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When I was a kid a friend of mine had a piano in his living room and we used to do a lot of playing by ear, never took any lessons but always wanted to learn. 10/3 is slowly coming together, can't play it yet. I'm starting to see this piece in a whole new way. I think these are nice because it gives you a preview of what you're going to be able to play once you get good. 10/3 and Canon in D a lot of times are what draws a lot of people to piano unfortunately they are difficult so the simplified versions are nice to tie us over until we get better. How many times do you really want to play the "hokey pokey" and "he's got the whole world", I say you tend to spend more time on songs that you actually like to hear.

I had my piano lesson a while ago. Actually I never got the first two pieces really perfect but my teacher let me move on, because the pieces were quite boring, especially the first one, Down in the Valley. And I admit I was quite lazy to practice this week I'm glad the next pieces sound really nice - Guantanamera and Overture. I'm so excited and motivated to master them!

Btw, this week it's exactly 6 months since I started to learn piano! (Keeping track)

Thanks for the feedback, Cassandra.



Thats as I suspected. Its nice to confirm that others have been down the same road. Acoustic would be wasted for now since I'd hate to subject my wife to my repetitive banging away. Hopefully the CLP or Roland I'm trying to decide between will suffice for a good long while. I know I'm exited to get on with it.

JimF:

your Wife will get used to the banging away as you put it.....I firmly believe that even though DP are nice, there is just no way to really learn the touch thing without an acoustic. I have both and hands down I prefer my acoustic. In regard to the spouse issue. My husband only made a point on the loudness for the first couple of months after I got the acoustic. These days He Says "I don't even notice you playing anymore"& I play with the Top open. The real reason I decided to have a DP is because I sleep not as much as my Husband does so I like to get up at 4:30 in the morning and play...he does notice when I do this, so the digital allows me to play at odd hours of the morning and night without bothering him. My only other concern is that your taste in Pianos will change as you become better accomplished. I personally have purchased 4 different digital pianos, including my beloved Kawai, over a 4 year period and 1 acoustic Kawai. Be in no rush and I still encourage looking at some high end used (I say used because there really are some great deals to be had on used instruments, I like to find the deals) stage pianos, they may not be as attractive but they do have advantages. Another thing I like about mine is the portability feature. I don't know if you do holidays at other peoples homes.....I take mine with me and play and let others also play.....really makes for a new (new old tradition) thing at Christmas, everyone now looks forward to me bringing my piano. In addition, I get loneley without my piano....my husband likes to do things away from our home on a lot of weekends...I really miss my piano when I can't play. I can now take it with me on the weekends, My husbands complaint on the digital is that it weighs in at 75 pounds, I can bearly move it but I'm also motivated. I waited 48 years to make my dream come true....& my Spouse has been very accommodating and supportive, I'm sure yours will be just as supportive. Are you set on a Brand new DP? if so why new?

@Marimorimo

after you get a little further if you go back and try it again you will probably be able to play it easily. I had a little trouble getting motivated to play "Down in the valley" , I wish they could have chosen a better sounding song to start book 2, but the songs get better and better as you go on. "Down in the Valley" and "Aloha Oe" so far seem to be the only 2 songs I just couldn't find the motivation for.

I need some advice. I've ordered the 2nd all in one book, only got Amazing Grace left and I think I finally got those damn arpeggios down so I think I'm gonna be done soon. The problem is the book might not be here for 3-4 weeks, so I need something that can occupy me until it arrives. Anyone got some suggestions ? As in free pieces which I can find on the net and have a go at. Ordering a supplemental book would just take ages :p

Around difficulty start of 2nd book / End of first book so I won't get too frustrated and can prepare a bit for the 2nd book. I just have no idea what I'm good enough to work at so anyone suggestions would be welcome.

Hi Quagles, nice to see you in Book 2

This site with free piano sheet music has often been recommended: Gmajormusictheory. You're probably in Beginner Level 3 or 4 (or you can challenge yourself to any of the other levels if you like!). But personally I really recommend you to try playing classical music (also available under "Keyboard Classics" at the site I linked) because playing classical music teaches you left hand independence - something that I believe is sorely lacking in Alfred, at least up to where I am in the series as of the moment. I find classical music requires a bit more technique (and more of a challenge for me) than Alfred. You can probably reasonably master any piece from any Level 1 book of Classical Repertoire collection.

Quagles, welcome aboard!

