Beginner Classical Piano Music

I've always wanted to learn piano or to teach it to my children someday. This book has a very straight forward explanation and lots of visuals to help those who are more visual in their learning capabilities (such as myself). Not only are there pictures for me to follow and reference, but there are videos also, which help me out a lot. I also like that I can view this on any device, especially iPad since I can prop it up on the music sheet holder to see the instructions directly in front of me. Damon Ferrante's writing and speaking are very clear and simple, so it makes understanding the exercises very easy. While watching the videos, I almost feel silly for thinking playing piano is something too difficult to do! Each chapter is broken down in easily digestible lessons so I don't feel overwhelmed while practicing and can revisit them when needed. I also have never tried kindle before and am definitely liking having a musicbook on an app as they are usually very large and bulky. As the videos are on youtube, you will need an internet connection to view them. I also plan to use this once my infants get older so they too can learn and I can also help them along as they practice.

Wonderful beginner piano book for beginners or those that are returning to the piano. Many recognizable tunes including Beethoven's Ode to Joy and Bach's Minuet in G minor and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Simple versions that sound really good. Many of the songs start with a lesson using one hand or the other then advice on how to play both hands together. My husband took a few years of piano when he was much younger and he is confidently makin his way through these classical favorites.

Damon Ferrante’s Beginner Classical Piano Music is a great way for an aspiring pianist to learn the fundamentals of the piano. The book starts with basic finger exercises that allow the student to get familiar with correct hand positioning and posture. In the process, the students will become familiar with simple time signatures, intervals, and the location of the musical notes on the piano. The book then progresses into an in-depth lesson on the interworkings of musical notation and its correspondence with the musical staff. While learning the basics of musical theory for the piano, the student will also perform exercises with a metronome to strengthen his or her fingers and keep a steady timing. These basics will fully prepare the student for the familiar musical scores that lie ahead. I am a fan of the use of real piano pieces throughout the course of the book to keep the students interest. Who wouldn’t want to play pieces including Pachelbel’s Canon, Beethoven's Fur Elise, or Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Mirlitons from the Nutcracker? I also like the amount of detail for each used in each lesson every step of the way. The videos are the biggest bonus as I am a fan of visual learning, and I feel if a student gets stuck or doesn’t fully understand how to interpret a passage at first, they can look to the video for advice and direction. With this added feature, it feels as if my piano teacher is sitting next to me. I feel the purchaser of this book will find the same enjoyment for piano as I did, as they embark on a fine journey into the world of music.

This book starts with a lot of beginners theory, great if you're just starting out. As an intermediate beginner, I skimmed through the first 40 pages. I got this primarily to practice sight reading and I like classical music so the material won't get boring. The music is greatly simplified for beginners. That's good... but if you are used to hearing some of these classical songs, you might be put off by some of the simplified chords and they won't sound quite right to your ears. However, there's also a lot of teaching detail you might not find in other "simplified piano classics" books so it's still a good addition to my little assortment of piano books.

I have been playing piano for many years now, but was interested in using this book as a reference to some easy classics and additional teaching techniques for some of my current piano students. The videos included in the eBook make it super easy to read the information and then see the demonstration. I was glad to see Damon's focus on identifying and practicing patterns in music to assist in learning more quickly. For those who learn best by reading, he includes many tidbits about the history of the pieces and the meanings of some of the terms used in musical notation. For those who prefer learning by doing (kinetically) the videos are a great way to learn the techniques. And for those who learn through listening, many of the pieces have recorded files of the end result. Overall I think it is a great resource to work through with an instructor or by yourself for a very self-motivated person who wants to learn. It is a great value, as this book, if used for lessons could fill a student's curriculum for years. Beginner Classical Piano Music: Teach Yourself How to Play Famous Piano Pieces by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven & the Great Composers (Book, Streaming Videos & MP3 Audio)

Don't let today's dreams become tomorrow's regret. If you think about doing something more than three times then it means you should probably do it. If learning to read music and play the piano is something you have always wanted to do then stop waiting and start playing. This book has exactly what you need to get started. Step by step this book and video instructions teaches you the basics of playing music. Unlike other self-teach books, this book caters to all kinds of learners. Becuase of the read through instructions and the video examples, all students can learn. As sad as it is to say, the music programs in our schools are underfunded and ignored. As we all know, keeping students engaged in the classroom isn't always easy and for some students, a music program is the only reason they come to school every day. This book is a low cost and highly effective way to spark the love of music in students. Directions a simple, clear and the videos keep students engaged and amazed.

