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This is the path to frustration and lack of enjoying the instrument.

I think Bridal Chorus is one of the very first pieces, so you do no favors to use this method, and have a long way to go with many important lessons not reached because there is a self-imposed limit on when you can step to the next level of lessons, this is not a strategy I would recommend, at least for this series of books.

When I skip pieces, it's because I find a supplemental from somewhere which is in the same key, style or teaches the same information Alfred's are trying to impart.

But many pieces in this book - towards the middle mostly - are quite poor and not really enjoyable. So why hammer away? stuck for weeks / months, when you can supplement some good old Bach, which is a joy to play and learn at the same time, something new .. Well of course it's only if you like classical pieces!!

This book has been a long process for me, and without supplementals and taking breaks and / or skipping boring peices once a "gist" or basic completion has been achieved, I'd not have enjoyed it so much.

Now I actively look forward to Book 3, knowing that I can step up to other supplemental. Clementi easier sonatina I think op 38,6 off-hand looks nice, and perhaps some of the less difficult Chopin.

More adventures lie ahead, don't let a neurosis lead to stopping playing, or giving up a book because of one piece now, or later in the book which you can't master

Take care and good luck to everyone traversing book 2!

I completely agree with starbug. Most songs in book 2 and 3 are quite challenging - they are supposed to teach you something and raise your level. If you want to perfect them, it might take over a month for each of them, depending on how fast you learn. If there is a song you like, you can always go back to it after a few months, and you'll find out that you can master it with less effort.

This applies to the average adult learner, not to particularly gifted people or teenagers, who can learn so much faster. It certainly applies to me. All songs in the Alfred's books are useful but they are not all absolutely necessary. Surely a teacher would make you select and skip some, while adding supplemental material along the way. We only have so much time and mental energy.

starbug, sinophilia,

I agree with you on some aspects. I have been working on this Bridal Chorus piece for a month and frustration seems to creep in as time passes. I get better at playing it everyday, that's for sure. But, my time being limited, perfecting one piece means not playing/enjoying other 10 pieces. I work on 3 pieces at the same time, but Bridal Chorus consumes most of my time.

I think I will enjoy playing piano more if I move on. I don't have any plans for being a concert pianist. Thanks for your valuable feedbacks.

Oh yah--another vote for letting pieces go. If you want to perfect something, pick something you really like to listen to and something that is fun to play! For most of us there aren't too many pieces in Alfred that fit those requirements.

Nor any piece for that matter, for once you start playing more advanced pieces the easy ones (ones that at the time may have been very difficult) will almost seem childish.

Mete, if your time is limited that is even more reason to let it go.. You are not getting to the sweeter lessons and pieces because of a self-imposed bar you have set yourself.

To echo other posters, if you return to this piece after a few months progressing further into the book, you will cruise it..

These books aren't perfect. There are some pieces which become easier after lessons handed out later in the course. Sounds counter intuitive, but was also the case in book one, with the deadly and frankly evil "Blow the Man Down".

Have fun.. not frustration

mete, don't let bridal chorus discourage you. I also had trouble with that one and I don't know why...it seemed like it should be fairly easy but I did spend a long time on it.

You probably already know that you'll go through several songs quite quickly and then hit a wall with one.

The question you bring up has been discussed a lot on the Alfred forum. I found for myself the best thing is to keep at a song until it is good (notes, tempo, dynamics, no hesitations, etc) even if it is at a pretty slow tempo. Then I move on.

Anyway, I have finished La Bamba (yoo hoo!), La Raspa and Jolly Good Fellow.

Now I'm on Mexican Hat Dance. Wonder why so many Spanish songs all clumped together?

How is everyone else doing?

just4fun, I gave up perfecting Bridal Chorus. I'll give it a try a couple of times a day and that's it. I want to explore different songs(I'm working on Guantanamera) and last thing I want to do is frustrate myself over a hobby.

mete

I think you hit the nail on the head when you remind us this is a hobby!

So no right or wrong, just enjoyment.

Good luck on Guatanamera. I didn't like it when I started but when I got so that I could actually play it I found it to be fun.

Finished Light and Blue, Alexander's Rag Time Band last week - moving on to La Bamba for this week as well as playing 3 other pieces from the Premier Performance book #4.

That's great, Ohio! I started to really like La Bamba after I played it for awhile.

What is the other book that you mention? Is it an Alfred's book or something else?

I finished Tarantella, Festive Dance and Scherzo. Finally moved past all the Spanish songs. I did like them but not all at once!

Now I'm onto Intro and Dance. The trickiest part for me is where the left hand is non legato (but not staccato), and the right hand starts out legato, then a tied note where the last note is staccato, and the next note is not staccato. (second page).

I'm going to have some fun and guess. It is Alfred's Premier Piano method series, level four Performance. The premier series has several books at each level: lesson, theory, and performance. The performance books are simply collections of pieces to practice, labelled with corresponding page numbers from the lesson book, so you know when you should be able to play them.

Thanks Daniel, I'll have to take a look at those books.

Quick question... I have book 1 published in 2010, have found book 3 published in 2010, but can only find book 2 published in 1997. Is this book okay?

I have book 2 but can't find any publishing date other than 1998 printed on the CD. I bought this book in Jan 2013 and I think it is the latest - however Alfred Publishing have a website you can against

http://www.alfred.com/Products/Alfreds-Basic-Adult-All-in-One-Course-Book-2--00-14534.aspx

Even if it is an older one, it will be okay!
Don't worry; just practice.

Yes, that's it. I had actually sent a note to Alfred on their facebook page asking where I would transition going from Premier Book 4 to the Adult All in One book. Their response actually was Adult AIO Book 3 but I had already ordered book 2. While there does seem to be overlap between book2 and the Premier book4 there are some new topics about midway in the book. So my plan going forward on Adult AIO book 2 is to pick out a piece or 2 from each topic until I hit new material.

Still working on La Bamba (getting close) and added Mexican Hat Dance this week which I think is where 6/8 time was introduced.

I have had a few versions of each pass through my hands. There are varying copyright dates and cover designs. To make a long story short, the all-in-one books all have the same content, only the inside and outside cover has changed. They also changed their logo at some point.

Even when ordering direct from Alfred, you seem to not get consistent batches of books. I think they, and other distributors, have a mix of old and new stock lying around.

Right now I am on the dreaded Chromatic Scale songs. Village Dance and Circus March. This should be an interesting weak to say the least.

Got a pass on La Bamba.

Working on Mexican Hat Dance and Scherzo. Scherzo seems way easy comparatively to the pieces around it. Played the whole piece sight-reading at my lesson yesterday. Not a lot of movement of the hands and the tempo is andante I believe.