Alfred's Basic Piano Library: Theory Books

Teachers keep coming back to Theory Book 1A and Theory Book 1B, the cornerstones of early piano study. Theory Book Complete 1 (1A/1B) offers a combined option for studios that prefer a single volume at the beginner level. As students advance, Theory Book 2, Theory Book 3, Theory Book 4, and Theory Book 5 continue the structured progression, with Theory Book Complete 2 & 3 providing another combined format for intermediate students.

Willard A. Palmer authored the Alfred's Basic Piano Library method and theory books that define this collection. A prolific composer and pedagogue, Palmer wrote 789 published works spanning piano methods, solo pieces, and choral works translated into German, Japanese, French, Dutch, and Spanish. His approach to theory instruction shaped generations of young pianists.

Morton Manus served as president of Alfred Music Publishing from 1952 to 2016, stewarding the company through decades of growth. Alfred Music's roots trace back to 1922 in Tin Pan Alley, and under Manus's leadership it became the publisher of some of the world's most widely used piano methods.

Dr. Amanda Vick Lethco co-authored Alfred's Basic Piano Library alongside Palmer and Manus. A Professor Emeritus of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Texas at Austin, she studied with leading pedagogues including James Friskin at Juilliard and Rudolph Ganz at Chicago Musical College, bringing deep teaching experience to the method's design.