Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and All in One Adult Piano Course Book #2

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking here for a while now and decided to post in this thread.
I started taking piano lessons at the age of 52 in october 2017, and I love it😍.

I finished Alfred 's Basic Adult Piano Course Book1 (French Edition) in July 2018(except for Amazing Grace) and accomplished a few supplemental pieces in the last few months. Since October this year we restarted working songs in the Alfred' s Basic Adult book 2, but not in the order of the book. I am trusting my teacher to pick the right songs for me. Til now I have learned so far " Introduction and dance, Polvetsian dance, Symphonie no 6, Fascination".
I am currently working on"Village dance" from Alfred book2, Prelude 1 in C Major from Bach(almost finished) and an easy version of "Mad world".

I am very excited to join this forum.

Welcome P...66!

I'm wondering if you're the first Luxemburger we've had join us here...

Have fun!

Thank you.
Maybe... Its a small country 😁

Bought it just about the time I quit playing for a year, started backup and find the book very useful. Emedia Intermediate piano also being a great help. So many options now.

Hi all, another long-time lurker here, got back into playing recently after finally acquiring a weighted dp (Casio CDP-230). I'm currently working on the Chopin op. 10 no. 3 theme (at an excruciatingly slow tempo), as well as Burgmuller etudes 1 and 2 and the Minuet in G from Anna Magdalena Bach's notebook. I've been messing around in Alfred's AIO 2 sporadically for quite a while but I'm determined to get through it this time, if only for the satisfaction of being done with it. No teacher right now but I'm planning on getting one in the new year. I've had lessons in classical guitar in the past and find it really keeps me motivated and progressing, also I'm sure a good teacher would have a thing or two to say about my self-taught technique.

Hi all!

I've just finished book 1 and I'm starting book 2.

I'm 50 years old.

My objective is to play many pieces for my pleasure, reading. I don't care if I play them slowly. I'll end up memorizing parts of the pieces, because of repeating them on practice, but I won't force memorizing.

Together with book 2, I've started a classical piece, because it is more my taste (a Bach piece).

Welcome to this forum Diviajar, and good luck with the piano!

This isn’t really an active thread, but I’ll update here anyway. I’m working on Hungarian Rhapsody and Morning Has Broken. The former is ok now, except around measure 23. I can play it most of the time if I don’t care about how it sounds. I can’t yet get a good staccato sound and not trip in that spot. My teacher was trying to help me play a more crisp, bouncy finger staccato. The variants on Morning has Broken are fun, especially the 16th notes.

My husband heard Mozart’s “Variations on a Theme” by chance one day and decided that I could and should learn to play it. I enjoy a challenge, so I’ve got the theme down pretty nicely and am making good progress on Variant I. Variant V is up next. I listened to each on repeat for 10-15 minutes each, until I went crazy, trying to get the sound into my head so I would know what I was trying to play, with some success. I also picked out a couple popular pieces from some books she had. “Favorite Things” from Sound of Music is next.

I want to be able to play the duet parts in my son’s first primer book for him. They’re pretty challenging, especially the unfamiliar key signatures.

Hello all! I was wondering if this thread still existed. I finally finished book one in January and I am currently working on "Light and Blue".

This thread is only more active than its successor, possibly because fewer people make it out of Book 1 and into Book 2, and even fewer into 3. Both you and Domestic Engineer should be proud! It suggest both of you will also make it into Book 3 eventually! Go go go

Anyone played the last piece “ cannon in D”.

Looking for opinions... I also posted this in the first book thread. I am at the end of book 1 working on the entertainer, going well. I am seeing my self losing motivation thinking about spending the next 6 weeks or so on the last songs in the book. Should I just push through? maybe start book 2 while pushing through? Any suggestions welcome, my teacher is not teaching right now due to COVID. Don’t want to lose interest now!

Thanks in advance...

Hello, just wondering if anyone else is also working on this book? I am currently on the La Raspa piece.
This book hasn’t been so exciting for me so far. Hoping that would change sometime soon.

