Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and ALL in One Adult Piano Course Book #1

I splurged this weekend and got a Yamaha p125! After a lot of researching what I was looking for and going to the store to get my hands on the different keyboards this is the one I decided on. I love it so far. The Kawai ES110 and Roland FP30 were the other keyboards that I had my sights on. Don’t think you can really go wrong with any of them based on what I’ve found.

I started a few months back on a Williams legato iii. I didn’t realize the nuances that are in the keyboards the next tier higher. Wasn’t willing to put a big investment down originally as I didn’t know if I would love playing and stick with it. Ended up giving the Williams to a friend who played when he was younger and wants to start getting back into it.

What was everyone’s first keyboard and what are you all using now?

I started with a Casio Privia PX-150. Both my husband and I were going to learn to play the piano. I wanted to learn the traditional way, reading sheet music; he was interested in learning to play using midi. That didn't work out and now I am the only one who plays the piano. This spring I bought a VPC1 and I am so, so, so happy with it.

I had a really cheap casio just to use for ear training then I got into playing
and got the Yamaha p45 which I loved but less than a year later last october I wanted
88 keys and hammer action so last october I got the Roland FP10.
I considered the Yamaha 125 and a casio of a similar standard but liked
the more realistic look and feel of the roland. But they are all similar enough I think.
Still chugging away at book 1 using piano marvel to assist. Only up to Greensleaves, I stopped using the piano marvel training package as well as that’s probably part of the reason I’m still on book 1 after 9 months!!

I used Yamaha P-115 for over a year but recently bought a Kawai 300!


Working on Swan Lake excerpt from book 3, also Clementi’s sonatina.

Sadly no more working from home for me, I find myself with less time on piano these days… it was so nice to take the occasional break to just play something on the piano and then go back to work.

Alas. But with higher rates of vaccination that also means I’m going to in person lessons now. So that’s the plus side.

Slow and steady wins the race…

Slow and steady for sure. Working on ‘Rock it Away’. Not a very complicated one just have to get the repetition of reading, interpreting, and playing those flats and sharps. First song in a while that hasn’t had the dreaded syncopation from 1/8 notes (and I’m ok with that).

Each piece is getting more complex for sure. I really enjoyed lullaby. Probably the first time I felt, and sounded, like I was playing an actual song!

Practice, practice, practice, repeat seems to be the recipe for success. With a whole lot of patience sprinkled in

Here’s a question… At what point are you no longer a beginner?

I understand that this is a subjective question (in a way). I ask because I purchased sheet music for a musical I like and it is the ‘beginners piano’ book. I’m curious at what point in the Alfred books I should expect to be able to play some of the songs; after book 1? after book 2? ect.

I don’t know if there is one answer to this question, but I’d like to have an idea of when people started supplementing with songs outside the realm of Alfreds.

There's an entire thread about your first question :-) The short answer is: there's no clear answer because the definition of beginner can vary a lot. But to answer your last question, I think most people who go through Alfred's volume 1 (the whole thing) get to a point where you can start working on beginner collections from classical composers, such as Kabalevsky, Gurlitt, etc. But then, again, everyone is different and it also depends on how thoroughly you go through Alfred's volume 1.

Thanks Talão! Thats what I was expecting and hoping for. I’ll look for the thread about it.

Also ‘beginners piano’ books are quite different. Just leaf through it and if you see a piece that looks playable, give it a try!

Hi there, Piano Folks

First post here. A little about me:

I'm 54 and have Yamaha P-125. For years now, I could play songs with just chords and sing over the top, but have always wanted to learn how to play legit piano.

After some research, I settled upon the Alfred's All-In-One.

My right hand little finger is near dead due to nerve damage, so I will be adapting accordingly.

Since I've played some guitar and trombone, the first part of the book went smoothly and swiftly, but I have really hit a wall with "Lavender's Blue."

I can only practice between 10-30 min. at a time or I get headaches.

I warm up with the Hanon and sight read from the "Dozen a Day" series before hitting the Alfred's.

Well, I guess that's all for now. I just thought I'd introduce myself.

Cheers.

To make up for this, I try to practice 3-4 times a day.

Been going through the book at a fair rate and have just hit my first real hurdle.Blow the man down is proving to be tricky proposition ,any one else felt this was like a major jump in ability?
This is definitely gonna take some time to get down.

Got about 85% through the book between jan-april. Then I took a break until now due to graduating university and moving. This month I bought a yamaha p-515 as an expensive graduation present for myself, to really motivate me to continue playing. I love it! A lot easier to practice dynamics on. (Previously played on a p35 which I've had several years while playing casually)

Since I took quite a long break relative to how long I'd been playing, and I had gone through the Alfred book pretty quickly, I decided to redo the entire book to not forget any fundamentals. So I'm going slow and steady now, taking care to really practice what's taught in the lesson. Last time I did 1 piece at a time but I decided to do 2-3 pieces at a time instead to avoid finishing a piece in 1-2 days, for me I think it's better to get some spaced repetition in so I can be sure I really learn the lesson material. Of course the pieces are a lot easier 2nd time around, but I'm compensating by practicing stuff like dynamic and playing faster which I didn't focus so much on last time.

Yeah I remember when I first got to blow the man down it felt impossible for a while. Just continue practicing and after a while it will "click". Getting that kind of rhythm down is a bit tricky in the beginning but important for later pieces, so it's worth spending some extra time on learning that particular piece IMO

Yeah, Blow the Man Down sure blew ME down for a bit. Definitely a step up, rhythmically.
Keep up the good work and remember to practice really SLOWLY ...

Bravo!

Yeah slow and steady is the way,cheers guys!😊

Yes, about Blow The Man Down being tough. It is the first one where my instructor said students want to throw the book against the wall and quit. DONT QUIT! Keep at it and WILL click. It took a good couple/few days for it to start to click with me. There are a few other tunes where the same issue will pop up. That issue being you’ll think “This is IMPOSSIBLE!”, but ya keep working at it and eventually you’ll be playing the tune. Piano is a tough instrument to play… Left hand/Right hand. It takes practice for sure.

I started All In One last November. Went through the book and I’m currently working on the performance pieces in the back. Just got done with Laura and starting Gilligan’s Isle. I skipped the Christmas tune, but will go back to it as the last song…. Closer to Xmas time.

Again, keep at it with Blow The Man Down. In time, it WILL click👍

Muskie

Cheers muskie,we're getting there!👍

Can someone please direct me to the thread regarding Alfred’s Adult All in One Level#2? I’ve read here the thread exists. However, I’ve searched with no luck.
Thanks,
Muskie