Piano Lessons Book 1 - Book/CD Pack (Hal Leonard Student Piano Library)

Rating:
Summary: BUYER BEWARE
Review: BUYER BEWARE! This (marketplace?) seller did not respond to refund/ replacement requests after shipping me a damaged book! Can only assume that they have little regard for customers!

Rating:
Summary: bad book
Review: Don't buy it. It sucks. I uses pictures of the keys instead of notes.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is excellent. It inrtoduces one concept at a time and allows for mastery before moving on. My son is 7 and he really likes it. We tried Usborne Piano, and it was needlessly confusing, combining several concepts in a single lesson; for instance, learning where notes are on the staff, but using half and quarter notes in the sample piece. Half and quarter notes look different, and this added confusion in determining which note went where on the staff. The reviewer who states that this book, Hal Leonard, only uses pictures, not 'real music' with notes on a staff, must not have progressed very far into the book. The book begins by just showing notes rising, 'Climbing Up' is the song, then falling, 'Climbing Down', so that the beginning student understands when the notes pictured are going up, and that correspondingly, you will play the notes in a rising pitch; and vice versa. As such, concepts are gently introduced, and after several lessons, very slowly, the student begins to learn the notes on the staff. There are many concepts to understand about playing piano, and reading music is only one of them. Eventually, many lessons into the book, the student is reading music with notes on a staff. This book proceeds in the same fashion as professional piano teachers that I have observed. The beginning student is not overwhelmed, as my son felt using the Usborne book, which moves too quickly and mixes several concepts into one lesson, which led to frustration, something you want to avoid when introducing your child to music! Playing the piano is complicated; there are many concepts to be understood, and it is essential that these concepts be set out simply, and one at a time, allowing for mastery before moving on. Hal Leonard does this. It comes with an excellent CD of accompaniment, each song twice, once at practice speed with an orchestra and featuring a piano for the student to play along with, then another up to tempo with just the orchestra for when the student has mastered the song. The CD is a great feature. Lastly, I read a great piece of advice on the internet: that students learn much easier when they hear the pieces they are to play over and over before attempting them; when they know it by ear. I tried this several lessons into the book, and it made a world of difference. As part of his lesson he sits and watches me play the pieces he's learning, and several pieces ahead, to familiarize him with them. This worked wonders. He was able to do new lessons much easier and faster when he knew how they were supposed to sound. It was easy for me to do, because the book is easy; I don't play the piano myself.