Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and ALL in One Adult Piano Course Book #1

Me too. I am polishing up Amazing Grace, and have been playing other stuff on the side and it will be nine months total on book one for me.

My teacher has agreed to let me give book two a break as I work on some of Thompson's books. He has alot of classical pieces and I am almost ready to record "claire de lune" which is a four page synopsis and I love the way it sounds. I have been working on that for two months, and also am working on "time to say goodbye". I became bored with Alfreds. I don't know if I will ever go back to it. That said, I did learn alot from book one and I still play entertainer and a few others now and then from memory.

Hi Bob, good to hear from you. Sounds like your doing very well. Do you feel the Thompson books will build off what you have learned so far from Alfred? I know what you mean about some song selections, but I figured that the process is to build off each song, no matter what the song. I hoped that if I complete the series, playing well will take care of it self. Kind of like paying your dues so to speak.

Keep us informed on your progress, it might be a better way to go.

Mark

Hi Everyone,

I'm on my second week on the Alfred's Adult Level One book.

I just finished "Lavender's Blue" on Pg. 52 and I think I'm progressing pretty well.

I don't have any formal piano lessons, but my gf's mom is a piano teacher and she gave me this booklet. Once a week I will go to their house and she'll just tech me a thing or two and I learn everything else from the book.

It's been great so far. Before I did this book, she gave me a small piano/music theory booklet which I breezed right through in two days. I have some music background (church choir/trumpet player im middle school and hs). So everything else as far as music theory is just a review.

I'm relearning everything from scratch because I don't want to miss anything. It's been a little more than 10 years.

With Piano, my mom was a piano teacher but I was a very stubborn child so I never practiced. I did everything by ear and I was good at it. I new a few songs which I learned by ear (windowing?).

But now I am learning how to play the piano the correct way.

Here's my video on Lavender's Blue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrPInBtu6oY

Comments/critics welcome as I need it since I do not have fulltime piano teacher.

Hi Marv and welcome. Sounds like your moving quite well though the book. And by having a music teacher to help you even occasionally will help you immensely. I was doing the book by my self up to around page 55-70 and then started lessons and the teacher was able to fix some mistakes and help me get though some ruff areas.


Nice job with Lavender Blue. The only thing I noticed was that you didn't do the repeat after the 8th measure where you go back to the beginning and then play through to the end. the double dots with the thin and heavy bar mean to repeat.

So keep up the good work and keep us posted. I like the video too, it really helps the thread...

Mark

Oh man! I totally missed the repeat ":" on that measure!!! I'm used to seeing the repeat at the end of the song and I was also too focused on playing the notes correctly.

No wonder I was like, "this is a really short piece". hahaha

I will have to play it again and redo the video. =P

Thanks for correcting me!

Its funny, I did the same thing. My teacher corrected me...:lol:

I would say that you should be trying to play some stuff outside of Alfred's as soon as you can. I have started and stopped alot, but learned from those as well. I started book two, but quickly became bored with it. I might not go back to it other than select a few songs that interest me.

I guess at this point I don't want to take the time on some songs in the book that I don't enjoy hearing. The thompson's books are more difficult, but the pieces sound "better" and more enjoyable to hear while you are learning. I have no regrets though about doing the Alfred's book.

Here is a song that I am working on for example. It's claire de lune from a different book.

http://www.box.net/shared/s18vmo0hs9

Thats a classic song. Very nice Bob.

Nice song Bob! I recognize that from the song played at the end of the movie Ocean's Eleven! Hehe, I might have to give that one a try myself! Sounds soothing!

i just started the book..i'm on page 25. just seems like they way the put finger numbers and the letters on the notes messed me up a bit.

Marv, Lavender Blue was the first song in the book that made me feel like I was "playing" the piano. The notes sounded fuller and you could really pound it out and get "into" it. I think that's when my piano shopping began too.
Truth be know, I never noticed that repeat after measure eight too. LOL Keep plugging away all. Also "standing in the need of prayer" was one that I really loved.

Mark737,

I have asked my piano teacher for some more "challenging" pieces that aren't in the book so she gave me some. At the same time I'm still gonna go through the Alfred's book.


Bob,

That's a great song. I think I want to learn that too in the near future. =) Went to see my piano teacher over the weekend and she liked my progress. She also gave me the Hanon finger excercise booklet. Looks like fun, although I've been playing most of the stuff in there by ear since I didn't have the book before. hahah

Here's one song I printed from online. Practiced it for a few hours.

"Sonatina"
from Sonatina in C, Movement One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru5__cy6ZgE

Well done Marv...clean and smooth

Very nice Marv. Keep up the good work!!

Bob very nice as well, I loved it.

Ok...here is a short song from Alfred book one to test my recording abilities...

Standing in the need of prayer page 46

http://www.box.net/shared/giejvvzz4s

Let me know how it recorded please.

Good job Mark737! Keep up the good work.

Recording sounds good to me.

This is great. I felt as much accomplished when I got my first mp3 made and sent to boxnet as I did when I thought I was ready to record my recital piece Nice work.

Cathy

Mark,
Your recording quality sounds fine.

Just a couple suggestions on the performance:

1. In the 4th full measure on the word "prayer", be sure to hold the E for the full 3 beats. I usually tell my students to sing (or say): "standing in the need of prayer - 2 - 3" while they play that.

2. You can make the eighth notes between the E and D# a bit smoother or more legato. The most common cause of this that I've seen in my students who have played this piece is that their 3rd finger plays on the E key too low. That forces the hand to keep moving back and forth so that the 2nd finger can reach the D# each time it alternates with the E. If you play your 3rd finger higher on the skinnier part of the E key, you'll be able to get a smoother legato between that note and the D# because your hand can stay up there for the whole phrase, "Not my brother, Not my sister..."

I hope that helps. Keep up the good work!