Hello, I am currently on 'Maple Leaf Rag' which is found in the german version (not the same one as in the All-Time Favorites book). It is a pretty hard piece, easily the hardest in the whole book. Although it is a simplified arrangement of the original, it sounds nearly the same but there are 'only' 2 parts included. Currently I can play it at 90bpm without error but it took me about 3 weeks to get there. Still have to double or triple that speed and work on dynamics.


The end of book 1 took me also a while. I don't have the AIO version but my book goes up to 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' which is the only piece I skipped. Personally, I would at least include 'Amazing Grace' (it's a joy to play and is IMO the most beautiful piece from the book) as you can practice nuances pretty well on that one . The rest may frustrate you if your motivation is not healthy.

Hey everyone. Thanks for posting your struggles. Helps to know I'm not the only one!

I've just started Alfred's Book 2, after I completed Book 1 and had a break of about a year, due to dealing with redundancy, lockdown and other issues. It's been quite hard re-starting the course. It took me 3 weeks just to play the first song "Wedding March from Lohengrin" passably well.

At the second song now, "Guantanamera". Trying to keep up with daily practice.

The songs in Book 2 are definitely more interesting and rewarding than in Book 1, however they are longer and a bit more complex. It's taking me longer to master them.

Good luck everyone and keep up with the practice!

I completely agree, pieces are more interesting but more difficult.
Expect serious difficulties once you get to “La Bamba”.
After a month on it I moved on, without really mastering that piece. I’m now at the Hat dance.
I believe that level 2 is where the risk of slowing to a crawl and then just give up or move to something else is the highest.
The challenge will be to keep it up to reach the end of the book.
Hang in there!

Agreed with Stopparde. I breezed through Alfred 1 in under a year. I'm now about 8 months into Alfred 2 and only on Mexican Hat Dance. My teacher is quite aggressive with making sure I plan it at tempo with proper dynamics and probably at 80% complete (can make mistakes, but just not the same ones with each play though). It's slow moving but I like that I am not 'embarrassed' to play in front of other people, because I can play it well.

We also supplement heavily with other materials (probably 1:1 learning alfred and other pieces, which keep it interesting.

I'm kinda hoping that the method will pay off and that at some point it'll speed up a little.

Hi everyone,
I had to do a google search to end up finding this thread. It's certainly a LOT less active that the book 1 thread
I just finished book 1 (about 10 months, but supplementing heavily with other material) and find myself at a cross roads. My teacher has been pushing me and I have learned quite a few pieces from the Batien classics, for example. Pushing me a bit past my comfort level has had some benefits - I can tell for example that it made playing the songs in Alfred book 1 seem a lot easier... She wants me to move up to repertoire, but I don't think I agree. She wanted me to start working on the Canon in D, which I now see is the last piece in book 2! There is something to be said about this approach, but it may not be for me. I feel that I would get a lot more out of playing something easy (even very easy) really well, than managing to complete harder pieces badly or even OK.
So, bottom line, is it better to stick with it and ask to go through book 2 next? I like a methodical approach, and I like learning and understanding the theory and the fundamentals along the way - my approach to learning music is a lot more intellectual than instinctive. I would want to supplement with Burgmuller etudes (op 100) because I think on that front, too, I would want an easier progression.
Does this approach make sense? How have others felt about proceeding to book 2 after 1? The material is still not stellar but I think there are a lot more interesting songs in this book than book 1 at least.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi again rocdoc! This is how I feel as well.

Yes, I think this is better than lesson book 6.

There are of course many other methods than just Alfred's...

Thank you again for your insights. Do you have any suggestion? And is there one where one could potential switch midway like this, meaning is there an equivalent "book 2" to transition into in the Bastien or Faber or other series? Alfred remains pretty well recommended from what I've seen. One thing I find myself wishing for more is explanations on the "why" of certain pieces - what chords are harmonized under this melody, why were these chosen, does this piece sound a certain way because of this or that interval progression etc. It's how music tends to fit into my brain...
I also wonder if focusing on these specific "adult" methods is for everybody. I wouldn't mind doing a lot of exercises, playing scales etc. under guidance, to better lay down foundations. I get the impression that kids are taught that way more, but for some reason folks seem to assume that adults want a shortcut. Actually, that's probably because most do... What about those of us who think differently?