You Can Teach Yourself Piano (Book and DVD Edition) (Paperback)

by Unknown (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Actor
L. Dean Bye is a professional musican, teacher, composer, and clinician. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Anderson University in Indiana and his Master's Degree from Southern Illinois University. Matt Dennis is a teacher and songwriter on the Los Angeles scene. He has been a guest on a variety of TV shows and has appeared at leading clubs and concert halls throughout the country. Matt is especially recognized for his talents in the field of jazz, where his many compositions for jazz piano are legendary. He believes that students, hearing and playing full modern chord arrangements at an early age, will find it stimulating to the ear and will be encouraged to experiment with modern sounds in their own playing. He feels that most players desire to play and improvise with more harmonic freedom. His books are carefully designed to enhance the student's knowledge and ability in performing the demands of modern piano stylings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Unknown; Pap/DVD edition (June 30, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0786667869
• ISBN-13: 978-0786667864
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,113,136 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive for the adult learner, September 12, 2002

By	Becky - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Piano (Paperback)

I have considerable musical background (I have played trumpet for 15 years, guitar for 6, and numerous other instruments) but never really sat down to master the mechanics of keyboard playing. This book was exactly what I was looking for because it starts from the basics of two-handed fingerings, and takes the player all the way to chord playing, etc., which is what I will focus on as a worship leader and musician. While this book moves quickly through theory and does not hand-hold, it does still cover a lot of ground from the basics to more complex concepts in music. The complete novice will probably not feel comfortable with this, but I still have to say that I am pleased and impressed with the scope of this book. If you have some musical background and are looking to cross over into piano as a second (or third or more) instrument, you will most likely appreciate this book because it does not dwell on the elementary concepts you are already familiar with.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate but some serious deficiencies, January 24, 2004

By	"implink" (Saratoga, CA USA) - See all my reviews

The visual quality of the DVD is adequate, though a little murky - obviously a copy from a taped VHS version. The piano lessons and theory were presented in a logical approach and were easy to follow, even for this beginning keyboard player. The commentary was fine, though somewhat pedestrian. I would have also appreciated a directly overhead view of the keyboard to more clearly pick up the keys being played.
However, the really deficient aspect of this DVD is that it only covers the first 60 of the 124-page accompanying book. This means that the more interesting examples, at least to me, of syncopation, blues, jazz, etc. are omitted. As the DVD is already almost 2 hours long this maybe inevitable but I would have liked to know this information before purchasing. A better option would have been to offer the related CD, which covers nearly every piece in the book, in the overall package. The CD itself costs $16 from Mel Bay, which is a little pricey.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Not For Beginners, August 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Piano (Paperback)

I started out in music by purchasing Mel Bay's Complete Method For Modern Guitar, which I rate 12 stars. The write up about what Mel Bay's Complete Method For Modern Guitar offers anyone is absolutely true, if you work hard and apply yourself.

What does this have to do with playing the keyboard? Read on: When I finished the course, I understood the "mysteries" of MUSIC. Now, I'm into keyboarding. I bought one, brought it home and began playing it almost instantly without ever having a lesson. Was it magic? Was it a "miracle"? Definitely not.It was because of the knowledge I gained from Mel's music course. Music is music. No matter what instrument you play. The only thing I have to work at is the famous left and right hand-playing simultaneous "thing."

A friend of mine recently bought his daughter a keyboard. This was after seeing my keyboard and after my giving him a demonstration of the technology and versatility this instrument offers-besides being fun to play. He also bought Mr. Dennis' book about teaching yourself Piano. He and his wife looked at the book and couldn't figure it out. So, he called me. He thought the book would be using the "spoon-fed technique." I looked it over and told him to send it back. This book is definitely not for beginners. If one doesn't already have an understanding of music theory, sight reading, etc., this book will mean nothing...particularly if you're 8 years old. So, I started giving Jamie music lessons until her parents find a teacher who does that for a living. 'Cause I don't. I'm just helping a friend out.

I hope my opinion helps someone out. Thanks for giving me a chance to express it.