Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$9.50 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Fulfilled by Amazon

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $1.00 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear [Paperback]

Norman Monath (Author), Hal David (Foreword)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews) |
List Price: $15.95
Price: $10.85 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.10 (32%)
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Tuesday, May 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 1984
"Anyone who can dial a telephone can learn to play popular piano quickly and easily."

So says Norman Monath, author of How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons. His no-frills, no-drills method will have you playing simple tunes within 30 minutes -- even if you don't know one note from another.

The secret? Learning the basic chords and how to adapt them. With lots of clearly illustrated chord examples, keyboard diagrams and practice pieces ranging from "Silent Night" to "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Monath teaches you:

* the basic structure of music

* how to alter the basic chords for creative accompaniment

* how to read tunes from sheet music

* how to improvise

* how to play by ear

* how to create your own playing style -- whether you lean toward pop, blues, jazz or rock

For everyone from rank beginner to experienced virtuoso, this step-by-step, uncomplicated guidebook makes learning to play popular piano the easy and enjoyable experience it should be.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Buy a qualifying music book, get $1 in Amazon MP3 credit. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Frequently Bought Together

How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear + ABC Keyboard Stickers + Alfred's Teach Yourself to Play Piano (Book & DVD) (Teach Yourself Series)
Price For All Three: $33.12

Show availability and shipping details

Buy the selected items together

  • In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • ABC Keyboard Stickers by Hal Leonard Corp Misc. Supplies $2.50

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Alfred's Teach Yourself to Play Piano (Book & DVD) (Teach Yourself Series) by Morton Manus Paperback $19.77

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sammy Cahn President, Songwriter's Hall of Fame I have "High Hopes" this book can teach you to play -- "All the way" -- and you know you can't "Call Me Irresponsible."

About the Author

Norman Monath has taught piano and has professionally for more than 25 years. He has written numerous songs, some in collaboration with Hal David and Cahn. During his tenure as music editor at Simon and Schuster, he edited the songbooks of Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Burt Bacharach/Hal David, Cole Porter and many others.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 141 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone (November 28, 1984)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671530674
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671530679
  • Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Norman Monath Page
Norman Monath
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
174 of 176 people found the following review helpful
By Herbert
Format:Paperback
For the beginner, this book is excellent. I have looked at many piano books when I first began playing, and most of them were usually too complicated, or too simplistic. This book, however, was one that fell right in the middle and helped me understand all kinds of important ideas in music, such as harmony and melody, building chords and scales (and understanding HOW), reading music, how to understand progressions, and how to play by ear and improvise. It is certainly geared toward getting you "up and playing" in the simplest, fastest way, at a moderate pace, with a good depth of information that does not get overwhelming. Because of this, this book is probably suited much more for the person who has no music experience and wants to learn the basics of how to play out of fake books and begin improvising. It is probably not good for those who want in-depth and more advanced theory of music, but it is an excellent book to use as a stepping stone toward more adva! nced piano study. This is a must have book for any beginnger.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
280 of 289 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
There seem to be two main ways of teaching the piano. In the first, one grinds along like a junior typist learning which keys to strike in response to printed music. The sheet music starts easy and gets harder. One's brain and fingers get better at working together. When one is pretty good at pounding out notes in pretty hard compositions, one is considered a pretty good piano player.

The other way of teaching focuses on learning chords and music theory. The idea here seems to be that, if one has the theory, one can figure out where to place one's fingers. So, one learns a melody and then, using music theory or a fake books adds chords. After a little practice, the devotees of this method argue, one can actually make music, i.e. play tunes that you like and make them sound good, though not necessarily the way they are written on sheet music.

Both approaches have problems. The first is drudgery, and if one really wants to make music, you have to engage in this drudgery for years. The second requires, but doesn't teach or encourage, a great deal of facility hitting the right keys. It's very fun to know how music is put together and how one might play it. Yet it is very frustrating not to have developed the physical coordination to actually do it.

