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jasoncomely's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent introduction to piano playing and sight-reading at the same time.
mellyjc's review against another edition
1.0
Links to the website videos didn't work. He says to go slow, 2 bars at a time, and then keeps talking about the next ones, with no indication where to actually find the bars I was supposed to be practicing before moving on. Finally found the sheet music at the end but that wasn't clear....maybe this works better as a physical book? The sheet music image was also super tiny, I had to take screen shots so I can expand enough to read it. There's also a sentence "And bankers." (To pay attention to) with no definition what bankers are in a musical context. I searched the internet, my piano playing partner looked it up...just confusing.
He says hand placement is super important, which is partly why I wanted to start with a book. But he doesn't really talk about how to identify hand placement for any new pieces. A little orientation to bass clef was helpful but generally all I learned from this was a suggestion of a good piece of music to start my learning.
He says hand placement is super important, which is partly why I wanted to start with a book. But he doesn't really talk about how to identify hand placement for any new pieces. A little orientation to bass clef was helpful but generally all I learned from this was a suggestion of a good piece of music to start my learning.
probefahrer's review against another edition
4.0
Was soll ich sagen.
Das Buch funktioniert.
Ich konnte Bachs Prelude zum Wohltemperierten Klavier in C-Dur nach 6 Wochen spielen und passabel die Noten lesen, die ich dafür brauchte.
Dann hätte ich mir einen Lehrer holen müssen :)
Aber: Der Reiz vom Blatt spielen zu können ist dann doch nicht groß genug für mich.
Das Buch funktioniert.
Ich konnte Bachs Prelude zum Wohltemperierten Klavier in C-Dur nach 6 Wochen spielen und passabel die Noten lesen, die ich dafür brauchte.
Dann hätte ich mir einen Lehrer holen müssen :)
Aber: Der Reiz vom Blatt spielen zu können ist dann doch nicht groß genug für mich.
seyfert's review
5.0
While I have played piano for decades, I was still curious to see what it'd be like to learn it from a book. So no, I am no approaching this it as someone new to the instrument, but it doesn't mean it wasn't worth reading at all. If nothing else, this is an incredibly well-done book that will show you what it IS like to be taught from a professional (and you actually are - just not in person!). The author writes in such an encouraging manner, with simple steps, and a few hard truths (sorry, but yes, sometimes you really are playing the same bar a billion times for a billion hours, give or take a million).
I believe anyone interested in trying to learn piano, but aren't sure they want to yet pay for lessons, should go with this cheaper option. It'll give you a very good sense of not just what it's like to play a piece you never imagined you could play, but a sense of how to play, and properly (please don't teach yourself via YouTube videos - so many make me cringe). And, if you really aren't convinced, it's actually quite a short read! Tons packed into a small book, though. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, but I really, really did like this book. Highly recommend for you want to be pianist - this will get you one step closer!
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I believe anyone interested in trying to learn piano, but aren't sure they want to yet pay for lessons, should go with this cheaper option. It'll give you a very good sense of not just what it's like to play a piece you never imagined you could play, but a sense of how to play, and properly (please don't teach yourself via YouTube videos - so many make me cringe). And, if you really aren't convinced, it's actually quite a short read! Tons packed into a small book, though. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, but I really, really did like this book. Highly recommend for you want to be pianist - this will get you one step closer!
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
dtier's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing little book that taught me (someone who never played piano) to play a piece by Bach in about a month. The instructions are simple and precise and it includes sheet music and online videos. Not at all comprehensive, but a perfect starting point.
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