# Favorite Piano Books for a Beginner?



## Andrew0568 (Jan 13, 2019)

Hi all! What books do you recommend for someone who's looking to learn piano a little later in life? 

I took piano lessons for a couple years in elementary school, and I can read sheet music, but I never bothered learning theory . My wife has a Disney Collection piano book that I'm able to clunk through, but I'd really like to learn theory, scales, chords, etc, so I have an actual understanding rather than just playing by rote memorization. Thanks for any tips!


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jan 17, 2019)

I personally like the "Alfred's Basic Piano for Adults" series, found them very useful. However, I don't agree with the actual playing techniques they present.


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## David Cuny (Jan 17, 2019)

_"How To Play The Piano Despite Years of Lessons"_ is one my all-time favorites. 

It's targeted at people like you who already have a basic ability to read music, but want to understand how to make music at the piano. It covers a lot of practical music theory - scales, chords and harmony - without getting too deep into the weeds, and the writing style is really breezy and fun.
_
"Edly's Music Theory for Practical People"_ has a similar conversational writing and illustration style, but my recollection is that it's less focused on applying it to the piano, and goes into a bit more theory.


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## String-for-sale (Feb 13, 2019)

Instead of a book, you could look at Playground Sessions.


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## studiostuff (Feb 13, 2019)

Andrew0568 said:


> What books do you recommend for someone who's looking to learn piano a little later in life?



You asked about a book, and got some great replies. So, my comment (not about a book), is not a criticism of those replies.

However, you must find a TEACHER! A teacher who can respond to your most receptive method of learning. A teacher who can get with your favorite music.

This is really critical! Fail to find the right teacher and you deprive yourself of the world of wonderful music that is reaching out to you... and you may not even know is out there!

Here's a not so short story:

My son was subject to excellent piano lessons. Two a week. One was piano method, classical literature, sight reading, etc. You know the drill... The other lesson was tutorials in art history (same piano teacher). What was happening in the world at the time the composers wrote the music they wrote? What graphic art was being produced during this time period? What where the political currents motivating art and literature?

After five or six years of obedient application of the lessons to his piano performance, he came to me and said, "Dad, I want to quit piano..." At this point, he could sight read anything! Play pretty well... the whole deal.

Rather than totally loose my stuff cause I wanted my kids to have music, I said, "Why not take some time off?" I knew some killer jazzers in my area and suggested instead of all the classical music stuff, he take time off to study jazz and the blues. The suggestion lit him right up...

And as fortune would have it, a genius jazz piano guy I knew (who I called to see if he would take my son as a student), said, "I can't take him now because I'm taking a bunch of kids to Germany to live with families there, and study jazz and art in Germany for 4-6 weeks."

It cost me about $1,500 bucks, and changed my son's life. He lived with a German family, he and his roommate traveled everywhere on the great train system there to lessons during the day and to clubs in the evening where the kids in assigned combos played in clubs all night.

When he finally returned to us in the states, his first comment to me was, "Did you know, in the clubs in Germany, they have this GREAT stuff called Jagermeister?" In the space of a few weeks, all the shit he hated about music had turned out to be extremely useful to him playing jazz in clubs in Germany. Which seemed to interest him quite a lot! 

It was obvious he had had an epiphany in regard to music and art in his life.

Not long after, in the Musee D'Orsay, I was looking at a well-known Van Gogh painting of The Church at Auvers when my son followed me into the room. He turned to see what I was looking at and nearly broke his neck, snapping around to look at the actual item his original, classical music piano teacher had pounded into his reluctant brain. I could see him discover for himself how different the real item is from the pictures in books, and the comments of critics. One of my favorite moments ever...

So, fuck books. Find the right teacher. Everything depends on that connection in my opinion.


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## tmhuud (Feb 13, 2019)

A teacher.


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## ed buller (Feb 14, 2019)

Three Things

*A teacher:*

It's all about the person. But if you are interested in a deeper understanding of music then yes you will need some help. Try local colleges for classes if you don't want one on one. Our local Supermarket has a board full of piano teachers !....they are everywhere 


*An Online Course:*

This is wonderful:

https://scoreclub.net/course/essential-composer-training-foundation/


*Books:*


My Favorite music theory book:

Rimsky Korsakov Practical Manual Of Harmony






Best


ed


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