Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course: Greatest Hits Book 2: Piano Book

Adult piano students often struggle to stay motivated when repertoire feels disconnected from music they actually want to hear. This book solves that by offering carefully arranged pop standards, Broadway numbers, and film themes that reward consistent practice with immediate recognition and genuine enjoyment. The arrangements sit at exactly the right level of technical demand: accessible enough to build confidence, sophisticated enough to feel like real music-making.

Playing from this book feels like stepping into a familiar world of songs you already love. The arrangements honor the original melodies while adding enough harmonic color and textural variety to keep your hands engaged, creating that rewarding moment when a recognizable tune emerges from beneath your own musicianship.

Adult learners returning to piano or studying for the first time who want material that connects to their existing musical taste. This book works equally well for students following Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course sequence and for independent learners seeking engaging repertoire at the early-intermediate level.

• Balance melodic phrases against the accompaniment pattern so songs stay singable even when your left hand is active. Record yourself to catch moments where the tune disappears under block chords.
• Lean into the harmonic changes that come from these popular sources. They often move through more jazz-influenced progressions than classical repertoire, so let those shifts breathe and give them clear voice leading.
• Use tempo as an interpretive tool. A moderate, relaxed pace lets listeners hear both the melody and the arrangement's details; rushing these pieces flattens them into background music.

Feature selections from this book as performance pieces in student recitals where mixed ages and backgrounds are present; the familiarity of pop and film music draws enthusiastic audiences. Alternatively, use individual pieces as supplementary material between method book lessons to reinforce chord progressions and hand independence while maintaining practice enthusiasm.

• Hand independence and coordination between melody and accompaniment patterns
• Reading in treble clef with simple harmonic progressions
• Tempo control and phrasing in popular song styles
• Chord recognition and left-hand voicing choices
• Sustaining musical shape across longer forms