But those 3-note right-hand chords are a real challenge for most learners, which is why this tends to be a sticking piece.

Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course (all-in-one, Level 1) Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course (all-in-one, Level 1)

For example, by the time you reach page 45 of the Adult Lesson book, you’ll be ready to start the Alfred Pop Song Book 1. Chords are great because they allow your left hand to get in the action early without too much struggle.

Other popular series include the Piano Adventures for adults and the John Thompson piano course, both of which I plan to cover on this channel in the coming months. However, there tends to be a difficult hitch at the end of the “G position” chapter with the pieces “Beautiful Brown Eyes” and “Alpine Melody”. We’ll go through the material this method book covers, talk about its pros and cons, and I’ll let you know if I recommend it for your piano learning journey. Not because the material is easier (it isn’t), but because most students who haven’t given up are used to the constant new challenges, and the material is starting to sound like real piano music. I haven’t yet found a series that I consider A+, but I haven’t done too much exploring – something I plan on doing more of this year.

ALFRED’S BASIC ADULT PIANO COURSE Le v e L 2 Adult All in One ALFRED’S BASIC ADULT PIANO COURSE Le v e L 2 Adult All in One

In the first Alfred Adult method book there are 12 chapters (plus an introduction) and about 63 pieces (in addition to a variety of exercises and lessons). Most students won’t be learning from the Alfred method books exclusively – they’ll also be learning supplemental side pieces and technical exercises (whether from other Alfred books or not). Since all these books are interconnected, it even tells you at what page you’re ready to start a supplemental book.

The first Adult book roughly corresponds with the RCM’s Preparatory A level, and the second Adult book roughly corresponds with the RCM’s Preparatory B level. I usually find my students confidently progress at a quick pace until this point, and then the last 20 pages or so are a real slog. It’s not usually so difficult that students give up, but frustration can happen sometimes (especially when parts of the first book were so easy). I want to briefly mention that there’s a third book in the Adult series, but I don’t have it so I can’t speak to its content. There’s so much to overcome at this stage in your learning journey – I’d almost go so far as to say it’s one of the hardest points of your learning journey period.

Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course [Method Guide + Review] Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course [Method Guide + Review]

The chord-based approach is appealing, especially for students who aren’t particularly interested in getting into Classical music, though there is some of that as well. The preparatory level in music is generally a 1 to 2-year process for adult students (longer for children).There’s also an appendix of references, including the Circle of Fifths, chord charts, and scale charts. The next adult series I’ll be talking about on this channel is the Piano Adventures one, so stay tuned for that. The second book has more diversity in selection and includes a healthy mix of contemporary, Classical and original pieces. The second Alfred Adult book has 15 chapters (some quite small), including an extensive review section as the first chapter, and contains 42 pieces. We usually give up and move on around page 100 (the piece “Singin’ in the Rain”), since by that point most people are itching for a new book to start tackling.

Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course - Free Download PDF Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course - Free Download PDF

However, there are still plenty of easy wins and straightforward pieces, such as “You’re in My Heart”. Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-One Course is designed for the beginner looking for a truly complete piano course that includes lesson, theory, technic and popular repertoire in one convenient, all-in-one book. I’ll give you a brief overview on how to go through Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course if you’re a complete beginner, and then we’ll get into some of the finer details. I haven’t used it for as long, but I think it has a slight edge in that it’s more balanced in its pop/Classical approach, and it’s less hokey. At the completion of this course, the student will have learned to play some of the most popular music ever written and will have gained a thorough understanding of the basic concepts of music.This gives the student perspective, and generally instills a newfound fondness for the easier material of the Adult book. Because of that, the lessons in each of the books can be stretched out comfortably to a year (or six months for a very motivated and impatient student willing to work twice as hard). At this point I like to introduce supplemental pieces (perhaps something from the RCM’s Preparatory books) – pieces that seem more professional, serious and fancy. Let me know in the comments if you use/have used the Alfred books – I’d love to know what you think!