I played as a child, then not again for 30 years. I did other musical activities so still remembered notes and reading music, etc. I did NOT know theory. I started back into my piano journey using Alfred's All-In-One. It is doing well, and I have learned a good deal of theory as a result. I bought this as a supplement, and I'm very glad that's all I bought it for. 1-The binding makes it difficult for piano use. I use a clip to hold pages out of the way 2-It starts out like a book for small children then jumps into advanced dynamics without explanation and melody on both hands within the same song, slurs, staccatos, eighth notes with broken rhythms, and accidentals. It skips a good 1-6 months, depending on the student's learning speed. For me it was at least a month, but I had played before and knew music from other sources. 3-There is no theory. While it does mention intervals, there are not arpeggios or chord progression, etc. They mention arpeggios, but it's nothing more than a broken scale (3 notes), not the actual arpeggio, and doesn't explain the full arpeggio, etc. 4-The songs are overly difficult in some areas, such as the dynamics I mentioned (it literally goes from mf on ONE note to p or f on the nest note, then back to mf or another dynamic on the very next note. This is difficult for advanced players, and most certainly for beginners. 5-The chords are all over instead of the typical beginning chord structure of moving the notes around to make the same chord an easier way (I'm sure there's a name for that, but I can't remember). For example, moving finger 1 and 3 up one note up each and keeping finger 5 in the same place to play chord iv instead of moving the whole hand up 4 notes. 6-The notes go up a scale beyond an octave in one stretch, making it difficult for the true beginner, ON THE FIRST 2 SONGS!! (forcing you to cross with finger 4 instead of 3 or cross twice in one go - which in and of itself is expected of a player, but NOT a beginner) I do NOT recommend this book to anyone, EXCEPT as a supplement, and even then I would give it great consideration. I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 because I am not an instructor and could be missing something.

I really enjoyed this eBook for beginner’s piano, and would recommend this book to anyone learning how to play! All of the photos and video accompaniments really helped me to learn because instead of just being a more abstract concept with just words, the book allows you to actually visualize and practice along. This book also teaches you valuable acronyms to remember notes, and information about correct hand position and why it is so important. They really focus on starting with the basics, which gives you a good foundation for learning how to play music. As a trumpet player, I already learned the basics of time signatures, but I really wish I had this book back when I was learning because I like how simple they make it. I also appreciate how they break down the different time signatures and encourage you to clap along with the downbeat of each measure. Overall, this eBook has a wonderful presentation – simple but packed with words, pictures, diagrams, and videos. Even while having all of this information, you are not overloaded and the pages look very nice. The video instruction is easy to understand and is not full of jargon that a beginner wouldn’t be able to comprehend.

I'm 59 and decided to learn to play an instrument. I watched several youtube videos and learned to play short bits of various tunes and then got frustrated with "You don't need to learn to read music, you just need to learn chords and you can play any music!", followed by "Pay $29 a month on our website and we will teach you how!". I needed some structure and can definitely see the advantage in knowing how to read music which would mean being able to get any sheet music and working it out slowly yourself rather than having to play, pause, rewind....repeat youtube videos. The cost of this book is very cheap in comparison to continuous subscriptions on a website. I really like the way it slowly introduces short practice sessions and bits of information. After a week I feel I could take some basic sheet music and slowly work out for myself how to play the tune - but there is a lot more to come and I am really looking forward to it!

A first class introduction for beginners wanting to play classical pieces. A clear step by step approach with videos to enable you to understand how a piece should be played. The enlarged print is very helpful. I already can play a number of the pieces.

A very good piano music book, especially if you are a classical piano music lover. In my opinion, this book is not for piano beginners. You mast be at least past level two and familiar with many theoretical musical concepts and playing technic.

Nice book for piano Lerner

Well-suited to the beginner who wants to start out with classical piano.