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I have really enjoyed learning along with my son and daughter with these books. I love the way they are easily arranged, the artwork and the choice of songs. I would highly recommend the series.
From a teacher's perspective: I love this book. All but three songs have key signatures (F, G, D, d, ) and/or accidentals. Songs are in 3/2, 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 3/8, 6/8. They are not, as the book implies, for REAL beginners. The silly irony of the book is that, after all of the complex keys and rhythms they include, they transposed and simplified Bach's Minuet in G.what a crack up. My students can play SOME of these songs after they've studied for about a year, but the difficulty level in the book varies quite a bit. The arrangements sound great and they are left/right hand balanced (versus having a stationary or primary chord left hand). Many use ledger lines, intermediate fingering techniques (like crossing), and even have dual bass and treble clefs.
Only three of the 29 songs use exclusively whole, half and quarter notes. All of the others use more advanced rhythms including triplets, dotted eighths, & sixteenths. It has GREAT teaching points for expression and phrasing. You can't beat the price for what you get.
All in all, mostly recognizable pieces, and it's probably a good reach for those who think they are more intermediate than they actually are (like me). What I'm finding difficult is actually the range of octaves on the left hand (lots below the C in the bass clef staff) which is where my skills are more limited.
I took 3-4 years of lessons as a 'tween, and was a very good sight reader, able to play fairly well with two hands (at the same time). I'm picking up the piano again after a 20+ year break.
There are a few pieces that I was able to move through immediately, but for the most part, they are actually requiring quite a bit of work and practice. I bought this music thinking I'd be able to roll right through it quickly, and I found that either I'm delusional about how good a pianist I was OR this is a little harder than easy piano.
The truth is probably a little of both. I actually would have liked a little more complexity in using more chords on the left hand for a fuller sound and more interesting music, so for me this is an interesting mix of easy (limited chords) and hard (notes out of my familiar range).
Definitely worth adding to your repertoire.
I'm an adult learning how to play the piano for the first time. This book seemed like a good fit, but I was surprised to see how challenging the pieces really are. If this is meant for a kid, he or she has been playing for much, much longer than I have. learning to read more advanced music than a true beginner is able to play.
These arrangements are good, but a bit advanced. You need to be adept at reading both clefs, time signatures and the fingering is a bit tricky. I am just not quite ready for this book. It is not self-explanatory. I will have to slowly work up to it and these pieces definitely require a lot of slow, repetitive practice. Not as easy as Alfred's Basic Piano Course Book 1.
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