Nathaniel Fried
Want to learn to play the piano? With the right knowledge and a LOT of focus, you’ll be surprised at how fast you can pick it up.
In order to build a good, basic, understanding of piano, you need to have the right information at your fingertips. These are the 9 best piano books for beginners as recommended by piano players.
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#1 Music Theory Staff Paper
Since I emphasize reading music and theory to all of my piano students, I use Music Theory Staff Paper as a supplement. I use Music Theory Staff Paper to give weekly assignments, notate technique exercises, scales, chords, and arpeggios, and let beginning students experiment with notation and composition.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributor: Malia Jade Roberson, Ph.D.
Company: musictheoryshop.com | maliajademusic.com
#2 Hal Leonard Adult Piano Method Book 1
Most beginning adult piano students first research how they want to approach the instrument: private-individual lessons, group lessons, online lessons, self-learners by watching online videos like YouTube. Beginning students that study with a teacher usually begin with a combination of piano method books, of which there are many publishers, a theory workbook, and technique book.
For my beginning adult piano students, I use Hal Leonard Adult Piano Method Book 1 because it combines everything in one book: how to read music, theory, technique, all with interesting student-teacher duets.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributor: Malia Jade Roberson, Ph.D.
Company: musictheoryshop.com | maliajademusic.com
#3 Alfred’s Basic Adult All-in-One Piano Course
This is a very popular method book for adults and it includes fantastic musical selections. The method's progression is very clearly laid out and easy to follow.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributor: Dominic DeStefano
Company: citystrings.com
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#4 Alfred’s Teach Yourself to Play Piano
This book is great because it features basic, step by step exercises that teach the fundamentals of piano playing and notation. One nice feature is that it includes online audio recordings, so you can play along or just familiarize yourself with the tunes.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributor: Dominic DeStefano
Company: citystrings.com
#5 Piano Technique
[This boook] provides clear examples for practice and discusses both physical technique and musicality.
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Contributor: Dominic DeStefano
Company: citystrings.com
#6 Piano For Dummies
It may seem an obvious choice, but this book covers the basics of every aspect of piano playing, so it's a great place to start for a beginning pianist. It includes primers on keyboard history, note reading and music theory, instrument selection and care, practice techniques, various styles of playing and step by step instruction on beginner exercises and repertoire.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributor: Dominic DeStefano
Company: citystrings.com
#7 Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing
Written by a historically important pianist and teacher from the Juilliard School, this book is for serious students and discusses the development of a beautiful tone.
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Contributor: Dominic DeStefano
Company: citystrings.com
#8 The Art of Piano Playing by Heinrich Neuhaus
Russian pianist and pedagogue Heinrich Neuhaus discusses musicianship and technique for serious students and professionals in this beautifully written book.
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Contributor: Dominic DeStefano
Company: citystrings.com
#9 Alfred’s Basic Piano Library
A set of educational books that progress in levels, and I find them not only perfect for young students but also extremely helpful for teachers who may be otherwise inexperienced. They're written with so much detail, and approach piano education holistically - this is what I appreciate most about them.
Each educational piece has words and pictures that are fun and engaging for the student, and also always include some focused element of music theory or music history to go along with the song. This way my students aren't just learning how to play the piano, they're developing into well-rounded musicians.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributor: Dominic DeStefano
Company: citystrings.com
#10 The Perfect Wrong Note
A game-changer for me was The Perfect Wrong Note by William Westney.
I've incorporated his concepts into my practice and play so much that I cannot even tell you specifically what I learned from the book anymore. I lent it out long ago and it's out there in the world somewhere, hopefully helping others learn how to learn. (Rather than be dependent on a teacher forever.) I adopted his many practical, actionable suggestions into my approach.
I recommend this book to anyone who is learning an instrument.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributor: Naomi Galimidi
Company: haganmarketing.com
Useful guide both for beginners and advanced pianists: https://primesound.org/best-digital-piano-under-500-dollars/
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How can I get one of this book