Adult Piano Tutors Review
Filed in: Teaching and Learning
Which is the best Piano Tutor for Adults? This article began in my mind when a new adult student turned up, and already had a tutor book.
I have been using Carol Barratt's Classic Piano Course as my go-to book for adult learners for a number of years. So I decided it was time to revisit the various options, and see if Miss Barratt's book was still my recommendation.
What does one look for in a piano tutor book for adults? Aside from that it moves quickly. Children's tutor books move much more slowly through the material.
Systematic You may think that all of these books present the material in a systematic way, and they do. But they don't all do it in the same way.
Engaging material I like a variety of styles. Having said that, most pop and Jazz music is not to be found in any primer, because it is rhythmically complicated. Even Ragtime can only be found in extra-slow versions.
They don't lie! This might sound odd, but a lot of what music teachers tell young children it's actually true later on - e.g. "The crotchet is one beat long". See one of my favourite books for why this is so insidious: "Lies My Music Teacher Told Me" by Gerald Eskelin.
There is ancillary material Everyone struggles at some point, but not everyone struggles at the same point of learning.
Mix of notation, theory and technique.
Graphic Style Is the book well laid out? Is it perhaps, dated?
In British English (not American) Terminology varies. In the UK, we say "staff", "crotchet" and "bar", not "stave", "quarter-note" and "measure".
Explains clearly Could the book be used by an autodidact?
letsplaypianomethods
Before we start, I want to give a shout out to letsplaypianomethods, which is a YouTube channel provided by a lovely man, who doesn't give his name. He provides the role of teacher, on a page-by-page basis for some of the books I review below. I can't recommend him highly enough as a wise companion on the journey.
Let's begin, in no particular order, here are the nine books of which I had copies (being an inveterate collector).
(1) It's never too late to Play Piano
by Pam Wedgwood (Faber Music), 80pp, new edition 2006.
Price on MusicRoom in Feb 2021: £10.99. There is no Book 2: this single volume replaces Level 1 and Level 2 of the original version, same title, published in 1993.
This book uses UK terms (with the US ones in brackets), which I always feel complicates things for the beginner, as there are enough new things to learn without learning two names for note lengths.
There are many nice touches, that made me smile, for example, the piece in treble clef that also works in bass clef if you turn the book upside down; and many pieces of advice that bear witness to the author's many years of teaching, such as "Think of your hands like a puppet's" on page 18. I wish I had thought of that.
Compared with the previous version, which I thought was short on explanation, this is more interactive and informative, with quizzes, and background information on classical music scattered throughout (although it often doesn't seem relevant to the pieces on the page).
The book is well designed, and pleasant to work from. There are however, no drawings or photographs at all. There are many exercises for technique, but with no explanation of their purpose, so they become "just another piece".
Scales are introduced on page 44, and pedal on page 70.
Most of the music seems to be by PW herself, in an appealing mixture of styles (2). We get syncopation, and even swing.
In general, my view is that this course gets too difficult too quickly, unless you are not an absolute beginner. No doubt, it covers all the main technical and notation points, but it still reads to me like a draft of a book that needs more filling out. A teacher would be needed to provide demonstrations and explanations.
There are a lot of associated books of piano pieces published under the "Never Too Late" banner: It's Never Too Late To Play Jazz, It's Never Too Late To Play Classics, etc.. My favourite is Its never to late to Play Christmas. Err... February? Sadly, aside from adverts, they are not referenced in the Tutor Book.
There is no index, and no glossary.
Score: 5/10
(2) Hal Leonard's Adult Piano Method
by Barbara Kreader, Fred Kern, Mona Rejino, and Phillip Keveren (Hal Leonard), 96pp, 2005.
Book 1 price on MusicRoom in Feb 2021: £12.99 (Book 1). There is also a Book 2 at £12.99.
The copy I have has English terminology, crotchets, minims, even staff not stave (7). Only the names of some of the pieces betray its US origins: "Hoedown", "Canyon Echoes", "Shooting Hoops", etc. There is a good variety of styles in the pieces in the book.
This book has to my mind a better systematic pedagogy than the others (1), (8) - it starts by spending time on important basic concepts. In practical terms, it begins on the black notes of the keyboard (without full staff notation) - I approve. Also, there is a lot of "make up your own music" at the early stages - I also approve of that. It separates understanding the keyboard layout from reading staff notation - a stage that most of the tutor books reviewed here go through with only a passing reference.
There is a weakness however - this is one of the more expensive books reviewed, and the one that gets least far, so that by the end of Book 1, the music is distinctly less complicated than that aimed for by most of the other books. That's not necessarily a bad thing if the material is better absorbed (my experience of the Classic Piano Course, for example, is that pretty much everyone meets material that is too difficult for them at around page 50). The speed of progress in this book would be a great advantage if you were starting from scratch.
It doesn't seem to lie about time signatures, but it does lie about note lengths (3).
