Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum How long did it take to finish Alfred's Adult Course Book 1?

I started lessons at age 56 in late September last year, having absolutely no previous knowledge of music or the piano. I am on page 67 (of 95) of the Level One book. When my teacher gave me the book, I had originally set a goal to finish it by the time lessons stop for the summer in June, but that probably isnt going to happen now. I'm moving along through the accompanying basic theory and sight reading books. I have not yet revised that goal, but I am thinking that I should be able to finish sometime this fall. That may depend on how much time I'd like to spend working on Christmas music.

For what its worth, I'm also trying to learn to play the comparable songs in Alfred's basic adult Country, Sacred, All Time Favorites, and Duet books. Some of them are considerably more difficult for me and just take me longer to learn. I cant use the word "master" because I'm not certain that I do, before moving on.

I practice between 30-60 minutes per day, at least 5-6 days per week.

Being that I'm older, I've been looking to gain proficiency quickly, and make hay while the sun shines, but I havent found that silver bullet yet. Please pardon the poor use of metaphors.

Hope that helps.

Bruce

Why is it that people always try to infer what you mean, instead of simply reading what you wrote? I wrote exactly what I mean, without inference.

If you are concerned with how fast you are going to learn something, there is no faster way to learn it than with a teacher. If you are concerned with how well you learned something, there is no better way to check than by getting a teacher. So, if you're looking for "the best possible measuring system" to improvement, step one is getting a good teacher.

If you're more concerned with the journey than the goals, then the question is entirely irrelevant.

I found the responses interesting, with a range of three months to three years. The median is about at 9 months for those that worked consistently towards the goal. I am guessing that this likely skews short of the real world because slower folks tend to be less likely to post on a message board. It is mostly enthusiasts that post online. So perhaps one year would seem a realistic target for a true beginner willing to commit to one hour per day. Though of course, some people will be faster, some will be slower, with the faster people more likely to report.

I'm not sure what the original poster is going to do with the information, but I found it interesting.

Going back a year ago, to when I started, I had little desire to do a method book. I probably would have boosted the average time had I gone that route, because I tend to take a long time to learn pieces.

I'm going out on a limb here and saying no, that's obviously not what he meant - and probably also no to the rest of your proceeding questions, which I didn't bother to read.

I have Alfred's books 1 and 2 with the CD, but I can't find Level 3 with the CD. Is it even available?

Derulux,
You wrote "If one is so concerned with how much time something will/should take, and so concerned with goal-setting in order to measure and maximize achievement, one should get a teacher." The clear implication of that statement is that anyone who doesn't have a teacher shouldn't be concerned with maximizing their achievement, setting goals, or having any kind of benchmark with which to compare their progress (i.e. knowing how long something should take). Whether you intended it or not, I think your comments are insulting to those people who don't have a teacher. Not everyone can afford a teacher, or has a work schedule that lets them have a teacher, or even live in areas where good teachers are available. Just because someone doesn't have a teacher doesn't mean that they're not serious about their learning (i.e. wanting to find other ways to maximize their achievement). And regardless of whether they have a teacher or not, many people will be helped with their motivation by meeting realistic goals. If one doesn't have a teacher (again, something that simply may not be possible for some people), they may find it useful to ask others about their experiences to help them set reasonable goals. And, even if they do have a teacher, they may simply want to assess their teachers style, to see if their progress under that teacher is comparable to other people. Not every teacher is a good teacher, and a beginner may not have enough knowledge to tell the difference. So knowing how other people progress might be useful under some circumstances even if someone does have a teacher. So I found the OP's question to be perfectly reasonable.

Now, I have no desire to get into a flame war with you over this. I'm happy to agree to disagree. I was rubbed the wrong way by your opening statement that I must have misunderstood many posts rather than simply disagreeing with them. What I wrote above explains how I found the rest of your post additionally insulting. So I was a bit put off when I responded, and my response to you had more snark than it should have. I apologize for that. I should not post responses when I'm annoyed. Or at least I should insert a hypothalamic pause before doing so.

Warm Regards

fcescgb,
I don't think a CD is available for the Alfred's level three. If there is, I've never seen it either. However, if you search on youtube for Alfreds plus the name of the piece, I think you'll find several recordings of how each song is played. While some of those recordings may be imperfect, they can at least give you an idea of how the piece should sound.

Warm Regards

All I know is if I converted my piano practice time into college time I'd have a couple of Phd's by now, or even an MD.

No worries; I think I know the genesis of your ire. (And don't worry about flame wars--I don't do that.)

It seems, based on your response, that you're under the impressions that many people (including me) said, "It is impossible to see progress without a teacher." Not so. It is entirely possible. But if you want the best progress, with the highest possible results, step one would be to hire a professional to train you.

Similar arguments:
You want to sculpt your body into a more athletic figure. Best way to do it is to hire a personal trainer who can coach you on how to do it.

You want to learn how to cook. Sure, you can throw some slop on your stove and go at it solo, but the best way is to take cooking classes. (I'm a slopper on this one. )

You want to learn how to dance. Pull up YouTube and spin around in the privacy of your room, or go to a dance studio for professional lesson?

Can you do it by yourself? Yes. But if you're really concerned with goal-setting, achievement, maximizing results, and minimizing time, you should seriously consider investing in a professional trainer (teacher, coach, etc).

If you're not in it to reach that ultimate, top, highest potential, then yes, you can do it on your own. You may even be very successful at it, but you won't reach your peak potential going it solo, and you will certainly be at a disadvantage if, some day, you wish to compete against others who've had those years of training.

