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Thanks for this breakdown! I originally ordered them on Amazon, the 4 main books. Two came as second edition, 2 came as first edition. O_o Theory and Performance were hard for me to find, but I persevered. No one had it in this area. I had to go through Sheet Music Plus to get the other second editions. I'm glad I went with the new edition, after hearing your overview!

Hi Tim! I went just past that point in FK and hit a wall. No idea why. I think I was getting bored with all the classical, LOL. Not really, but it was very refreshing to play other types of music, and I desperately needed and wanted more theory. I'll be using FK keys again, playing some pieces each week from it, when I make the switch to PA 3A in about a month or so.

I was looking at the Festival Collection, there's some great music in there, as well as Faber's Developing Artist series. The one I am dying to get into is Piano Literature for a Dark and Stormy Night - Vol. 1. I almost peed myself when I saw that one!!!

How's everyone else coming along? I'm being tortured with Swing Low Sweet Chariot in the 1st and 2nd inversions unit. Everything else is fine in that unit, but this piece is killing me, LOL. I had to take a couple days off from playing because we're in the middle of a remodel and my piano is covered up tight. Thank god I picked up a Kawai KDP90 to use upstairs, it saved my life! And I can play it REAL QUIET so no one can hear me suck royally!

Ralph - glad I could be helpful and so quickly.

Ebonykawai - Did you use both the PA Adult books? Did you find Bk2 really helpful? I have found that what I have learned in Bk1 so far is helping with Fundamental Keys. The Dark & Stormy Night looks interesting. Thanks for the bit of information.

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

I had a pleasantly wierd experience last night. I am in the final days of honing my piece for the ABF Recital 39, and would still like to improve my performance before the deadline (2 days from now). I am also in the midst of learning how to record my piano so I can submit my performance in the requisite MP3 format. Lastly, just a few days ago I purchased a metronome (my first) and have been figuring out how to incorporate it into my learning/practice. So, I have a lot of irons in the fire at a time when I probably should be trying to simplify.

Up to this point, the metronome and I have had only a modest love/hate relationship. At times it seems to help me, but at others, it just distracts me. I hadn't figured out its best use. And, my one previous attempt at recording on Audacity produced a muffled, muddied sound that was barely recognizable as a piano. I obviously had not figured out how to make technology my friend.

Last night I decided to try some recording changes I learned about while studying how to record successfully. They included turning the volume on the piano up quite high, and turning the input volume way down on my computer's sound card. The theory was that most hiss, static, unwanted noises come mainly from the "post-piano" hardware, and that if you turn the piano volume way up, you end up with a high ratio of desired piano sounds to undesired computer/hardware noises. The end result is that a much higher percentage of the sound is music rather than unwanted computer noise.

When I turned the volume up high on my piano, and played with my headphones on, the high volume was a little shocking for me. But, to my delight, I noticed an almost instantaneous improvement in my tempo. It was really nice. While savoring all my new-found, timely key strikes, I also noticed that the sound of the metronome was disappearing into my "timely" keystrokes, only hearing the "tink" when I was late, or early, with a particular stroke and the "tink" ended up sounding between notes. So, bouyed with fresh confidence, I played on, and finished my recording experiment.

In the end, I successfully recorded the performance, and, as theorized, the sound was much better and clearer than my previous attempts. The volume ratios I tried did indeed cure the fuzzy and muddled plague from my earlier attempts.

And, to my delight, my Audacity program also had the requisite facilities to save my work in the MP3 format (which capacity had previously been in doubt).

Best of all, though, I think I may have inadvertently discovered a nice way to use the metronome, My limited previous use had been with the device playing loudly enough that hearing it was unavoidable. In that mode, I frequently drifted into listening to the metronome, and also into the foul habit of waiting for the "tink" as my cue to play the first note of the measure, a tactic that made me consistently late. Playing the piano much louder than the metronome presented the ideal circumstance of rewarding me for timely playing (by hiding the "tink" under the sound of the timely note) and punishing me for untimely playing by making me hear it within the quieter spaces between the notes.

I now wonder if that has always been the methodology of the metronome, to blend into well played music while audibly admonishing the pianist who strays from his desired tempo.

Oh, the travails and the glories of the unschooled pianist!

Anyhow, I'm having fun, and learning.

I hope all is well with you.

Just thought I'd point out the deadline is today! 9PM EDT.
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2446074/1/Recital_39__---_Call_For_Submi.html

Hello all, I too am a huge fan of Faber but because of various teachers I had
to switch to other methods. I still love Faber piano adventures though. BrianDX
I just wanted to congratulate you on the progress you've made! I remember being
a regular here about a year ago and you were just beginning Book 3A and you were
finding it a challenge. And now you are already in Book 3B! How wonderful that must be. I just looked at a page of the new Book 3B and it looks impossibly difficult for me. The last time I took lessons was in January but I'm planning
to start again this month I hope. My current teacher doesn't use Faber as he was
raised on Bastien and he wants me to use that. So I am at the beginning of Bastien
Adult Book 2. All I can say is that they don't have the wonderful coloured drawings that Faber has!

Thanks alans!

One of the best features of the Faber series is how it gradually builds up your skills, almost without you even knowing it. I have learned to stop looking at pieces in my lesson book a unit or two in advance and thinking that I won't be able to play it. If it is in the book, it is playable.

P.S. Just curious; what piece in Level 3B did you look at?

