Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course, Lesson Book 1: Piano Book & DVD

This course proves that adults learn differently from children, and Palmer's chord-based approach honors that reality. The progression moves deliberately from foundational hand position and note reading into genuine musicianship by teaching how to play harmony, not just melody. The DVD performances by Gayle Kowalchyk provide a model of what these pieces sound like in good hands, and the song selection balances familiar classics with folk traditions that adults often already know, making the learning feel purposeful from day one.

A familiar journey through songs you recognize and love, now under your own hands. The music feels immediately gratifying because you're playing actual chords and accompaniments alongside melodies, creating the harmonic textures you hear in real performances. There's warmth to this repertoire, from sacred standards to folk classics to ragtime, and the pacing lets each piece feel like a genuine accomplishment rather than a stepping stone.

Adult beginners who want to move beyond simple single-note melodies and begin playing real chords and accompaniments from their first weeks of study. Whether you're returning to music after decades or discovering the piano for the first time, this course respects your intelligence and musical maturity while building hands-on skills that transfer immediately to the music you want to play.

• Study the DVD performances first before diving into a new piece. Hearing Kowalchyk's pacing and tone quality gives you a musical target and helps prevent mechanical practice.
• Work the chord shapes separately from the melody line when a piece combines both. Isolate hands, then layer them slowly to avoid tension in the wrists and shoulders.
• Return to familiar pieces periodically as you advance through the book. Playing something you mastered earlier builds confidence and lets you apply new techniques to music you already love.
• Pay attention to the left-hand chord patterns. The consistency and independence you build in the accompaniment hand becomes the foundation for genuine improvisation later.

This book anchors a semester-long adult piano class, with the DVD providing consistent demonstration and freeing you to focus on individual technique during lessons. The wide variety of styles and cultural traditions means you can adapt pieces to seasonal programming or thematic recitals. Many adult students work through this systematically over a full year, allowing time to build comfort with chord voicings and left-hand independence before moving to Lesson Book 2.

• Reading treble clef and basic staff notation
• Chord construction and chord symbol recognition
• Playing chords in the left hand with independence from melody
• Proper hand position and basic technique for adults
• Rhythm reading and counting in common meters
• Sight-reading confidence through repeated exposure to various song styles