Life of the Party: Play Piano in an Instant
Did you ever wish you could quickly learn just a few popular tunes on the piano, without going through years of lessons? With Life of the Party: Play Piano in an Instant you can do just that. A DVD hosted by John Sebastian, former member of the The Lovin’ Spoonful, demonstrates how to use the method which includes four “keyfinders” to help you find your way around the keyboard, a play along CD, and a book of 32 popular songs including “Every Breath You Take,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “In the Still of the Nite,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Lay Down Sally,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “The Wanderer.”
Life of the Party: Play Piano in an Instant, by Bill Gulino, Cherry Lane Music Company, New York, NY, 2006.
Tipbook: Music for Kids and Teens: A Guide for Parents and
Caregivers
Music for Kids and Teens: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers
n Have you been wanting to introduce the world of music to your children or grandchildren but you are unsure how to go about it? This new Tipbook is a handy and thorough guide that will answer all your questions. Music for Kids and Teens is relevant to children of every age and musical genre and includes numerous tips and thoughts applicable to other aspects of their upbringing as well.
The book is based on information gathered from the experiences of musicians, teachers, directors, parents, and other specialists and includes topics such as: why should we introduce children to music, choosing and instrument, practicing tips and tools, stage fright and audition anxiety, and much more.
Music for Kids and Teens: a Guide for Parents and Caregivers, by Hugo Pinksterboer, The Tipbook Company, Heemstede, The Netherlands, 2006.
All About Piano
With All About Pianos you will learn about various keyboard instruments, including piano makes and models, care and maintenance, and other fun stuff, while learning to play many of your favorite songs. The book has instructions on how to read music, play by ear, and improvise, plus performing tips. More than 40 songs in various styles including boogie-woogie, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, jazz, pop, country, and classical are included.
All About Piano, by Mark Harrison, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2006.
Piano Essentials
Music is a combination of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Piano Essentials will help you improve your keyboard skills in all three of these areas by focusing on the study of scales, chords, arpeggios, and cadences. It begins with basic concepts and advances to challenging studies that serve as a reference for years to come. The book will also help you master the most common chord progressions in pop, rock, and jazz.
Piano Essentials will show you how to practice effectively and develop control of the instrument by working through the exercises with a metronome. The book’s challenging exercises in 12 keys will also help you to: advance performance skills and build fluency; increase your speed and agility; internalize common chord patterns; and improve sight-reading skills.
The accompanying CD includes examples of many of the exercises in the book.
Piano Essentials: Scales, Chords, Arpeggios, and Cadences for the Contemporary Pianist, by Ross Ramsay, Berklee Press, Boston, MA, 2006.
Reading Keyboard Music [DVD Package]
From the age of 11 until his death in 1959, C.W. Reid dedicated his life to sharing his joy of playing piano by teaching others. However, like many would-be musicians, Reid struggled at learning to read music and almost quit altogether.
In the end, his love for playing music prevailed and he eventually became chairman of the music department at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and later a professor of music at the McCune School of Music in Salt Lake City.
When Reid began to teach others, he was determined to spare his students frustration. As a lifelong project he developed and perfected a method for teaching piano. Now, his method—Reading Keyboard Music (RKM)—is taught by professional instructors around the world, and it is also now available on a new DVD package from Reading Keyboard Music, LLC.
RKM teaches note reading using place specific names and pictures that relate visual and tactile patterns on the keyboard to patterns on the staff, reducing the number of mental steps required to master note replacement. Students are able to learn songs and actually read and play most of the notes on the treble clef in the first lesson. Each lesson then adds several new concepts and encourages above and below the staff reading much sooner than other methods.
This well organized DVD course for beginners makes learners feel they are actually participating in a class led by veteran music teacher Merrilee Webb. The lessons are fun and have the distinct advantage of allowing you to pause, replay, and enjoy every minute of the class, at your own pace, and from the comfort of your home.
