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How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear
 
 
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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)
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How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear + Teach Yourself to Play Piano: A Quick and Easy Introduction for Beginners (keyboard instruction) + Piano For Dummies
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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." -- Review

Product Description

"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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 141 pages
  • Publisher: Fireside (November 28, 1984)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671530674
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671530679
  • Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 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 (43 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #85,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #91 in  Books > Entertainment > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Techniques
    #87 in  Books > Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Popular

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More About the Author

Norman Monath
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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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
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Customer Reviews

43 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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136 of 138 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for beginners, August 4, 1998
By Herbert (Midwest) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear (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.
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209 of 217 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good But Not Ideal - Look At The Cannell Book, May 17, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear (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.

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46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Pianists Wanting to "Play by Ear", April 8, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear (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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars 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 4 months ago by Arnold Pressley

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 5 months ago by J Walter

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 6 months ago by Michigan

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 8 months ago by Carol Stowell

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 15 months ago by S. DAVIDSON

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 19 months ago by Ken Kardash

5.0 out of 5 stars 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

4.0 out of 5 stars 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

2.0 out of 5 stars how to play popular piano i 10 easy lessons
a good introduction to playing a piano.easy to follow but got a bit to techinal at the end as if the writer wanted to finish the book .
Published on January 27, 2008 by Kevinbrown

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast & Easy Piano
My first venture into piano lessons and I have enjoyed it. Using basic chords I was playing nice sounding music in no time; not the one finger tunes. Read more
Published on June 8, 2007 by David R. Cornwell

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