Customer Reviews

Keyboard Musician for the Adult Beginner (Frances Clark Library for Piano Students)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Both my wife and I have been recommending this book for many years to adults wanting to learn the piano. As part-time piano teachers, we found that the lessons progress at an very good pace for most adults. The choice of songs used in the lessons are tasteful mixing both folk and classical traditions. This book also works well for someone with some music reading background but no previous piano playing experience. This book uses the classical approach and doesn't offer instruction on specific styles like rock, jazz, blues, etc. Overall, I still think it's the best adult piano method book that I've come across so far.

Frances Clark's beginner book moves you through a series of exercises that truly help develop both dexterity for the adult learner as well as rapid sight reading improvement. I am very, very pleased with my progress.

Great product for the adult beginner. The pace is pretty quick and doesn't patronize the learner, but you really should have an instructor. It doesn't emphasize learning all the notes from the beginning but key notes that you can build upon. Learning piano can be overwhelming, but this book tells you what you need to know to start and builds on the the basics so it's actually easier to progress faster and really feel like you are learning something. The exercises mix different skills so it will be easier to do music from different books and not be stuck playing twinkle twinkle for the rest of your life. I had a beginner keyboard book and didn't learn anything, but three lessons using this book and I was already excited to start reading sheet music.

I'm 42 years old and I have really learned how to play a piano throughout this method. Using it is a great opportunity to make a dream of learn music come true.

Initially ecommended by piano teacher but I love the book. There is a great deal of information at your fingertips. Often needs explanation perhaps some research but all there to stimulate older students to theory etc. Enjoy perusing and practicing ahead. There's a glossary of musical terms, the major and minor scales in a laid out fashion, easy to understand. A MUST for the older students who also wants to understand some theory behind the music.

I have been using this book for adults (and the Music Tree method for Children) for many years. It is truly the best book out there. I continuously look at others and am amazed at how complete this course is.

As opposed to other methods, this takes a 'balanced hand' approach, which gets both hands working independently. It is NOT a chording method like so many of the other ones. As a kid, I started with the old John Thompson method and it wasn't until I got into advanced work that I realized how poorly I'd been taught as a kid. This method is based upon learning by interval and indioms which is how good sightreaders read music. I can't over emphasize how great this course is...but you need an instructor. This is not for being self-taught.

Excellent book. Introduces new material at the right place and has many pieces in it for practice. If followed diligently, this book is a great piano teacher. Covering 1-2 units per week, with half an hour of practice everyday is all that's needed.

I got this book today and was amazed at all the great reviews calling it a book for beginners. I'm an actual adult beginner with no musical education whatsoever and this book is definitely not a book for a real beginner.

The first few pages of the book attempt to cover as much musical education that you would expect to get in months of instruction; too much to absorb. The first 'Unit' starts out with 'Landmarks F, C, and G, by showing you where they are in written music, and where they are on the keyboard... and a Landmark would be?

Next, you are shown the 'Interval of a 2nd' which is? It shows the Grand staff which has the treble staff and the bass staff, and the illustration shows the G clef and the F clef...which are? Next, you see 'Beginning a 2nd above Landmarks' which is?

Ok... if none of that made any sense to you, you are a real beginner and this probably is not the right book for you; if it made sense to you, you are not a real beginner, but are more advanced and this just might be the book for you.

Having said that, even though this book is really not for beginners like me, there are lots and lots of songs in it and I think my teacher will want to use it for that alone, once I'm ready for it. I purchased another book for beginners, Adult All-in-One Course by Willard A. Palmer, and it is a much more basic book for the beginner. It starts by teaching you the very basics including how to sit at the piano, how to position your hands, how to exercise your hands and wrists before and after practice, how the piano 'works' etc. Next it shows you the piano keyboard and how to read music, and how to relate the written music to the keyboard. It's also a workbook that you use to write in the answers to many of the written exercises. Think of it as the 'prelude' to this book.

The book came in a great condition. Almost new! Needed it for my piano lessons and it was very helpful

some of the printing is not clear enough.
shipping is excellent and on time.