Customer Reviews

Alfred's Basic Piano Library: Recital Book, Level 1A

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a private voice and piano instructor, and I have found Alfred's Basic Piano library to be an excellent teaching tool for very beginning students to the intermediate student. It is best to incorporate all the "core" books in the series (Technic, Lesson, Theory, Recital, and possibly one other of your choosing...there are many to pick from, such as Hymns, Popular Songs, etc.). Each book supports what's being taught in the other books and I have seen a great deal of progress in my students while using this series. Almost all of my students now work from the Alfred Series. A side note...I LOVE Amazon because you can buy the books used from outside vendors. Lessons are an expensive investment and you don't HAVE to have brand new books to start out with. Gently used ones are great for the very beginning students...but even if you do buy brand new, they are reasonably priced and are well worth the money.

My son (5 yr old) finished prep course level A and B. Instead of go into C, I decide switch him to regular course. This 1B is continuation from prep B. So far both I and my son like the material in 1B.
There are lots of piano teaching methods out there: Alfred, Piano Adventure, Hal Leonard, John Thompson, Music Tree, Piano Town, just to name a few. There are also lots of debates on which method is better. One of the major criticism of Alfred basic piano library is that it's fixing student's hand position. We only onto 1B, so we don't know if it'll be a problem later on.
But the music in these Alfred books are good. My son likes them and like to play them, that's all it matters. I also bought both Piano Adventure and Hal Leonard and I like the music in Alfred better.

I'm glad I made this purchase. It's a great book with pretty pictures and clear instructions. My 4-yr-old loves it! His teacher loves it too :)

Teaches bare bones music theory. Theory book is not very informative nor does it offer enough explanation, however it is better than nothing. My children don't enjoy completing the lessons, however it has helped them even with their cello and violin playing. They have a better understanding of scales because of theory.
Easy for the older child who is an independent learner, more difficult for the younger child who will be easily bored.

The Musical Concepts book Alfred offers is better, especially if you are looking for an all in one solo and a better theory book. And the cost is better since you get two books in one. The explanations of the concepts and the diagrams are better in Musical Concepts as compared to Theory Book.

Both books are written by a different team of authors.

I did a lot of looking for piano instruction books, and the Alfred Series is fabulous! This book was referenced from the Basic Course and corresponds to the level the student is at ~ and it makes teaching so simple. One of the things I like best is the great variety of songs - that are actually fun to learn - I highly recommend this book for the younger beginner student.

I use this theory book with my piano students. It is very well laid out. The students actually request more theory because they enjoy the worksheets so much. Excellent with young students!

Book was recommended by my child's piano teacher. It is kid friendly and easy to read.

I've played piano for over 20 years, and have been teaching out of this series for the past year. I was a former Bastien advocate, but I'm a quick convert! This series is excellent and is a must have for your library and for any beginning student. The variety of books and even pace at which students advance is perfect. I am very happy with the selection of levels too. The Prep Course levels are perfect for younger or slower students who need lots of time and adjustment, while the Basic Library series with 6 levels (including 1a & 1b) is fabulously presented. You cannot go wrong with this series!

If you are an adult, I reccommend the Alfred's Adult series, but this works out well for adults who need a slower pace and lots of patience.

Nice easy, clear and simple for a 7 year old boy learning to play the piano.

I was really hesitant about this piano teaching series because it starts out numbering the fingers instead of teaching notes. However, I am now a believer. My six year old moved quickly through the material and didn't lose interest mostly because she started with the numbered fingers and progressed from there. I highly recommend these books as an effective system for teaching piano.