Customer Reviews

The Piano Lessons Book: The Piano Student's Guide For Getting The Most Out Of Practicing, Lessons, Your Teacher And Yourself

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The subtitle says it all - what you should be learning in piano
lessons. I quote that because what is contained in THE PIANO LESSONS
BOOK is not taught by most piano teachers - the teachers I had before
I found Neil Miller were woefully deficient in teaching theory,
practicing, and interpretation. When I decided to take lessons as an
adult, I knew that some things were missing in my previous lessons,
but I didn't know what. For example, my other teachers had me play
scales, but they never taught me how to generate them systematically,
see and hear how they relate to each other, and how those
relationships appear in music. I could finally memorize music - play
at the piano - just the piano and me without printed music. Another
example is understanding what practicing is all about - in his
lessons, Neil preferred to call it "working," and it was about getting
every small section of music to sound like the ideal version I could
hear in my head. Additionally, I really enjoy the history and
description of the pieces in the chapter on Analysis.

I highly recommend THE PIANO LESSONS BOOK to everyone who plays the
piano or wants to. Every section contains valuable information. For
about the price of a piano lesson you'll get the value of 100 lessons
from a true master.

I am a piano teacher and bought this book because I was curious to see what Miller had to say about piano lessons! Miller does a great job covering basic piano skills as well as skills that are not so basic in simple, easy-to-understand language. He includes a helpful index to help readers look up unfamiliar vocabulary words... I really liked that Miller will NOT use a vocab word that he has not already explained elsewhere. Thus this book is an excellent "mini piano encyclopedia" for students taking lessons, yet I feel that it should be used only for just that. It is great for referring to when one doesn't understand a concept between lessons, but be careful not to rely solely on this book, as your teacher may not agree with everything Miller says.

At times, Miller's easy-to-understand language oversimplifies concepts, such as perfect pitch--for instance, instead of giving an example of how someone experiences perfect pitch through synesthesia, maybe explain that someone with perfect pitch can immediately identify or produce a pitch at will, and THEN explain that some people with perfect pitch associate pitches with colors or feelings, etc. I think that oversimplification of concepts such as this will become confusing for more advanced studies later.

Another example of confusion: Chapter 10 on Chords and Chord symbols. This book seems mostly targeted towards students learning classical piano, and yet Miller explains his chords in a totally jazz way. Classical and jazz chord notations are SO different, in terms of upper or lowercase letters, chord quality and inversion symbols, etc. Yes, I understand that Miller chose to use the jazz/pop chord style because it is the most useful for reading jazz/pop, but if Miller wants his students to also analyze classical music, he might want to explain the classical style first with Roman Numerals and Figured Bass first before moving into the jazz style with just letters. That way, the student will learn about chord progressions as well. Or, instead of calling the chapter just "chords", he can call it "jazz and pop chords" to avoid students' confusion between the the jazz and classical styles.

These are just two examples of potentially confusing chapters. In short, I think that this book is worth investing in as a REFERENCE book (by the way, one can also find much of the information in the book online). Use it as a supplement to what your teacher is teaching, and yes, if there seem to be a HUGE conflict in what your teacher teaches and what the book says (i.e. the facts don't line up), then perhaps you might want talk to your teacher about what you read in Miller's book, and your teacher (if he/she is a good one) will consider it, and agree or reject Miller's philosophy and give you a reason why.

I took piano lessons as a child for about three years. As an adult I tried to continue on my own using method books, and I tried a few teachers. I wasn't progressing. Then I discovered Neil Miller's The Piano Lessons Book. It is so superior to anything else out there. The explanations are perfectly clear on such difficult subjects as note-reading, timing, scales, chords, practicing and memorizing. Plus, there's so much more - to name a few: how a piano works, what kind of piano to buy, getting printed and recorded music, finding a good teacher (presumably one as good as Neil Miller - I can't imagine anyone being better!). It's a tremendous compendium - complete and informative. He also has some great stories and personal insights on every topic. I'm very thankful for what I learned from The Piano Lessons Book, because now I learn new music quickly, make significant progress with old pieces, and play the piano the way I always wanted to. I'll make one more recommendation - if you're a parent considering piano lessons (even music lessons on another instrument) for your child, don't waste a lot of time and money on the wrong teacher - buy this book!

After I retired I started practicing the piano after many years of not playing. I originally took piano lessons from a pianist who had studied with Rosina Lhevinne at the Julliard School.

In this book Neil Miller covers many of the things I learned from my piano teacher, especially the sections on how to practice. For example how the practice a difficult area in the music, which both Neil and my teacher called "repairing a fracture".

Many many other areas are covered in clear concise understandable terms. I won't list them all, but you can find them by looking through the book's table of contents. In addition to making a very interesting initial read through, this book frequently serves as a general reference for me.