It references 'your teacher' throughout, but all accompaniment and demonstration tracks are on a CD or online (8).
There are a whole host of ancillary books (4).
It is the best designed of the books on offer, and it is the only book covered in this review that uses colour (6).
Score: 9/10
(3) Alfred's Piano 101 The Short Course
by E L Lancaster and Kenon D Renfrow (Alfred Music), 56pp, 1999.
Price on MusicRoom in Feb 2021: £16.95. This is a single-volume course.
Originally published as a Group Piano Method, the book says it can also be used for single students.
Nevertheless, as the title might lead you to expect, it feels like an American college textbook - there are "Assignments" and "Reviews", etc.
There is a good mix of drawings and photos, but about 1/3rd of every page is taken up the "Teacher's Accompaniment" which is wasteful and makes the page crowded. There is a separate "Teacher's Handbook", so it seems to me that these accompaniments could have gone into that, freeing up space in the student copy.(6)
It feels dated. So much so that I find it hard to believe that the book was first published in 1999.
There is a glossary, and an index.
There is an excellent series of videos on YouTube that goes over what appears to be every element of this course (in the Group version - so page numbers may be different). I don't know who the presenter is, but they are very helpful: letsplaypianomethods.
Score 6/10
(4) John Thompson's Adult Piano Course
by John Thompson (The Willis Music Company), 80pp, 2015 edition.
Book 1 price on MusicRoom in Feb 2021. There is also a Book 2, at £12.75. Book 2 replaces Books 2 and 3 of the original edition.
Originally published in 1943, this revised edition is well laid-out in black-and-white, with diagrams and photos that illustrate technique. Many of the other books, do not cover technique much.
In many ways it seems old-fashioned. There is an emphasis on notation, but it does gives what I would call a balanced curriculum - with technical exercises, assistance with technique, as well as fun pieces. There is a good selection of pieces.
I am sure this book would require a teacher, since it positively hurtles through early material.
It uses American terminology throughout.
There is a glossary, but no index.
There is an excellent series of videos on YouTube that goes over what appears to be every element of this course. I don't know who the presenter is, but they are very helpful: letsplaypianomethods.
Score 8/10
(5) Michael Aaron Adult Piano Course
by Michael Aaron (Warner Brothers/Belwin Mills), 64pp, 1952.
Book 1 price on MusicRoom in Feb 2021: £6.95. There is a Book 2, also £6.95.
As you might expect from the publication date, this is a traditional book, now somewhat dated. Black and white. Photos illustrate points, but there are no line drawings or other graphic elements. The terminology is solely American.
There is a good mix of practical, technical and theory, all well-explained. I think that all users of this book would need a teacher if starting from scratch, but for someone with previous experience on another instrument, it is not a bad choice.
The choice of music for the pieces is also dated: mostly classical and folk-based: La Cucuracha would be a popular choice.
There is a glossary, but no index.
Score 5/10
(6) Classic Piano Course
by Carol Barratt (Chester / Music Sales),64pp, 1995.
Book 1 price on MusicRoom in Feb 2021: £7.95. Books 2 and 3 are £7.95 and £8.95. Two words of warning: some copies of Book 1, such as those sold by Amazon, have American, rather than British, terminology. Also, I would advise against buying the Omnibus Edition, which is printed at a smaller size, with perfect binding that does not lie flat, and is, to my mind, useless.
After a quick synopsis of the basics of the keyboard finger numbers and staff, the elements of notation are introduced in turn (1).
The course is well laid out, in black-and-white only (6).
There are some pleasing ideas. For example, when it comes to flats and sharps, flats are introduced on a left-hand page, and sharps on the facing, right-hand page. On page 33, there is a stroke of genius - the same piece in two different keys to fosterw flexibility. I wish I had thought of that.
I have used this book for years, and I like it. Not everything works for me, and there is no doubt that in Book 1, the pieces get suddenly more difficult at page 50.
There is a glossary, but no index.
Score 8/10
(7) Play Piano Now
by Willard Palmer, Morton Manus and E L Lancaster (Alfred), 152pp, 2000.
Book 1 price on Musicroom in March 2021: £14.50. There is also a Book 2.
I like this, even although it uses American terminology, and the repertoire has a distinct American bias. It gives good explanations, and many drawings. Also, there is work to be done away from the keyboard.
There are the occasional lies, e.g. on page 27 about the top number of the time signature (although not that the crotchet is one beat long); and there are assumptions: "The highest key on your piano is C.", to which I reply: "Not on my piano". Also, the book is very much about playing the piano, not just about reading staff notation, so it isn't until page 32 that the staff is even introduced. Even better, chords are introduced only a few pages further on. I think that the order in which the material is presented is well-thought out.
I see some suggestions and methods that I use myself, which of course I think is a good thing, such as count "1" on a crotchet and "1,2" on a minim, rather than counting "1,2,3,4" in a bar.
The book would be good for autodidacts, since it is so very well explained, and there is a CD of demo tracks, which is now probably online.
