Progressive Class Piano, Second Edition [Plastic Comb]

Elmer Heerema (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1984

A successful keyboard text for both college non-music majors and majors with limited keyboard experience. Sight reading, playing by ear, repertoire pieces, harmonizing melodies, improvising, technical exercises and rhythm drills are all presented and reinforced in progressive order. Spiral-bound.

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 342 pages
• Publisher: Alfred Publishing Company; 2 edition (June 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882842978
• ISBN-13: 978-0882842974
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Music Guide, June 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Progressive Class Piano, Second Edition (Plastic Comb)

With the help of a teacher, this book is wonderful for the "older" student who is looking to play piano. For each chapter, there are rhythm, composition, and techniqal drills. The book comes with supplementary material, scales, cord progressions, circle of fifths, and transposing to other instruments. Each chapter progresses enough to keep you moving, but not so fast that you lose yourself. A definite reccommend to the beginning piano player.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for class! If you want to learn, start here., February 10, 2005

By 

Andrew J. Riemer "Andrew James Riemer" (Winsted, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Progressive Class Piano, Second Edition (Plastic Comb)

[Update: December 2011 - we just purchased a replacement copy for the family this Christmas. We look forward to many more years with this great tome!]

[Update: December 2010 - the comb binding finally gave way, reducing the book to a mound of sheets after five years of use by my wife and numerous of our children. We're ordering another one soon. This time, we'll probably pull the pages, place them in sheet protectors, and put them all in a large D-ring binder. Still, perhaps the best piano book I've found for learners of almost any age!]

I was first introduced to this piano book while a music major. My background was with voice, guitar, and trumpet, but I was required to take piano each semester. Don't let the title imply that this is solely for group (class) piano lessons. It worked well in one-on-one sessions, and I bought it for my wife this past Christmas (I don't do well giving lessons to my own family members, and I'm still no piano virtuoso). She is studying on her own, and has a piano playing friend drop by for an informal lesson every couple of weeks.

The book starts out by having you explore the keyboard, playing with different groupings of keys, so you can hear their relationships. Students are encouraged, for example, to use only the black keys to pluck out familiar melodies, and then to make up a short melody of their own. After that basic orientation, it moves on to primary five-finger patterns in the simplest keys (C maj., G maj.) and builds from there. Chord charts help the students make the proper finger transitions along the way.

The exercises start simple, but move on to more rewarding little pieces in a surprisingly short time. As students become proficient in each new key, some exercises ask them to transpose them (play them in a different key) on the fly (without having the written music in front of them). This is a very important skill for any accompianist, who may need to play a given piece in a differnt key to accomodate a soloist's specific vocal range.

Unlike some basic piano texts that cover only parts of your learning journey (different books for beginners, intermediates, etc), this one will move you from the most basic exercises to very complex pieces by the end--it is a substantial volume. It does a good job of introducing chord progressions, and it handles the introduction of the minor scales very well.

The very end of the book contains complete written scales for every major and minor key, invaluable for drilling the basic skills as you progress.

Overall, a fantastic book! You will enjoy playing!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book For My New Student, May 20, 2011

By 

Gloria Bryant (Alabama) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Progressive Class Piano, Second Edition (Plastic Comb)

This book was recommended by a friend who is on the music faculty at a local university. My new student has been accepted as a vocal music major at the university of his choice but has never had piano lessons. In order to begin preparing to pass the piano proficiency that most music programs require, he came to me for lessons. This book is an excellent choice. I highly recommend it for individual or class lessons.