Webb, whose enthusiasm for playing and teaching piano is contagious, began studying piano at age five using the RKM method. She holds bachelor and master degrees in Music Education from Bringham Young University, started her own studio at age 16, and has traveled the world teaching music to people of all backgrounds. The RKM Learning to Play DVD package includes 16, 50-minute lessons on DVD, a book, and supplementary materials. Students can expect to learn all the notes on the piano, basic music theory, technical exercises, and how to figure out a new piece of music by the end of the course.
Reading Keyboard Music Learning to Play DVD Course, led by Merrilee Webb, Reading Keyboard Music, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2006.
How to Write Songs on Keyboards
How to Write Songs on Keyboard teaches both guitarists and keyboardists the basics of writing. It provides guidance to those who have never written a song, and helps all song writers improve song structure and lyrics.
The book is laid out in easy-to-follow diagrams, and every music example and technique can be heard on the accompanying 90-track CD. Even aspiring tunesmiths with no previous keyboard experience will be able to find effective and inspiring chords for their songs. The book covers simple major and minor chords, inversions, chord sequences, and harmonies.
How to Write Songs on Keyboards: A Complete Course to Help You Write Better Songs, by Rikky Rooksby, Backbeat Books, San Francisco, CA, 2005.
People and Pianos: A Pictorial History of Steinway & Sons
From Steinway’s humble beginnings in Germany to the present day, People and Pianos: A Pictorial History of Steinway & Sons relates the history of the internationally renowned pianos and the company that makes them. The book contains rare photos of legendary Steinway artists and personal reminiscences on maestros such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Josef Hofmann, Dame Myra Hess, and Arthur Rubinstein by Henry Z. Steinway.
Originally written by Theodore Steinway and given to employees as a memento to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company, this updated version also includes an essay by current Steinway President Bruce Stevens, highlighting the company’s developments over the last 50 years.
People and Pianos: A History of Steinway & Sons, by Theodore E. Steinway, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2005.
I Used to Play Piano
I Used to Play Piano is an innovative approach for helping adults resume piano study. This 152-page book is divided into 11 progressive, well-rounded units, each containing diverse styles ranging from classical arrangements, jazz, boogie, blues, and ragtime to traditional favorites. Using strategic review sections, adults can progress quickly to the unit that matches their ability level.
Handy “Just the Facts” boxes at the top of the page give the key, tempo, dynamics, and other information for each piece and there is a glossary to look up unfamiliar terms. The enclosed CD includes 68 sample orchestrations for the music in the book.
I Used to Play Piano, E. L. Lancaster and Victoria McArthur, Alfred Publishing Co., Van Nuys, CA, 2004.
Play Like Me: Holiday Favorites
How many times have you heard a modern or jazz interpretation of a holiday classic and wished you could play it on the piano?
Just like the pros use fake books to quickly learn to play songs, with Play Like Me: Holiday Favorites you will quickly master your favorite holiday songs from this book.
The three-volume Holiday Favorites includes jazz arrangements for classics such as “Oh, Christmas Tree,” “Auld Lang Syne,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Deck the Hall,” and “What Child is This?”
The accompanying DVDs give step-by-step video instructions as well as complete lessons and sheet music for the 16 songs. A bonus video chord tutorial shows how to build and play jazz chords on the piano. Packaged with the set is a bonus CD, Christmas Cool, from the Bill Susman Trio.
Play Like Me: Holiday Favorites, by Bill Susman, Play Like Me, San Jose, CA, 2005.
Autumn Inspirations
Summer is fading and days are growing shorter. The air is growing slowly cooler and falling leaves are showing off their colors. It is time for pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, and for moments of quiet reflection before the fire. Autumn Inspirations is a set of 10 imaginative piano solos from George Peter Tingley that captures the essence of the fall season, including “An Autumn Waltz,” “Barn Dance,” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and “Prelude to Autumn.” Early intermediate and intermediate pianists are invited to join in a timeless celebration of autumn that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
Autumn Inspirations: 10 Early Intermediate to Intermediate Piano Solos that Celebrate Fall, by George Peter Tingley, Alfred Publishing Co., Van Nuys, CA.