Although the book says that it is based on 8Alfred's Basic Piano Course* (for children), there is no sign to my eyes of childishness in the content or presentation.
Alfred publish a good number of different courses - a search for Adult Piano Course on their web site returns 70 hits. There is also a "Basic Adult Course", which is chord-based.
Score 8/10
(8) Piano Safari for the older student
by Katherine Fisher and Julie Knerr, Piano Safari LLC, 2018.
This pack comes as a set of two books: Repertoire and Technique Level 1, 101pp, and Sight-Reading and Theory Level 1, 68pp. The price for the pack of two book, from Speedy Hen in March 2021: £19.37. There are a further two books in Level 2, and another two for Level 3.
These books feel a bit home-made, if that isn't an unkind statement.
Although I have seen many online and magazine articles about the pedagogic research that underpins the course, there is no explanation of it in the books themselves. Nor is there anything on how to use them - not even how to manage the cross-reference between the two parallel volumes.
"Older" is not defined, so it might refer to 11-year-olds, or teenagers, rather than adults. It certainly seemed to me that the books are based on work for children - the repertoire feels childish, not least in the titles. However, pedalling is introduced early, on page 23, which I don't imagine is copied from the children's edition.
The books get a tick from me for using Dalcroze rhythm names. And an even bigger tick by using "Landmark Notes" to learn note names on the staff. Re-inforcing, say "the middle line is D" is much better than referring back to a nmemonic such as "George Brought Diamonds From Africa". But on page 80, this well-thought out tactic is lost (imho) by not coninuing to a 2nd or 3rd line or space, but trying to learn a ladder of note names
The copy I bought in the UK used English terms (except using Stave for Staff, and piano bench for piano stool). There is the occasional assumption that everyone is learning on a proper piano: "Begin on A, the lowest key of the piano". I have many students for whom that is simply not true, because they are starting on a keyboard.
These books will only be of use if you have a teacher: some examples are labelled "rote", which rather implies that someone shows you how to play them and you imitate them.
I found that things were not as well taught as I expected: posture, for example, is described, rather than shown in pictures or diagrams, which is long-winded to say the least.
There is a glossary, but no index in either book.
Score - only 4/10 from me!
(9) Pianoworks
by Janet and Alan Bullard (Oxford), 72pp, 2007.
Book 1 price on Mushroom, March 2021, £12.75. Book 2 is also £12.75.
This book doesn't work for me: it would be OK for someone who had already studied the piano as a child, and got quite far, possibly to Grade 3 or 4, and who needed a summary to remind them of concepts and terms involved in reading staff notation. There is very little coverage of technique, and while I hate to cavil (!), the drawing on page 8 of "sitting at the piano" looks high to me.
The first fourteen pages or so are pretty much all text, with a few drawings: it makes the presentation looks rushed. So for example, 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 are all introduced together. And 'passing thumb under' is reached relatively early, on page 32. I don't think there is another book reviewed here, that gets as far as this one in the first volume. In my view, there is not enough material in the early stages, e.g. for beginning to play two-hands-together.
Rather than use English or American terms, this book uses both, with the American in brackets after the English, for example "crotchet (quarter note)". The effect is to make the already busy page even more cluttered.
There are plusses as well as minuses: the complementary Pianoworks Collection Books are uniformly excellent. And it includes a visual index of symbols. Hurrah!
Score - a miserly 3/10.
(10) The Piano in Black and White
by Mark Tanner (Faber Music), 216pp, 2021.
Price as at 22nd May 2021 £19.95
This is very, very good for the adult autodidact. It is well-designed, and looks beautiful. In colour throughout, it is divided into twelve sections, each focussed on learning to play one piece - an arrangement by Mark Tanner. It starts with a simple Ode to Joy and ends with the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata (shortened and in D minor, but nevertheless, not an easy piece. There is a well-chosen selection of classical music, each with different challenges.
A lot of illustrations
The book is full of well-illustrated technique exercises and study tips on how to practise in each section. It leads the student step by step through how to learn each new piece.
If you want to learn the piano, especially if you had some lessons a while ago, and are picking it up again, this would be perfect. It doesn't cover music theory systematically: there are explanations of signs that you need to know the meaning of learn the piece, but that is all. The book is very much focussed on learning the twelve pieces.
Unhesitatingly recommended.
Score - 10/10. It is hard to fault for the right person.
SUMMARY
NEWS FLASH (May 2021) - A new winner: Mark Tanner's The Piano in Black and White - not suitable for everyone, but very well thought out, well-presented, and well-designed.
The winner for me is Hal Leonard's Adult Piano Method, especially for a piano learner who is beginning from scratch. Alfred's Play Piano Now is a close runner-up. Congratulations to the authors.
For those who have done some piano or another instrument before, I would recommend John Thompson's Adult Piano Course, or Carol Barratt's Classic Piano Course: both are good in their own right is you need a quick review.
