Rating: 
Summary: Simply Excellent
Review: This book is SIMPLY EXCELLENT. It is not just a piano textbook, but also a song books with many many piano classics.
The print quality is simply great. Very nice pictures.
Whether you are a beginner or an exper, this book is a great reference book. Even if you know all the theories in the book, you can still love the book for its beautiful pictures
Rating:
Summary: Utterly and totally fantastic - BUY IT YESTERDAY!
Review: This is the greatest single book on piano that I have ever seen. It is amazingly dense with information, yet never boring or excessive. It covers EVERYTHING from history of piano, what brands to consider for purchase, how to play from A-Z including basic music theory, performance technique, various styles of music (classical, rock, blues, etc.), who to listen to, what CD's to buy, what reference books are good, etc. etc. I just can't believe what a great book this is- it would have saved me countless hours of wasted time with "sheet music" which gives you nothing but the notes. This book gives you lots of notes (hundreds of songs, along with CD to hear them), but it goes 10 steps beyond that- it gives you history of the song, the composer, things to strive for in performing the song, and all in a step-by-step (actually, unit by unit) fashion. It is bound on a spiral spline so it stays put on the piano rail (thank you!) and sports a very attractive color hard-cover that looks nice just sitting there! THe CD is a great added value, since you can hear what the songs are "supposed" to sound like before launching off on your own. This is especially useful if you are somewhat "rhythm challenged" like me. If this book cost [money]it would be worth it. My only (minor) complaint- the pages are printed on fairly glossy paper which can glare if I don't set my light at just the right angle. Carl Humphries, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Peter
Rating:
Summary: The Very Best of a pretty sad category
Review: This really is the best of the few decent books in this category - and one of only a small handful that don't treat you like an idiot. Concomitantly, if you ARE in idiot, this book won't work for you. As other reviewers have noted, the pace is definitely fast compared to the 'graded' lesson books commonly used by piano teachers. But using the CD, and practicing every exercise until you truly understand it - you WILL go far, and fast, with this one. I've carefully checked every other "teach yourself piano" title I've seen in the local stores, and even bought and returned a few. This one, however, is a keeper. By the end of the book, you'll be playing some fairly impressive classical pieces (more than enough to impress your friends - unless they're experienced pianists!). Along the way, you get a very nice background in piano history (great photos an illustrations!), and you'll gain a good, solid understanding of reading music. (hm - except for all those british musical terms. Feh. Luckily, American-style is included as well.)Generally, you really, really should try to get a teacher. But if you just can't afford it, this book is the next best thing. Combine it with a few videos/DVDs (like the "Van Cliburn competition" - YES!, or even buy "The Pianist" or "Shine" right here on Amazon) so you can get an idea of how pianists hold and move their hands. (not that you'll move like these people for a long while!). There is a crazy typographical error in my edition of the book, where an entire paragraph is repeated! This is only a little sad, because the space could have been put to use for more of the author's great information. It's not enough to drop my rating! The binding (at least in my edition) is spiral - a VERY SMART move, as it sits nicely on the music desk. I have to make photo copies to use the sheet music in other books! This one has got my full recommendation. And better yet, if you have any musical background at all, or have had some piano lessons (even in your distant past) this book will have you flying along in no time.
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