What you can do is preview the book online. I know I saw it a few days ago, but I can't place it again. It might be here:

http://www.tower.com/books/preview/isbn/0882846167

This has most of Book 1, but I'm sure I saw the same for Book 2.

bobjr: Yes, I'm planning to go back to those 2 pieces once in a while just so I can say I really "mastered" them. I find them quite easy, but I get these hiccups here and there (I have a problem with extended positions). Unfortunately, the tunes themselves weren't inspiring enough to motivate me to practice. In the case of Bridal Chorus, I felt really embarassed playing it though I like the tune, because I think any people who can hear it in the apartment would think it weird that I was playing wedding music!

Sounds like everybody is doing very well here, thanks for the updates

It's nice to see the thread active and full again

Quagles,

Have you checked out the Claire de lune from scratch thread here on ABF? Hugh Sung is putting up great short lessons to play this beautiful piece. I've just started in on it and plan to continue along with Alfred #2. In three weeks you could make a lot of progress on this.

Is "Guantanamera" driving anyone else crazy???

I wouldn't say set, but definitely leaning that way.

My assumption is that the technologies that comprise the tones and "touch" in a DP have improved greatly in recent years, so that anything more than, say, three years old might not be comparable to the best new DP's made today. Is this incorrect?

And then you have to get over the usual "unknowns" whenever you buy something used or without warranty. Has it been well cared for, what could be the worst case if it hasn't? Am I buying someone else's headache? If its such a bargain, why are they selling? I live in South Florida where enormous humidity and temperature changes are the norm, not to mention three direct hits from hurricanes in the last 5 or 6 years on my community alone.

I'm sure there are bargains to be had. Just not sure I could distinguish one from a potential lemon.

Yes, it nearly drove my wife crazy

Thanks for the advice everyone, ill be sure to check out. I tried to find the book as well online to check as a preview, but I could only find the basic course book and I'm not really interested in that so ill just wait for the book itself.

Wasn't too many interesting songs on that page but I might give that other Greensleeves version a go, I really liked that one in book 1.

Hopefully ill join up soon again, just finished the first book so then I'm just awaiting the arrival of book 2.

I developed a new respect for you guys that make recordings and videos, I tried for the first time to make a video of me playing 10/3 and failed horribly, then I tried some easier songs that I normal play without errors and couldn't put anything together. I'm I camera shy? or experiencing some type of "camera freeze"..

anyway I can play a slow version of 10/3 at this point, but when i try to add dynamics the whole thing falls apart. Is this the most difficult piece in the book or what?

Bobjr, what works for me is to simply record everything I practice. I know full well I am going to discard, well, everything, so after awhile, the recording device simply falls off my radar.

Mind you, I have not used a camera for quite awhile now, but when I did record my performances (such as they were), that is how I did it.

I had my lesson a while ago. Guantanamera, as expected, still needs some polishing and working with the metronome for an even rhythm. I'm really excited about the next piece, theme from the Overture, which we played through. I like these kinds of slightly depressing tunes in minor keys The theory part is all over my head, though, so I'm planning to study chords and music theory in earnest. My teacher will be on an extended vacation starting next week so I'll have to work on my own for a while. I hope I'll be able to advance and make decent progress even without my teacher!

I always keep meaning to make a recording one of these days, but I still haven't! Maybe when I've got Guantanamera or Overture up to performance standard

I just wanted to jump in and say hi, as I'm officially joining the book 2 thread after graduating book 1 tonight. I'm not going to be working much in the book though until after the first of the year so I can work on my Christmas collection of songs. Plus I'll only be having one lesson for each of November and December due to my 2nd lessons of the month falling on the holiday weeks.

Just for fun, I'm curious what song in Book 2 is the Blow the Man Down equivalent, you know the first one you come to and you think holy moly I'll never get that, but then it clicks and its like you are suddenly on a new playing field and all the rules have changed.

Welcome BarbVA,

You are joining a very fine thread with a fine group of people.

La Bamba is a very difficult piece relative to its early location in the book. Unfortunately, for many, myself included, it's more a feeling of "diminishing returns" and "it's time to move on" rather than that of triumph. It's not that hard, but it requires a lot of time and patience. There are many, many other great challenges where you will fill you've achieved much. Personally, I felt the simplified Chopin etude 10/3 was like that. Very difficult but once you master it, it feels very pleasant.

Welcome again,

W