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

Hello, music girl! Welcome here! I hope you will find some motivation to keep going.

I, on the other hand, once sit down at the piano, can't really stand up... I probably spent an hour and half last night, switched it off, closed, just to come back 5 minutes later to play 'a bit more'. another half an hour. I bet neighbours aren't very pleased, although I am not playing at a very high volume, as it was almost 10pm by the time I finally closed the door to that room!

I think I got it with the 'Blow Down the Man'. I don't know this song, so listening to it on the web first really helped me. I have tried lullaby a bit last night, but only for a few minutes, as I REALLY had to stop playing!!!

I am also using the Greatest Hits book. I really like it. Although I have only done 'Love me Tender' so far, I am looking forward to 'Edelweiss'. I am not a big fan of Titanic, so will so that one will go.

I think I am just trying to catch up with Oz Leikela - we started at similar time and he seems to be doing so well!!!! I am just using it as an excuse - but I didn't play violin before Only a drawn up keyboard nearly 20 years ago!!!!

Right at the top of the page, there is "Forum List - My Stuff - User List - Calendar - Active Topics - Search - FAQ"

Try there!!!

Thankyou gintarec. Just realised that only members have access to the 'Search' option. I have been painstakingly (sp?) looking for things by scanning page after page. Should have joined ages ago! Good idea to listen to tracks on web first. I'll try that. It's taken me waaaaay to long to get only to page 48.

I wouldn't have had a clue how to get Blow the Man Down without hearing it. I got the book with the CD which is really handy, I have my stereo remote sitting next to the piano when I play.

I'm yet to get the Greatest Hits book, that's going on my next book order that I do next week. The Alfreds book I'm enjoying and is really good, but it would be great to have some other stuff to play alongside it, especially songs that I'm familiar with. I'd like to learn Edelweiss, The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies!

Gintarec, it's not a competition but we are still about even. And considering you haven't played another instrument before, you're doing extremely well! If I was learning how to read music at the same time, it'd be a lot slower! By the way, how did your first lesson go? I'm getting tempted to get a teacher much sooner than planned too, I want to progress faster than I will do on my own.

P.S. I'm a 'she' Leikela is Hawaiian for what my real name is, I love the Hawaiian language so just use Leikela to be different.

P.P.S. Welcome Music Girl!

Well, my first music lesson was moved. To Monday. So, it is still to come, and it seems like I will have a permanent spot on Mondays, so that is good. It sounds as if the teacher is really busy, so it is great she is getting me in, and it is incredibly convenient, as she lives just around the corner form me!!!!

I know what you mean about getting the music teacher - I was going to teach myself for a while before getting one, but then thought I better get the technique right and stop messing around. I love playing so far, and it would be great if someone told me what I am doing wrong and how to improve. You don't always realise something is wrong, when playing your self.

I learned to read music at school to some point, we did it in general course of music lessons. Of course, we didn't use the bass key, but it was great. I did have piano lessons when I was a child for a bit, but as I never had piano (well, a drawn up one!!!!), it did not get anywhere. Well, something to catch up now! Oh, we did use xylophones at school a little bit.... Does that count?

Good morning,
This is my 1st post as I begin what I hope to be an exciting and rewarding venture into learning how to play the Piano. Last night I ordered the "Alfred's All in One"Piano books from Amazon.com. I am newly retired as of August 1st and have pretty much caught up on the famous "HoneyDo" list. My wife and I are flying out to Frisco Saturday morning to see our first grandchild and my new books MAY be here when we get back on Weds. If not I am sure they will arrive soon after. I have been reading over the kazillion posts under the Alfred's heading that I really felt it was THE place to start with all the support and responsiveness from the members currently using the books.
I picked up a Casio WK1630 76 key board from Craigs list and have been just putzing around with it. We have an old piano in the "living room" that my HoneyGal had when she was a babe but I don't want to start right out with that - don't really want anyone to hear me - not at this point anyway.
I have the keyboard in the basement, I feel I need the privacy at least for now.
Does anyone here have an opinion of the Legacy Piano Course called "Learn and master the Piano"? I looked around a bit on the forum but did not really find folks using that course. It looks to be something to be considered and I am hoping to hear a response from the members in this forum.
Thanks very much and I look forward to getting started at the end of next week.
With respects,
Richard

Welcome to all the newbies that have joined in the last week or so. I must be the grandmother of this thread since I've been in Alfred AIO 1 so long. :-) (I love it, I practice alot, but I'm slow). You all are doing so well already! I enjoy hearing about how the light comes on when someone new first plays a "real" song. You have a lot of fun ahead of you in Alfred, and in the supplemental books. The "Merry Christmas" book, or one of the other Alfred adult Christmas books, are good ones to look into right now. Enjoy!

I just wanted to say welcome to all of the newbies, it seemed like for awhile we were all moving towards the end of the book together and I was wondering where the new blood was, well here you are and welcome!

Welcome to all new folks.

Last pages are really, not sure how to put it. Its at least putting my patience to test. While I can play He's got the whole world in his hands, it doesn't sound good and there's always the part with syncopated chords that sounds horrid and its not improving. Somehow I just can't get the beat right (well until I get to syncopated and after its ok.) so I practice it every day but getting nowhere nearer to completion.

Then there's The Entertainer which seems very hard. I can play right ahand melody very slowly correct (I think at least.) so its getting it correct and up to tempo which is next task. The chords are correct me if I'm wrong (very first ones on last bar first page.) C then E G then C, then E B Flat, am I correct? Somehow it just feels a bit weird.

Amazing Grace is another story, haven't really started only tried out half of first page.

