Teach Yourself Piano

Rating:
Summary: Alfred's Method meets Jonathon Livingston Seagull
Review: This is an ODD book. Simply put, it really isn't about teaching oneself piano. Rather, the author provides inspiration and insight into the learning process presumably when studying piano using other methods and materials. The bulk of the book is written with sections on relaxation technique, posture, practice routine, a smattering of theory and a surprisingly effective section on note reading. The author, Gillian Sheppard (be forewarned, she's British and brings that quaint musical nomenclature to her writing) provides minimal but important snatches of written music to illustrate the point she is making in each chapter. As an example, she very effectively illustrates with eight simple bars of treble clef melody how mood is established by key and tempo.

In my opinion this is not a singular book for someone looking to learn piano. For that task I would recommend the Alfred's Adult Piano series or one of the popular piano tutorials such as "Learn Piano in 10 Easy Lessons" or "How To Play Piano Despite Years of Lessons". However, having said that, the book does provide a different slant on the learning process and may be highly effective for some students looking for alternative instruction. A good second or third book for one's piano library.

Rating:
Summary: Alfred's Method meets Jonathon Livingston Seagull
Review: This is an ODD book. Simply put, it really isn't about teaching oneself piano. Rather, the author provides inspiration and insight into the learning process presumably when studying piano using other methods and materials. The bulk of the book is written with sections on relaxation technique, posture, practice routine, a smattering of theory and a surprisingly effective section on note reading. The author, Gillian Sheppard (be forewarned, she's British and brings that quaint musical nomenclature to her writing) provides minimal but important snatches of written music to illustrate the point she is making in each chapter. As an example, she very effectively illustrates with eight simple bars of treble clef melody how mood is established by key and tempo.

In my opinion this is not a singular book for someone looking to learn piano. For that task I would recommend the Alfred's Adult Piano series or one of the popular piano tutorials such as "Learn Piano in 10 Easy Lessons" or "How To Play Piano Despite Years of Lessons". However, having said that, the book does provide a different slant on the learning process and may be highly effective for some students looking for alternative instruction. A good second or third book for one's piano library.