Adult All-In-One Course: Lesson-Theory-Technic: Level 1 Plastic Comb – July 1, 1994

I recently purchased the “Adult All-in-One Course: Lesson, Theory, Technic, Level 1” and have been very pleased with my experience so far.The lessons are clear and progress at a comfortable pace, making it easy to build confidence with each new concept.I appreciate how the book combines lesson material, music theory, and technical exercises all in one place. This integrated approach helps reinforce what I’m learning and keeps practice sessions interesting.The explanations are straightforward, and the exercises are varied enough to keep things engaging. I also like that the book includes familiar songs, which makes practicing more enjoyable and motivating.Overall, I would highly recommend this course to adult beginners or anyone looking to refresh their piano skills. It’s a comprehensive, user-friendly resource that makes learning piano both accessible and fun.

A little background before I get into the real review: My 14 y/o trumpet player daughter has been wanting to learn the piano for years. Because she has C.P. we had been putting it off thinking that trying to coordinate both hands at once and read music would be too frustrating for her. Her trumpet teacher disagreed and recommended she start with the Suzuki method as she has and incredibly good ear and quite a bit of natural musical talent. From my understanding of Suzuki, there is quite a bit of parent involvement required. This is a problem for me given I have limited experience playing an instrument (flute. I really should have listened when my mom said I'd regret giving it up) and absolutely none with the piano. I bought this book to help rectify that, knowing that I'll be sitting in on her weekly lessons and absorbing a lot of information there.Having only had the book a couple of days, I love it already. The book assumes you are coming to the piano with no prior musical experience and starts from the very beginning. It introduces the musical alphabet and shows where each note falls on the keyboard. When reading from the staff is introduced, the note names are printed right in the note so your eyes are traveling along the staff instead of looking elsewhere. With each lesson on theory you are given exercises and practice tunes that reinforce the lesson. There are also written exercises to really help make those connections solid. You move along fairly quickly, playing simple melodies with each hand separately to playing with both hands. Once harmonic intervals are introduced (pg.26) and you start playing the melody with one hand and harmonics with the other, you really feel like you're making music! It's pretty exciting to go from not knowing where middle C is located to playing Jingle Bells with a bit of harmony in 2 days! I can't wait to continue to grow with this book.I do plan on adding scales and such to my practice sessions, as these are truly the things that will help you progress and give you a more fundamental understanding of how music is put together. Playing scales and arpeggios are just as important to a musician as stretching is to a runner. They may not be the most fun, but they are essential, which my daughter hates to hear.Some have said that the song selection leaves a bit to be desired. While I don't disagree that songs like "Tisket, A Tasket", "Lightly Row", and "Aunt Rhody" are juvenile, (these are the songs all young musicians start with. The Good Lord knows I've sat through many a squeaky beginning band performance of them!) they are the type of song that build that foundation for the great things to come. By the time you finish this book you should be able to play songs like "Over the Rainbow" and "Singin' in the Rain". You can also find loads of simple piano music online for free and there's always the option of purchasing books of beginner music if you find that you're board by the selections provided.Also be aware that this book does not come with the c.d. Not really a problem as there are loads of nice folks who have uploaded videos to youtube of all the songs. Just search for Alfred's Basic Adult Piano and you'll have your pick.All in all, I really am enjoying learning with this book. I feel like I'm able to grasp the concepts that are introduced and will be able to help my daughter along once her lessons start in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to finishing this book, which I hope will come sooner rather than later, and starting on the next one.

This book was really great! I had piano lessons as a child, and hadn't played for 25 years. I decided that this would be my starting point. The book is very easy to understand, teaching everything from the ground up, how to sit, how to hold your hands, warm ups, identifying and naming notes, to music theory on scales and chords, what the words and symbols mean on sheet music, etc. I don't think you'd have to know anything at all about the piano to learn this way. Some of the pages are worksheets that you can fill in the blanks to help you learn, I liked that a lot.All of the songs are performed on YouTube by the way, so you can hear what it should sound like! It's a great reference, since there's no CD any more.I thought it was so good that bought the rest of the series (2 & 3) after finishing this first book. Very much looking forward to starting Level 2 tonight!

I have been trying to learn Piano for over a year, after multiple piano app subscriptions I gave up until I read about this book. I am actually learning Piano and enjoying it. This is a great book for an adult beginner at a great price, wish I had found it sooner.