Alfred's Basic Chord Approach to Electronic Keyboards: Lesson Book 1 Cover Image

Alfred's Basic Chord Approach to Electronic Keyboards: Lesson Book 1: Electronic Keyboard Book

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Alfred's Basic Chord Approach to Electronic Keyboards: Lesson Book 1 Cover Image

Alfred's Basic Chord Approach to Electronic Keyboards: Lesson Book 1: Electronic Keyboard Book

A Beginning Method for All Instruments with Automatic Rhythms & Chords

By Willard A. Palmer, Thomas Palmer, and Morton Manus

Level: 1

Item: 00-3097

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Description
This method uses the great capabilities of the electronic keyboard to teach keyboard musicianship. Book 1 teaches 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths in C and G positions; 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures; whole, half, and quarter notes; rests; basic note reading; musical terms; 'single-fingered' chords and 'fingered' G and D7 chords.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred's Basic Piano Library
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 48
ISBN10: 0-7390-2763-8
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-2763-9
UPC: 038081019529
SKU: 00-3097

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About the Authors

Morton Manus
Morton Manus served as president of Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc. from 1952 to 2016. He joined the family business in the late 1940s after earning a business degree from City College of New York. A accomplished clarinetist and pianist, Manus transformed Alfred Music from a traditional sheet music publisher into a comprehensive music education company.

During his tenure, Manus pioneered the development of instructional materials across multiple instruments, including accordion, guitar, piano, and recorder. Under his leadership, Alfred Music expanded dramatically throughout the 1950s and beyond, necessitating a major relocation of headquarters to Los Angeles in 1975 and the establishment of a distribution center in upstate New York. The company also grew its international presence with offices in Australia, Germany, Singapore, and the UK.

Manus's sons, Ron and Steve, carried forward the family legacy by joining the company in 1988 and 1992 respectively. Together they continued expanding Alfred Music's educational methods and performance catalogs while steering major acquisitions, including Warner Bros. Publications in 2005, which brought the EMI Catalogue Partnership into the company's portfolio.
Willard A. Palmer
Dr. Willard Palmer stands as a globally recognized musician, educator, and scholar who created an extraordinary catalog of 789 published compositions. His works span accordion methods, piano and guitar instruction books, Hammond organ instruction, solo pieces, and choral compositions, many translated into German, Japanese, French, Dutch, and Spanish. For many years, he served as choir director at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas.

Palmer's musical journey began as a child prodigy, performing piano on radio broadcasts at age 13. Under the mentorship of pianist Mae Vardeman, he developed strong piano technique and improvisational skills that would shape his entire career. He pursued higher education at Whitworth College in Brookhaven, Mississippi and Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he performed accordion and piano on local radio and in campus ensembles. Following his Bachelor's degree from Millsaps, a two-year scholarship enabled him to study at the Conservatory of Leipzig in Germany. He later completed postgraduate studies at the University of Houston and joined their faculty, where he taught the first successful college-level accordion courses for 18 years.

Palmer's scholarly reputation grew through meticulous research into Classical and Baroque music and pedagogical approaches. Recognized internationally as an expert in Baroque music ornamentation, his expertise became the foundation for the acclaimed Alfred Masterworks publication series. His contributions to musicological research earned him a Doctor of Humanities degree in 1971 and a Doctor of Music degree in 1983. He served as director of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute and held membership in the American Federation of Musicians Local #65, the American Accordionists' Association, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Thomas Palmer

Why we love this

This method taps into the electronic keyboard's unique strengths from the start, teaching chord construction through the instrument's fingering capabilities rather than fighting against them. Students engage with single-fingered and fingered chord options immediately, building harmonic literacy while they learn to read notation and hear what chords actually sound like. The progression is logical and achievable for absolute beginners, meaning they finish Book 1 with genuine musicianship, not just finger patterns.

What to expect

Structured and encouraging, with clear sequential learning that respects what a beginner can absorb while revealing the harmonic possibilities of the keyboard early on. The pace allows room for success at every step, and the focus on chords means students hear themselves making real music from the beginning, not just executing exercises.

Who it's for

Beginning keyboard students of any age, from elementary through adult learners who want a systematic approach to electronic keyboard fundamentals. Teachers seeking a method that builds both note reading and chord literacy from lesson one will find this essential, especially in settings where access to acoustic pianos is limited or where students are drawn to electronic keyboard's sonic possibilities.

How to get the most out of it

  • Introduce chord fingerings by demonstrating how the keyboard's preset voicings respond to single-finger activation; have students explore the difference between playing a chord built note-by-note versus using the fingered chord option to develop listening awareness.
  • Anchor rhythm work by having students activate the keyboard's rhythm section (if available) at a steady tempo while they focus on left-hand chord changes; this removes the coordination burden and lets them hear their harmonic choices clearly.
  • Build interval recognition by playing the 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, and 5ths taught in C and G positions on the keyboard while students listen with eyes closed, then identify the interval; this deepens aural understanding before technical application.

How to use it

Use this in beginner keyboard courses as your primary sequential method, or introduce it to pianists wanting to transfer their skills to electronic keyboard and discover how chord functionality works differently on the instrument. It pairs well in group lesson settings where students progress at similar rates and can learn from each other's discoveries about how the keyboard responds to different fingering choices.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading notes in treble clef across a range of registers
  • Identifying and playing intervals (2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths) in C and G positions
  • Understanding chord construction and playing single-fingered chords
  • Playing fingered G and D7 chords with proper hand position
  • Reading and executing time signatures (4/4 and 3/4)
  • Recognizing whole, half, and quarter notes and their corresponding rests
  • Understanding and applying basic musical terminology
  • Coordinating hands for simple two-voice textures

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