The Monath book uses the second approach. It is a delightful introduction to music theory, chords, scales, and how music is put together. Like many of the books that follow the second approach, the style verges on the messianic. Yes, one starts playing songs almost immediately. Unfortunately, without a good deal of practice, those first songs might take an hour or so to pick through.

If you have some facility on the keyboard, this might be a very helpful book. If you don't, you won't instantly become adept by reading this book, though reading the book will certainly be interesting, worthwhile, and edifying.

I must also say that, if you are considering this book, you might want to take a look at the Cannell and Marx book - "How To Play The Piano Despite Years of Lessons." Cannell and Marx follow the same approach, but describe some things differently and emphasize slightly different things. The Cannell book provides a much more detailed (and mechanical) pattern for actually playing songs - a big advantage.

Was this review helpful to you?
62 of 62 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Having taught piano the "traditional" way for 20 years, I bought this book for a student who already played by music but wanted to learn to play off a chord sheet (used a great deal by Christian Praise Bands). Mr. Monath uses very clear terms to describe how to play on the piano basic chords found in most fake books. I have too often found that the pianist who learns by using a traditional piano course method, can't play basic chords or play by ear. This book gives examples of songs to try to play using the right hand melody line and chords. I wouldn't recommend this book for someone who doesn't read music at all, but for anyone who's had traditional piano lessons and can play basic right hand melodies, it's a great way to learn to play chords and fill in from fake books or praise music.
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great... if you only have one hand.
Okay so granted, this book got me started playing piano that sounds a little bit sexier than Baba Black Sheep: Baba Black Sheep with a lot of chords jammed in. Read more
Published 4 months ago by C. Viljoen
It's awesome
Learning anything new takes time especially if you don't have a teacher. I've been teaching myself how to play piano using various online resources (8notes.com & zebrakeys. Read more
Published 9 months ago by G.Stevens
Great Book if you never played piano before
I have played Bass guitar for many years but also wanted to learn to play keyboards. I purchased a electronic keyboard and found this great book. Read more
Published on March 12, 2010 by Arnold Pressley
Rewarding
At age 57 I started to teach myself to play the piano, something I had wanted to do for 30 years, using only this book. Read more
Published on February 7, 2010 by J Walter
A Great Book
I am so glad I purchased this book. I'm not even through halfway yet and I'm actually playing real songs, and with both hands, things I never thought I could do. Read more
Published on January 11, 2010 by Michigan
wow... get it.
I have to say, I was really struggling to find a good book to learn the piano. After searching all through amazon, I found this book. Read more
Published on November 10, 2009 by Derik Stowell
Great piano starter book.
I just started trying to teach myself piano a few months ago using a few books and stuff off the web. I knew nothing about piano or notes. Read more
Published on April 14, 2009 by S. DAVIDSON
Struck the right chord with me!
Being a middle-aged refugee from abortive childhood piano lessons, I was skeptical that this or any book would meet its stated goals. Read more
Published on December 25, 2008 by Ken Kardash
Recommend to anyone.
Just what I`ve been looking for. A not so intense and fun
way to learn how to play piano and take advantage of all
those great Fake Books available.
Published on April 6, 2008 by Emilio F. Soto
Piano lessons
Easy and usefull. Just the essential for an absolute begginer explained in a plane manner.
Published on February 23, 2008 by Alberto Maria Grippa
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
It would be helpful for you to know something about the construction of the piano keyboard, so I am going to assume you are seated in front of a piano and don't know one note from another. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
block chord style, kle lit, ninth note, tle star, gle bells, major seventh chord, ninth chord, sixth chords, fifth note, dominant seventh chord
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Raindrops Keep, Glory Hal, Middle White, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, God Bless America
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 1 book:

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
 

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(9)
(6)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?
See all 11 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums

So You'd Like to...

Create a guide

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:


















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...