How to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Piano [Paperback]

Roger Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1981

Learning to play the piano has never been easier. With easy-to-follow illustrations and fun practice pieces, this comprehensive step-by-step guide will have students well on your way to playing the music of your choicevǬóeven if they`ve never played a musical instrument. How to Play Piano covers basics like: vǬ? Choosing the right piano vǬ? Reading music vǬ? Positioning fingers properly vǬ? Playing chords and runs of notes vǬ? Developing effective practice techniques and much more Practice pieces range from " Ode to Joy" and " Yellow Rose of Texas" to " Yankee Doodle," making learning simple, fast and enjoyable.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the book for people who really want to learn, for people who are not afraid of starting right from scratch..." -- Jazz Now --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Roger Evans has helped nearly half a million readers learn to play an instrument on their own. His other books include How to Play Guitar and How to Play Keyboards.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 15, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312396015
• ISBN-13: 978-0312396015
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roger Evans has helped nearly half a million readers learn to play an instrument on their own. His other books include How to Play Piano and How to Play Keyboards.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a concise well written book for the beginner, February 12, 2005

By 

P. Tseng (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Piano (Paperback)

I had no prior experience with music playing (other than blowing some simple tunes from a harmonica) and, yet, I found this
book to be surprisingly easy to learn from. It smoothly and concisely guides the reader through the key elements of piano playing, starting with one-hand playing, but quickly to two-hands, then chords, etc., and ending with sharp and flat notes. It is well organized, has well thought out exercises, advices, and a diverse collection of (short) attractive tunes of increasing complexity (from Jingle Bells to Waltzing Matilda to Silent Night to Green Sleeves to We Shall Overcome to Minuet in G Minor). I prefer it to other teach-yourself piano books that take much longer to cover the same skills, such as The Complete Piano Player or Piano for Dummies. I particularly like that it gets to two-hand playing almost right away, which I feel is better preparation--even if it feels hard and slows the playing initially. It may have helped (coordination-wise) that I have been typing for 20+ years with both hands. If you are looking for a book that teaches all the essentials of basic piano playing in a thoughtful and concise way, then I recommend this book.
If you perfer a slower pace, then maybe look elsewhere.
For me, this was the perfect book to learn from.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roger Evans enables older beginners to play piano, August 10, 2006

By 

Charlotte L. Wohlenberg "heartfeltskeptic" (Coralville, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Piano (Paperback)

Roger Evans, in his most insightful book, "How to Play Piano" (1981 St. Martin's Press) brings to the older beginner the satisfaction of playing the piano in both the treble and bass cleffs.

Soon the student learns to coordinate both his left and right hands to play a number of wisely selected melodies, first in the key of C, then in the key of G Major with one sharp followed by key of Fmaj with the first flat B.

Next Roger introduces three flats in the key of E flat major. By this time, and with practice, we find that we have stepwise
mastered three of the common key signatures. That is why I rate his book at the five star top evaluation. Those of us who have not been taught as a child, thank you very much, Roger Evans.

My very best wishes,

Don W

Don Wohlenberg

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book., June 9, 2007

By 

Peter Malenkovic (Monument, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Piano (Paperback)

The book is short and to-the-point, giving a novice an easy-to-read primer on the basics of playing, as well as an intro to reading music. I recommend it highly to anyone who is just starting out.