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I had my first lesson today. It went really well. I played the minuet for him and that one got assigned as homework to work on my rhythm, counting and dynamics. I was also assigned 3 new pieces to learn and concentrated on rhythm and accurate note learning from the level 1 performance book! It's a big jump in note reading skills but I knew most of it. (I read way ahead lol) I performed the 500 year old melody from the same book and it got the thumbs up! That piece is done! (it's my pick for the recital. )

I think he's a very nice fit for me. I still learn most of the stuff on my own, but he's going to help me pace myself (with more challenging peices and reworking where I have problems.) I really like having the teacher work on Faber with me.

BeccaBb, that's great news!

I've improved in the last nine months! Last April, I worked through the first three chapters of Piano Adventures 3A. I found it really hard to play the pieces up to the suggested tempos. Now I'm starting from the beginning of 3A again, for my project of completing 3A and 3B this year. And, hooray! I find it quite doable to play the pieces at the suggested tempos. Plus in one piece there was a fingering that I found quite difficult. Now it's the natural and easy fingering I use, even without looking at the suggested finger numbers.

Sometimes the fingering suggestions aren't the best. My former teacher encouraged me to write my own notations in my books. Her thought was to play it the way it was most comfortable for me. Hopefully I can get through the level 3 books this year, but it will be a bit of a stretch.

That is awesome PS! I can't imagine the feeling!

Michael are you trying to do both 3A and 3B this year?

How long does each book take (on average?) Just curious since I'm not book one.

Well checking in. Had my second lesson. Did a bit of theory and have lots of songs for homework. That bloody Minuet in the lesson book is haunting me! Can't seem to get the timing down. Arggggg! I will get there! Got a metoronome so my teach incorperated it into my lessons and homework. I have real bad timing issues. LOL All is well though.

Michael Taylor, I don't know quite how I distinguish, but sometimes fingerings seem truly off the wall, and then I change them. Other times they're just hard for me, but it's a good fingering and any other fingering would be worse and even harder. So far I've found the PA fingerings to be reasonable.

BeccaBb, I don't know how long a book takes on average. I've seen teachers cite about a year per book. This is for younger students. I don't know how it translates to adults. I'm not learning the PA material from scratch: it's more a matter of just learning the pieces. My plan for 3A and 3B is to complete 4 pages per week (plus Theory and Technique); this leaves several weeks spare at the end in case I slow down as the pieces get harder.

How is working with the metronome going?

I can keep the beat with the metronome for one measure, maybe. LOL That thing is evil. I'm Mrs. Super Speedy so I'm using it to slow myself down... it's helping that way. I think it might take awhile to get used to it.

The metronome is not evil, Becca, in fact it's quite the opposite. It's like a friend that is such a good friend it will tell you when you're getting fat. At first it feels like an insult, but then you realize it's because it cares. (Okay, that was a dumb analogy, sorry).

The metronome for me is essential. When I learn a new piece I first get it under my fingers, then I play it with the metronome at a slow tempo and gradually increase it until it's up to speed. The metronome immediately shows me when I have a problem. There can be a note or chord change that I don't even realize I am hesitating on until I play it with the metronome, so then I stop and work on it.

Even for pieces that are supposed to have variable timing, I first get it down with the metronome, and that way when I speed up or slow down for artistic purposes, it is deliberate and not just because I don't know any better.

How you all doing?

Work on the metronome is starting to get a bit easier using the scales.

I'm finally done with the minuet! *wipes sweat off brow* I'm now learning a simplified Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and other peices.

I have a question sorta. I know I should bring this up with my teacher but I'm really not ready to yet. I am almost at learning 8th notes (which will requrie lots of work.) However after that the next new thing I will learn is Musical form on page 66. I'm currently on page 32! My teacher and I picked songs that filled in all that information in between so I learned by proxy and him. So even though I need practice with ever increasingly hard songs I'm already working out of two level one books. With your guys experience on this, would you ask about jumping up to that point in the lesson book after working on 8th notes or would you just work through it all anyways?

Now I don't mind working through it all in the least. The more practice I get the better. And I do need to work on my sight reading which working through it all will do. So would you ask your teacher about it or not?

Congratulations on the Minuet, BeccaBb, and on your progress with the metronome!

I would work through it all in order to get the experience reading and playing.

If you can play them easily, then you'll get through them quickly. If they take more work, then you needed the practice.