Thanks Folks for the welcome.
I am looking forward to getting the old hands to work by maybe Thursday after a little traveling rest.
I am expecting a lot of awkwardness for a few weeks getting all the digits working and finding a good comfortable porper posture.
Till,
Richard

Hi Everyone -

Richard - I too have a digital set up in the basement. The "real" piano is upstairs for all to see (and hear), and I just really like the privacy of making lots of mistakes on my own without a lot of scrutiny. I re-did my basement this summer with a new floor and new rug, cleaned the furniture, now it's my special zone. 5 am every morning for an hour, just me and the dogs, while everyone else sleeps.

In addition to the AIO book, I've taking lessons from my son's teacher now for 4 weeks. She asked me this week whether I'd like to be in the recital. I said heck yes. Apparently some adult beginners don't want to get out there and show their stuff alongside the kids. I say, bring it on! Maybe I'll videotape it and post it here if it works out OK. I'm thinking of doing Amazing Grace from the Alfred's AIO Book 1. (She's also got me doing a bunch of other stuff.)

Have a great weekend everyone...

Wow! Zenobe - I am now bowing to you for your go ahead energy - go gettum'.
Everyone is very nice here in the adult realm, I like it.
I am already lloking forward to getting back home to begin. If the books aren't here by then I will try the lessons on the bottom of the PianoWorld home page.
I am not alone,
Richard

Welcome, music girl and barricwiley77. Great to have new people joining. Good luck with your journey. Good to have you back, Leon. Keep posting!

Quagles, that bar doesn't sound right for me either, but I think we've got it right. I'm paying it the way you wrote. The first time I tried it it felt almost impossible. But a few days later it was much better. I'm still not finished with it though, Right hand only is fine, but hands together is still too slow. I've skipped He's got the whole world. I really don't like that song. Maybe I'll come back to it later. Is it cheating if I don't?

I also have my digital piano in the basement, I love it that I can practice and no one needs to hear. Then when I'm ready to play a piece everybody is surprised how good it sounds and how much I progressed. Can't imagine doing all the practicing and all the mistakes and repeats on a real piano. Not at my level here anyway.

I had to miss my lesson this week, the kids were sick. Bummer, but I'll just keep practicing. I'm really looking forward to my lessons and moving to new pieces.

I have just been 'playing'. For about 4 hours.... I really need to get a life. And the best - I haven't got headphones yet, so I play with the volume on, so my husband can't really enjoy the TV. Although I am in a different room, I have to keep the door open, as the cat likes to sleep on the armchair next to piano! Oh well, he better gets used to it!!!!!

(Even though I was playing (with) piano for 4 hours, I am still doing the Cafe Viena and Lullaby. Oh, and I did the right hand to larger part of the songs from Greatest hits, nothing to do with the correct speed or anything, but I enjoyed it...)

Now we're finally getting somewhere. After a bit frustration I think I can actually say He's got the whole world is alright. Its not perfect has some small flaws but I think its good enough to say its ok, I don't plan on playing the song ever again (except for the next days to make sure I still can do it.)anyways its another one of those I just don't like at all :p

Finally started putting hands together for The Entertainer, slowly but still doing it and now it finally its starting to resemble the song. Still far away to get it anywhere near normal speed but its at least one step closer.

Though I'm curious for people who have finished, or are on Amazing Grace and The Entertainer? Which one is the hardest? Trying to play Amazing grace it felt easier than what the entertainer did really when just going fast through with rh and lh separate. (Though the arpeggios are probably the biggest challenge.)

Anyways nice to move forward, I still remember a few months ago I'd take a look back in the book on Amazing Grace and I thought myself "What on earth is this?", what are those damn symbols, how am I ever supposed to understand that? Its like one big mess. But now its much more understandable and its a little reminder that I've progressed in the last months.

I thought that The Entertainer was harder because of the syncopation of the left hand. I have since been working on a little harder version of song as a long term project. It is the complete song with all four sections. So far I can only play the first two sections and then only realy slowly. One of my bucket list items is to be able to play the orginal verson as Joplin wrote it.

Amazed to see a thread for this book! It's been a real asset for me.

After about 3-4 months playing on keyboard i was up to Chipanecas, recently picked myself up a P155 and am now going back and trying to relearn accents and sustains. It's fun rediscovering earlier songs like "Beautiful Brown Eyes" or "The Harp Song" and how remarkably different they are in feel and sound on a decent weighted piano as opposed to a keyboard. It's clear I have a lot of relearning to do!

Thanks for the welcome :-)

Gintarec, I wish I could find 4 hours to play. Sounds like a 'good' life to me.

Up to page 52 now, "The Bandleader".

How do you guys/girls when to move onto the next piece? I play each piece twice with the metronome on 85 without a mistake. Then I move on.

Once I'm sick of it, but I don't leave it there. If it's not perfected, I keep going back to it whilst moving forward also. I'm almost doing a take 2 steps forward, 1 step back approach. I keep moving forward whilst 'perfecting' previous pieces. This method works best for me, especially when working on pieces I don't like such as now. I'm working on Joy To The World, and to be honest, I hate it which is why I'm working on other pieces either side of it.

Well, those 4 hours was one off. I left to my husband to make the dinner, I just came to eat...

I am following similar approach to Leikela - keep coming back to 'perfect' the pieces, although none of them are that perfect, I have to say. Will see what my teacher thinks of my playing tonight - it is the 'first lesson evening'!

I think I can almost play Lullaby, although it can do with some more work (and I will keep working on it, as I really like it). But, I guess, I will have to listen to my teacher now and do as she says!