Now that we've gotten all of that out, I do want to address the first part of your reply:

The clear implication is what I've said above: that if you want to reach your ultimate peak potential, you should get professional training. Otherwise, you're a power lifter who can't afford weights so you lift rocks instead. Will you see results? Yes. Will you see peak results? No.

This is why I say the question is irrelevant: there are too many variables. Even with a professional trainer (teacher), there are dozens of variables. Now, without that coaching, you have no way to measure your own ability, particularly from a technique standpoint. So, everyone says, "It should take three months." Okay, so the person learns the notes in three months and thinks they're on track. But they could be so far out in left field technique-wise that they may cause injury to themselves, or may not be able to progress any further than they've just come. Now, when they move on to "step 2", they may find they have to go back to "step 1".

And that is just one example of one of the many variables that stand in the way.

If you want to measure your progress, most people can't do it themselves (particularly at the beginning). This isn't the long jump, where you can place a stick in the sand and see if you jump past the stick on your next attempt. This is art. And you can't objectively measure your own art, or your own technique to produce that art--unless you already know what it is you're trying to quantify and measure. Further, when you don't see the results you want to see, you will have no direction with which to determine what actions to take in order to see improvement.

I would also like to add that, next time, before you think someone is intentionally (or unintentionally) trying to offend you, consider that anyone who responds to a post is, in most cases, trying to help. You may not like what they have to say, but when you at least consider that they're trying to help, it takes some of the fire out of your stress levels.

Thank you fizikisto !

You could change your user ID to Dr. Mark...

pianotimo,

I have read your post, here:

And how many hours did you put in in a week?

Those with awesome memories, can run though a piece/lesson and considered it learned while most of the world are in a different class of learning.

Some people just want to get the idea of the piece/lesson and others want to want a good gasp before they move on. Everyone has a different definition of learned before they move on.

Like most things learned, it is based on the foundation and if you personally don't develop a solid foundation, you run the risk of getting stuck
halfway through and unsure how to proceed.

Stated in most method books, it says:

Review
Be sure to spend at least ten minutes a day reviewing your old pieces. You gain smoothness and ease from review work that you cannot acquire if you only practice new music. It is a good rule to devote one-third of your daily practice period to review.

None of the posts that I read ever mentioned how much time had been spent on reviewing.

Book 1 - 6.5mos; 1hr a day
Book 2 - 7.5mos; 1hr a day
Book 3 - not finished yet

the 1hr a day is really what I try to set aside for the Alfred lesson material since I practice more than that working on other things i.e. scales, other books/scores etc.

while it's good to set time-frame specific goals, the goal is not to rush through the books however. it could have an adverse impact on your playing since you didn't absorb the lessons. a perfect example just happened a week ago while working from book 3 "a very special day". i played it fine but my teacher didn't give me a 'pass' since i played it with no emotion. i had to work on it for another week.

book 3 should take me the longest i imagine since my teacher has me doing harmonic analysis on the pieces. so i spend a little more time on a piece as opposed to only just playing it properly.

Book one - 1 year
Book two - so far 2 years

There's no rush.

Book 3 does come with a CD.. I have it and there are some great pieces on that.

Alfred's AIO level 3 with CD
or
just the CD

Book 1 about 6 months. I'm at the end of book 2 but have been working at it sporadically now for I'd say 2 years.

I worked on Book 1 right up to the Blues section. That's about the same time I started taking lessons. My instructor does not really like Alfred's too much so I stopped (he did not suggest one way or the other).
This week I decided to revisit the book. I am surprised at how much I have learned since working with an instructor and how easily much of it came to me!

I think I am going to do both....work on what he gives me AND finish the book. There is nothing conflicting from what I can see.

Are we all talking about the same book? I'm a week in and am almost halfway through the book. The full name is Adult-All-In-One Course by Alfred (Palmer, Manus, Lethco). It's 160 pages with a CD.

Pianotimo, learning to play 10 or more beginner pieces a day is a remarkable pace. I am guessing one of several scenarios: you had a couple of years worth of lessons when you were a kid, or have 12 hours a day to work on the project. A third explanation might be that you are an exceptional talent, like 1 in 100,000, to be able to learn and play 10 new pieces a day as a true musical beginner with no prior training.

At that rate you will complete the book in about two weeks, which would be by far the fastest. The next fastest, in a high achiever group was at three months with a median of nine months.

Whatever the case, it looks like you will be moving to book two, and then three in short order. I look forward to hearing some of your recordings on the piano bar or the quarterly recital. Cheers.

I am at the end of Book 1, and started it last August with a teacher. I try to play every day, but some days that might be for only 15 minutes, and other days 2 hours. Life gets in the way sometimes. I am impressed with those that can make it through the book without a teacher. I started with some free online lessons June of last year, with no prior experience, and then figured out that if I really wanted to progress I needed a teacher. I am completing the last few songs in Book 1, and like some my proficiency on some of the songs is not to performance level; but I am happy for the most part with how I can play most of the songs. I am finishing with "Singing in the Rain," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Chattanooga Choochoo." In "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" there is a f-a-c-e arpeggio at the end. I am really having a hard time getting my fingers to work on that one. Also, "Chattanooga Choochoo" is a tough one for me. Starting on the second page you really have to stretch your fingers to get the four descending notes. I will stay after it though, and hope to start the second book in a week or two.

Best wishes to everyone. Isn't it great to finally be tacking something you always wanted to do!