Very good point! I didn't think of that. Okay not even going to bring it up. Thanks so much. Just one of those silly things you have pinging about your brain you know? Just kinda wanted to shut that idea up. lol

That is a great quote, 88! I'm going to remember that the next time I turn a page in my lesson book and groan at the song I'm supposed to learn next. Although with these Faber books, I usually groan when I turn the next page and find a tired old song, and then I love the arrangement once I play it.

It sounds like the teacher is working out well for you, Becca! That's great! Keep us updated.

Quick update on my progress: I finished the Developing Artist Preparatory Piano Literature book and have completed the first three pieces in the Piano Lit. Book 1. I'm 3/4 of the way through the Adult Book 2 and I'm working on my first non-Faber piece right now. It's "The Living Years", a pop song from the late eighties. It's a Dan Coates arrangement from and easy piano book, (which doesn't feel very easy at this point). It's taken me a week, but I've almost got it so now I need to get back to my Faber lesson book.

Congrats on finishing the Developing Artist! Your first outside Faber piece! How long have you worked to get to that point?

Fabulous progress!

Yes my teacher is working out really great. He's also teaching my son violin, so we are starting to get to know him rather well. I really enjoy his guidance. He's just a really great guy to work with!

Becca,
Well the short answer is I've worked for two months to get here. The more accurate answer is that I've worked for twenty years and two months. I played the trumpet for nine years and the guitar for eleven after that. So the piano is new to me but making music is not. Book one went really fast because I knew all the theory and how to read music, (although I'm pretty weak on reading bass clef). So now that I'm most of the way through Adult Book 2, I'm slowing down to a more "normal" speed because the piano technique is a much bigger deal than understanding theory or being able to read music at this point. I'm hoping to start book 3A this summer.

That's awesome that your son is learning violin. What a cool instrument. My oldest is four and I just bought her the Faber "My First Piano Adventure" so I'm hoping to start her on that soon. I'm really hoping my kids get into music. I don't want to push too hard though. My wife was forced into piano lessons as a kid and has had no desire to make music since.

Level 3A Performance, lesson 3, Hot Summer Blues. There's a not-too-hard teacher duet part, so I recorded it so I can play along with it. Fun!

There's a duet piece in the Developing Artists repertoire book I'm working out of too (Piano Literature level 3), so now I can look forward to playing that in iPhone duet with myself when I get to it.

In non-duet news, I really like the arrangement of Amazing Grace in level 3A. It has a satisfying harmony, and all the triplet decorations with which I'm used to singing the tune.

PianoStudent88,
I should be there in a couple of months, I'm nearing the end of Adult Book 2. I usually learn the teacher duet parts, too. Some of them are challenging, the one for Ponies in the Prep. Piano Literature book almost killed me, but they make for neat sounding recordings. And I'm always impressed with the arrangements in these Faber books.

I've been stagnating on the Faber stuff lately because I've been working on other pieces. I learned "In Dreams" from the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack easy piano book, (which is not that easy for me). I learned an easy piano version of The Living Years, and now I'm working on Chopin's Prelude No. 4 in E Minor which is arguably his easiest piece, but still quite a challenge for me. It's coming along nicely though. I've also started Clair de Lune from the Piano from Scratch website which is really cool. The instructor teaches the song one measure at a time, and assumes you have no prior experience on the piano. It's going to take me a couple of years, but it's a lot of fun and I have the first eight bars or so down.

So I need to make more time to finish Adult Book 2 and to continue on the Developing Artist Piano Lit. Book 1. Now that this thread has been resurrected, maybe I'll be motivated to get back to my Faber books.

I hope you are all doing well and let's keep the Faber thread alive!

Is there any website I can download the MIDIs for the "Accelerated Piano Adventures for the older beginner lesson book, book 2"? Thanks!

Wow... Dio666, I'm listening to your recordings, that's quite an achievement for only 3 months into learning piano... very smooth and soothing MUSIC!

Is anyone still working on this?

I'm still in book one, but supplementing with learning Moonlight Sonata (umm.. not sure what level.) It's slow going but I'm having fun. I'm working on Oh Susuzanna and Ode to Joy.

How is everyone else?

Methodically working my way through 3A, at 4 pages a week (plus Technique & Artistry). Sometimes I think I could go faster, but I think it's better to make myself be thorough. If I let myself go faster I think I'd be too tempted to cut corners sometimes.

I've been slacking. I started working on a couple of Joplin pieces. I'm almost finished with Weeping Willow. I'm still planning to finish going through at least 3a and hopefully 3b this year.