have no need of the CD, better to have a cheaper version without the CD.

Highly recommended for beginners!

I really enjoyed this piano course book. After purchasing the Lesson 1 course book, I thought this would be the perfect follow-up. It was. Great selection of musical compositions. It easily progresses the learner through various techniques and knowledge needed to master the piano. There is also a very helpful reference section at the end to assist in the learning process. I also had the accompanying CD enabling me to listen to all the selections making my playing of these melodies much more enjoyable.

While this is a long-standing instructional series, something of which the novice should be aware: When you purchase this book, you should also be aware that you will have to purchase several other books/instructional materials to correlate with this book. For example, I have covered the first 7 pages of the book and am now told that I am ready for two additional books in the series. These books need to be purchased separately and are not, as of this writing, available on the store. So, I need to purchase these books from another site. Even though I live in a major city (Chicago), these companion volumes are not readily available.

The CD coordinates with Alfred's adult piano book level 2. It is helpful particular for those self taught with this CD, but be aware the music was mixed with other instruments not just was played by piano.