Customer Reviews

Easy Piano Classics : 97 Pieces for Early and Intermediate Players

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

 

 

I have been playing the piano for only a few years, and I purchased this book with the hope of learning some of the most popular and most loved classical compositions. I am pleased to declare that I was not disappointed with this music book, filled with entertaining musical pieces. The first song I learned was Beethoven's well-known "Fur Elise," and I was grateful that this beginners to intermediate level book made this piece less challenging to learn. If you are a dedicated and extremely devoted pianist (even if you've only been playing for a short time), this music book provides the perfect and valuable opportunity to get on the road to learning the songs of famous composers such as Liszt, Bach and Chopin. Impress your friends and family by playing the classical pieces available in this book. With 97 fabulous pieces of music to learn, there is no doubt that this book provides hours of learning and more importantly, fun.

I haven't played the piano in a long time, but have been working my way back to remembering notes, etc. I looked forward to my "Easy" book of classics, and found the title a bit misleading. In my opinion, it is not for the casual player or someone not taking lessons. It is currently sitting in my piano bench waiting for me to work up to it.

I thought I would have been able to use it right away, but was not. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, but I think it is a bit misleading calling it easy....

One star because its not easy. I'm three fourths of the way through Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course level 2. I have not yet attempted any of the music in Easy Piano Classics because it is at a much higher level then my skill level. This book contains no fingering or pedaling. Pass on this book until you complete Alfred's Adult level 3 or comparable.

As advertised this book has ninety-seven classic compositions from esteemed composers. Included are several selections from Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and many other well known piano masters. There are really no pieces for very early beginners though perhaps 25% of the collection could be played fairly comfortably by a student who has mastered book two in most piano teaching series. The other 75% is definitely for an intermediate to advanced student and as another reviewer noted there are no guides for fingering and there are also no or few markings for pedalings or dynamics. The editor states in a note this is an asset because it makes for a "cleaner" page but again perhaps not the best format for a beginning student. A glossary of musical terms is included as well as dates of birth and death for each composer.

This is definitely not for Kids. Three reasons:
1. notes are too small;
2. no finger numbers;
3. notes print quality is no good.

It does have a nice list of music. So if you are advanced, maybe try it if you don't mind the small notes.

I haven't played the piano in a long time, but have been working my way back to remembering notes, etc. I looked forward to my "Easy" book of classics, and found the title a bit misleading. In my opinion, it is not for the casual player or someone not taking lessons. It is currently sitting in my piano bench waiting for me to work up to it.

I thought I would have been able to use it right away, but was not. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, but I think it is a bit misleading calling it easy....

It's a great book in the sense that it provides you with good music .. and those classical pieces aren't the distorted versions of the original ones.

However, there is no information about fingering throughout the books, so you'll need to figure it out yoursefl

And like the authors mention: This book is not meant for casual piano players ... if you spend some time playing piano, then you should probably buy it ... However, if you play piano occasionally and casually, you should probably look for something different.

Many years passed between my last childhood piano lesson and the day "Easy Piano Classics" arrived at my door. I still read music well, but discovered only a few pieces to be truly easy. It is safely tucked inside our piano seat for now and I wonder, "will I remember its whereabouts when I advance to more difficult pieces?"

I would give this book 5 stars, because I LOVE it, but I am aware that the title "Easy" may be misleading to the sorts of beginners that buy other books named "Easy".
To really enjoy this book, you need a certain level of knowledge in musical theory, e.g. understanding the various different symbols for the trills and also a solid rhythm to cope with timing when, e.g. triplets are used in one hand against 2 quavers in the other.
Also, it makes a difference if you are familiar with some of these pieces - they are very famous and well-known to anyone who listens to classical music, but perhaps not to someone who only listens to more modern music.
I played the piano for 10 years, to performance standard, but then gave it up for 12 years and I'm only just playing again now, very rustily! This book is perfect for me, to give me some easy music to relearn this versatile instrument. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves classical music but is at a standard where they are looking for the easier pieces in this genre.

I play piano and the pieces in this book are scaled down from the originals, but they are not easy for early players. I wouldn't recommend for this type of player. I bought it for my daughter, and she found it very frustrating. So it's on the shelf for now. The preface of the book even states that "Early Players" in the title was probably a stretch. For intermediate players, it's fine and probably just the challenge that they need.