Rating: 
Summary: Why didn't my piano teacher give me this book 20 years ago?
Review: This is a great tool for those who don't want to be a classical pianist but just want to have fun! The author gets to the point quickly with no "fluff" and tells you exactly what you need to do to sound good immediately. Although I had taken a few piano lessons as a child many years ago, I couldn't play a thing. Now I am able to play songs that I want to play, not songs my teacher wanted me to play... Will it take some effort? Yes, but now I am looking forward to playing what is fun instead of "Chopsticks"! It is also a lot cheaper than lessons...
Rating: 
Summary: Very limited
Review: Well, the most I can say is that it will teach you a few tricks for playing chords along with a simple melody line, like found in fake books. Scott's method is adaptable to only a limited style and tempo of playing. There is a companion DVD of this book of the same title. Both the book and the DVD are overpriced for what they contain, in my opinion. A much better choice would be "How to Play the Piano Despite Years of Lessons", also available from Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: It's damn near a miracle!
Review: What a great book and what a wonderful teacher Scott Houston is! I always wanted to play piano but never figured it could be this easy. I saw Scott's PBS show and was able to start playing with that information alone. His book reinforces and organizes his method in a clear, concise manner. I especially appreciate the book's small size, it's just perfect for busy people.I am sending a copy to my brother who took classical lessons for years but can't even play "Louie, Louie" or any other pop song for that matter. I never dreamed I could play piano. I'm still pinching myself. I am very grateful to Scott for his generousity in making this material available. I hope he becomes wealthy doing this. He richly deserves it.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for the beginner
Review: When I bought this book I thought that the price was way too high for the small size and content but it had some pretty good things in it. I tried other books that concentrated on classical methods and really had a hard time staying awake let alone actually playing anything. This book will motivate you to explore other methods of playing-by getting to the point- and make it fun along the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Self promotional, nearly content-free
Review: When I saw one of Scott Houston's info-mercials (a fund raiser for a local PBS TV station), I thought this guy must be on to something, so I got my keyboard out of the closet and bought his book. What a disappointment! Virtually no real teaching going on in here. Almost no musical content. A grid that describes how many steps are between notes in different types of chords (you are left to figure most of them out on your own), minimal staffs that have guitar fingering diagrams above them (in a piano book!). Lots of references to links on his web site. "Guidance" that boils down to "Go buy sheet music of tunes you like, figure out the chords, and start playing! Doesn't matter what fingering you use, just play. See how easy playing piano is!?" I'm a beginner, and I'm here to tell you, beginners don't learn like this. Bad habits form fast, and they'll take years to overcome, assuming you don't get frustrated and give up first. Frankly, it feels like he took as many shortcuts writing this book as he recommends you take learning to play piano - it just glosses over everything. (It is ironic that on his web site he recommends the Hanon piano exercises, which are the furthest thing from "grab your favorite tunes and play"!)
Rating:
Summary: not worth the money
Review: With great anticipation I awaited this book. It is small in size and content. Like another reviewer, I bought the book after seeing his PBS pitch. I assumed the book would expand upon his presentation but really adds little. I would not recommend buying it. I'm sorry I did.
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