I recommned this book to any adult who wishes to learn more about the piano and the art of music. Both Neil and my original teacher showed me that playing the piano can become a love affair. Even a spiritual journey that enriches one's life.

Chip

We bought this book for my son who was struggling with his practicing. He's 11, and it has made an incredible difference in his playing, and his desire to practice! His teacher was so impressed last week when he showed up and played each piece perfectly with feeling. Rather than struggle with the same old piece week after week, he finally got some new pieces and he loves practicing because he understands so much more now. A great book!

My wife has already reviewed this book, and I agree with everything she said. But if, like me, you're skeptical enough to think "Mr. Miller's students say he's great, but why should I buy his book?," then here are a few reasons:

First, Miller is passionate about both piano playing and teaching, so the book doesn't have any "look at me" flourishes of the kind seen in some vanity publishing projects from people who want to sell you on the Next Big Thing. The writing here is cordial and informative rather than bombastic.

Second, Miller's book is easy on the eyes, with a clean layout and effective use of graphics, sidebars, and formatting conventions.

Third, Miller never forgets that music making involves more than technique, and more than playing the right notes at the right time. Miller knows music theory inside out -- a rarity in itself -- but also knows music history enough to quote people like Duke Ellington in the proper context. Like Ellington, Miller never descends to musical snobbery, and he's not shy about borrowing good advice from different musical genres.

To put this all another way: If you were a cellist who had a chance to take a master class from Yo-Yo Ma, wouldn't you grab that chance? Miller doesn't have that kind of name recognition, but the "Tao of Piano" he's collected in this book after a lifetime of teaching benefits piano students at all levels and the people who love them.

Piano teaching matters because piano teachers matter, and piano teachers matter because even when they don't cop to it, a lot of what the good ones do comes down to what Thomas Moore (the contemporary author, not the sixteenth-century English saint with a similar name) famously called "the care of the soul." Miller knows that, and shares his insights with the rest of us. This book is nothing less than a public service.

Over the last 5 years I have purchased many, many method books so that I could learn on my own. I learned chords, etc and my playing didn't sound too bad (at least I didn't think so) but after purchasing a Yamaha CVP I decided to take a "few" lessons to play better. My timing and just about everything else needed correcting.
This book is like having my piano teacher by my side whenever a question comes up. It is very informative and answers so many questions on timing and counting.
I was a bit hesitant about spending $30 for another piano book but it is well worth that price and much more considering the cost of piano lessons. 30 minute piano lessons once a week can only anwer so many questions - this is the book to have to fill-in the balance of the week.
I don't believe anyone will regret purchasing this book.

Chances are your piano teacher uses method books. If you seek a piano teacher who really appreciates and understands music, the language of soul... If you want a teacher who patiently works with you every step of the way on the great music you're learning to play... If you're looking for a music master who can encourage you to learn your favorite piece of music by presenting thorough logical explanations in his own unique way... If you need a teacher who can make it an easier, more enjoyable experience to learn a wonderful instrument... this instructive book is definitely for you. THE PIANO LESSONS BOOK gives you the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding and step by step approach to important topics. It enables you to challenge your present or future piano teacher to take you further than you imagined yourself capable of. I can easily see this book become required reading for all piano students and anyone desiring to teach piano. Unlike others, Neil Miller has not settled for writing a standard, elementary work. I'm really pleased to finally find a book which is clearly superior in quality and value for people who want help with mastering piano music, regardless of age or level of knowledge. It is not only interesting to read, but understandable and instructive. The illustrations and layout make it easy to absorb the content of each chapter. THE PIANO LESSONS BOOK clearly deserves to be on your bookshelf and learning list.

I bought this book for my kids (ahem...and myself). There are so many piano lesson books available I wasn't sure which one to order... I decided to try this one. It's great. It has the answer to every question I've had. It's full of information, techniques, lessons, and so much more. You can't go wrong with this piano lesson book. It's well worth the cost. I like it so much, that I ordered/sent one to my brother for his Bday present. He's now teaching himself scales and chords.

Like the other reviewers, I find this an excellent book. The only four star review is from a piano teacher who finds fault with some of the approaches in the book yet recommends it.
I would like to point out the real contribution a good teacher can make. Playing musically requires not only good technique but an educated ear. While learning all the details of good technique it is very difficult to also pay attention to tone, phrasing, dynamics etc. Good teachers function as an educated ear that will help you to develop this essential hearing facility as well as give you pointers about technique.
So the only real deficiency of the book is that it can't listen to you play.

It would be a good idea to buy this book before engaging a teacher to benefit from the section on finding the right teacher. I wish I had!