Good for you Brian....I just checked out the FABER website and they had some
sample pieces, it was on their first page.I don't know if it is the first piece
in the book, but it had something like triplets in the right hand and more solid
notes in the left, I just couldn't imagine how to do that trick.But I have been
away from the piano for a very long time. It seems as if almost no one here uses
Bastien.The first three pieces in Bastien Book 2 Adult are very straight-forward,
but I can't read ahead at this point.I"m at the point where you were last summer
where it seemed as if I will never be able to do the next page...but somehow
with good instruction we seem to get through it.How much do you practise and how
often during the week? I have also tried the first Faber Artist's series book
and it is wonderful and the pieces are very beautiful.

Thanks for the heads-up, Ajames. I caught that last night. I'm not sure how I lost a day, but, at my age, I can ill-afford to lose too many!

I managed to submit my performance a few minutes ago, and hope to update it with a cleaner version in the next couple of hours.

Well done raubucho!

Any other submissions to the piano recital from the "Faber Group"?

That piece is the Etude Energico. Believe it or not it was simplified in the second edition.

That piece however is a good example of how the Faber books work. The triplets are covered quite extensively in 3A. That part and other parts are doable, albeit after a lot of practice.

However, this example also brings up one minor compliant that my teacher and I have with a lot of the pieces. The suggested speed of many of the pieces in the lesson book are too fast in our opinion. I could never play that piece at 144 bpm, at least for now. Therefore, after a piece is assigned we take a look at it to figure out what the the appropriate speed (both for artistic and technical reasons) should be for practice.

Ironically, there was a piece recently assigned that we thought was too slow; A Beethoven piece believe it or not.

Yes, I'm making my way through the second Adult PA book. Book 2 really goes further, and I'm finding it challenging. I'm just starting Unit 6 and almost feels above my level, which means I'm going to have to sloooooow down. There's a LOT of theory in book 2 that I've never learned before, so I'm really happy about that! I guess I finally found where I am, as far as level is concerned. Up until now I was flying through the books because I'd played for a couple years quite a ways back, so I had these basic skills. Now comes the real work! No more just jumping in and getting good results in a couple days. I think this is where my "progressing" begins.

Thanks for the detailed reply Brian. I will definitely get the updated 3b books and will consider the 3a books.

Sadly I am in Australia and after factoring in Amazon shipping which is per book, it is not all that cheap.

Regards

Mario

Wow, sorry to hear that. Is it expensive to get any book or item from Amazon shipped to Australia?

I know that folks who live in Japan can order things from Amazon JP and save a bundle on shipping costs.

Best of luck and let us know how you are progressing!

Brian

Actually Brian I bit the bullet and ordered the level 3a 2nd edition books.

I would have finished the first unit by the time they come but I think that would be ok. Or is it not?

You should be fine, as the first unit in 3A is basically the same in both editions, albeit the new edition had a few pieces that are different.

In reality, I think the pieces in the first edition were a bit more interesting to learn and play, based on the pieces my wife is currently learning (she is in the middle of unit 1 in 3A second edition).

I haven't read all of the posts- but am proud to say I have graduated to Level 2 of the FAPAOB. My teacher has me using the theory, lessons, and Technique/Artistry. For Level 2 she is advising me to pick either the Christmas book or Popular Repertoire book.

Seems to be working well for me- I won't go into the details of the rotten experiences of my 1st teacher, having an adult learn from children books should be explanation enough!

I have struggled with some of the arrangements of songs I recognize, not making sense when played as written. They come together very nicely with the Teacher Duet, but preparing for this is hard (for me anyway).

Welcome Comet. Congratulations on passing Level 2.

Funny that you mention being taught from the "children" books. That is what I am using, but, I'm self teaching. I don't mind the kids musical selections in the practice materials. I went with the basic piano adventures just to make sure I got all the fundamentals, based on an un-proven assumption that the kids series would be a little more certain to cover everything. I'm glad the adult series is working for you.

PianoWorld is a really cool place, and the Adult Beginners Forum is especially nice. There are a lot of helpful, caring people around here, and you can always get thoughtful answers to whatever questions you might have.

Have fun and keep us updated on your progress.

Welcome Comet!

My wife and I both have progressed through both levels of Advanced Piano Adventures for the Older Beginner. These were both great learning experiences. Make sure that you have all four "core" books for Level 2.

I can tell you that although after Level 2 you progress on to the regular Piano Adventures books, these are ideal for adult students even though they have a younger "feel" to them (which I like).

Please keep us informed of your progress.

Well, I guess it's been a while since I reported in. Right now I'm working on Amazon Grace. Just a few more pages left in the level one accelerated lesson book.

NorwichTim - Greetings to you, too. It sounds like you have a good variety of music books to work from. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

Brian - Are the Festival Collection pieces in original form? I'm confused because in the front of the Preparatory book I have that came with a CD it says, "The editing in the scores reflects these CD performances."

Ebonykawai - Are you done being tortured with Swing Low Sweet Chariot? I tried looking on YouTube for someone playing a Dark and Stormy Night, but couldn't find anything. I'm wondering what it sounds like.

Raubucho - I've used a metronome to help figure out a rhythm in new pieces, to help keep me from going too fast while learning a piece, and to find and fix any hesitations. But, as you discovered, you don't want it to be so loud that it's distracting.

Comet64 - Congratulations on finishing the first book. Regarding the arrangements, I think it'd be nice if Faber had the teacher duet parts as backing tracks to play against.