Play Like Me Presents George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm for Piano
George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” is now available for the Play Like Me System that teaches students how to play specific songs on the piano. Not only one of the fundamental American classic songs, “I Got Rhythm” is also one of the more important songs of the evolution of American jazz. The included DVD contains more than two hours of instruction from teacher and arranger Bill Susman, including all of the lessons for learning the song, as well as a chord tutorial.
With each Play Like Me title there are four levels of instruction designed to match a students’ progress. The book includes copies of the printed music and a short history of the song, as well as a guide to the Play Like Me system that will assist with navigation and help you to get the most from your lessons.
Play Like Me Presents George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, Play Like Me Music, San Jose, CA, 2005.
Tipbook: Keyboard & Digital Piano
The Tipbook series provides a handy, accessible, and highly informative resource to various musical instruments. Keyboard & Digital Piano is the latest addition to the series and offers in-depth and easy to read information on becoming a keyboard or digital piano player, a tour of the instrument, even the instrument’s history. Other features include guidelines for learning to play, buying instruments, sounds, accessories, and more.
A unique feature of the Tipbook series is Tipcodes. These allow the guide to become interactive when used with the website (www.tipbook.com). Certain passages will include codes that, when entered on the website, give access to soundtracks and short movies.
Tipbook: Keyboard & Digital Piano, by Hugo Pinksterboer, Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, 2004.
The Art of the Piano: Its Performers, Literature, and Recordings
The Art of the Piano is a definitive, 700 page-plus volume containing close to 1,000 profiles of the world’s best-known concert pianists and listings of thousands of essential CD recordings representing repertoire from 80 composers. This guide is said to be the most up-to-date book containing profiles of every major pianist. As an added bonus, this edition features an exclusive CD with 31 rare piano performances.
Organized in alphabetical order by composer, this volume encompasses information about the musical masterpieces, both solo and concerto, and insightful commentary from author David Dubal.
Dubal is an acclaimed pianist, teacher, writer, and broadcaster, and host of the popular radio program Reflections from the Keyboard, which is heard on WQXR in New York City.
The Art of the Piano: Its Performers, Literature, and Recordings, Revised and Expanded Third Edition, by David Dubal, Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2004.
Play Piano Now!
Many adults wish they had studied piano when they were younger. The good news is that it is never too late to begin. With Play Piano Now! busy adults can learn to play quickly and easily using favorite pieces from Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course. The book gradually introduces music fundamentals, followed by extra pages of reinforcement. The use of more pages on the same topic allows students to progress steadily without having to repeat the same page, making each practice session fresh and interesting.
The book includes specially constructed sight reading, technical, and write-and-play exercises, combined with appealing and familiar songs to perform. The book is available alone, or with a MIDI disk or CD, offering a full piano recording and background accompaniment for songs throughout the book.
Play Piano Now! Alfred’s Basic Audio Piano Course, by Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, E. L. Lancaster, Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., Van Nuys, CA, 2000.
How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons
How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons claims to be the fastest, easiest way to learn to play from sheet music or by ear. Norman Monath, a music editor for Simon & Schuster, has been playing piano professionally and teaching his friends and colleagues to play piano using this method for twenty-odd years.
“Most people are taught to play as if they were training to become concert pianists,” says Monath. “That approach involves all the tiresome groundwork of trills and drills that frightens off so many would-be players.” It is as if a student were learning to use a typewriter if they were illiterate. Monath starts by teaching keyboard basics. By lesson two, he jumps into playing melodies, and will have you playing from fake books, by ear, and improvising before the book is finished.
- How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear, by Norman Monath, Simon & Schuster, Inc., Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
