Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Piano (The Complete Idiot's Guide) [Paperback]

Brad Hill (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: September 28, 1998

Learn to play the piano with this easy-to-follow guide Ever wanted to play the piano but thought it looked too hard? This book will open the door to your musical side, introducing the basics of playing all variety of pianos and electronic keyboards. Using simple exercises and a sampling of popular songs in a range of styles, this book teaches the beginner who has never played or read music how to do both with proficiency. Witty sidebars and abundant illustrations make this book a fun read and the perfect "user-friendly" reference for the child or adult beginning keyboard player. Z Features examples in all styles of playing, from classical to rock and jazz Z Includes checklists of popular books, instructional material, and piano makers Brad Hill is a well-known music author and keyboardist. His books include The Virtual Musician, Going Digital (Schirmer Books) and Internet for Dummies. As a pianist, he has worked as a lounge player and has made two CDs of his own music, written for film and radio, and has performed as a soloist.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you've always had a yen to tickle the ivories but never had the time for lessons, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Piano and Electronic Keyboards is for you. Geared toward--you guessed it--the absolute beginner, this book takes you by the hand and leads you through a tour of the piano and its history, the anatomy of keyboard instruments, and music theory. The most abstruse aspects of playing the piano--reading music and understanding the role each hand plays--are clearly and cogently explained, with enough practice pieces to get you playing a few simple tunes in no time.

Like all books in this series, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Piano and Electronic Keyboards is written in light-hearted prose that helps make a difficult subject less daunting while still giving you everything you need to know to get started on the road to keyboard proficiency. It may not make you the next Van Cliburn, but who knows? Maybe you can give John Tesh a run for his money.

From the Back Cover

Learn to play the piano with this easy-to-follow guide Ever wanted to play the piano but thought it looked too hard? This book will open the door to your musical side, introducing the basics of playing all variety of pianos and electronic keyboards. Using simple exercises and a sampling of popular songs in a range of styles, this book teaches the beginner who has never played or read music how to do both with proficiency. Witty sidebars and abundant illustrations make this book a fun read and the perfect "user-friendly" reference for the child or adult beginning keyboard player.

Z Features examples in all styles of playing, from classical to rock and jazz Z Includes checklists of popular books, instructional material, and piano makers Brad Hill is a well-known music author and keyboardist. His books include The Virtual Musician, Going Digital (Schirmer Books) and Internet for Dummies. As a pianist, he has worked as a lounge player and has made two CDs of his own music, written for film and radio, and has performed as a soloist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 233 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (September 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028649257
• ISBN-13: 978-0028649252
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a nonfiction writer. In a typical year I write about a half-million words for publication in various media and genres. My book authorship is mostly of the how-to variety; I've penned (word-processed, actually) several "...For Dummies" titles, one "Complete Idiots Guide to..." book, and a number of non-series titles. Over the years I've written hundreds of columns and articles for magazines and Web publications. Currently I'm a lead blogger at Weblogs, Inc, where I manage a small writing staff and oversee several blogs. I have posted well over 3,000 blog entries at Weblogs, Inc. (Even I find that hard to fathom). At the time of this writing, my most recently completed book is "Blogging For Dummies," which will be out in January, 2006.

A typical day consists of ... well, writing. I sit down, check e-mail and IM messages, and start out blogging for a couple of hours to sharpen my brain for the day. If a book is in progress, chances are good that a ferocious deadline is nipping at my heels; most of my books are written in short, concentrated bursts (weeks, not months). When two or more projects collide I am reminded of the motto at an espresso bar near my home: "Sleep is for the weak."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much talk and not enough practice pieces, January 22, 2000

By 

Mike Christie (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Piano (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

I bought three books on learning to play the piano, and this was easily the weakest of them. The book is wittily written, but it is very short on actual pieces of music to play. The first time you put your fingers to the keyboard is in chapter 7, on p.48. Then there's another very short practice piece. Then there's a whole chapter on sharps, flats and fingering, with no practice at all. The first six chapters, instead of getting you started, cover things like the history of keyboard instruments and how a piano works--fascinating, but not what you expect from a book entitled "Guide to Playing the Piano".

I think the intention is to very simply explain what all the notation means, and in fact the text does a reasonable job. However, if you're interested in actually playing the piano and having fun this is a very frustrating book. Even the practice pieces aren't songs; it's fun to play things you know, even if it's only "Row, Row Your Boat" and "Frere Jacques". The first practice piece in this book that is clearly an arrangement of a song is "Fly Me to the Moon", on p.103. This is almost halfway through the book!

I should add that Hill has included some chapters that are not in the other books I bought which are interesting. These include notes on buying a piano, maintaining it, and on things like what classical music to try and how to stay motivated. There's also a section on MIDI and home music studios. However, if you're primarily interested in getting to the point where you can have fun with songs you know, this is not the right book for you.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Why am I still an Idiot?, December 10, 1999

By 

Antonio Bell - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Piano (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

I bought this book in hopes that I would be playing the piano as soon as I began reading the book. This did not happen. The first seven chapters were getting me familar with the piano world -good but not at this point in my learning. I also found I didn't need the wit or the side bars. All I was looking for when I bought the book was a logical step-by-step method of playing the piano. The books' material is good but not for me, and that is why I feel I am still an Idiot.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book delivers the goods!, November 14, 1999

By 

kapatkamandal (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Piano (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

I was a total novice when I brought the book and at the end I must agree with all the claims the publishers make. I am able to read sheet music and play the keyboard. I must add the author has a good sense of humor which makes reading the book fun. The only complaint I have against the book is that it lacks a sufficient number of examples for practice (maybe I am expecting too much!). But then there are other sources for sheet music. On the whole an excellent book for beginners.