Alfred's Teach Yourself to Play Piano: Keyboard/Piano Book & Enhanced CD

This method respects the self-directed learner without sacrificing instructional rigor. It moves methodically from fundamentals through notation, technique, and repertoire across genuinely diverse styles, making it equally at home with an adult beginner discovering music for the first time or a young student building a foundation. The enhanced CD transforms solo practice into guided learning, and 96 pages of carefully sequenced material means students stay engaged without feeling overwhelmed.

You move through a clear path from absolute beginner to working pianist. The music feels alive and varied—folk melodies sit alongside classical progressions and blues figures—so boredom never sets in. Each lesson builds tangibly on what came before, creating the satisfaction of genuine musical progress.

Adult beginners and young students aged 10 and up who want to teach themselves piano with structured guidance and an audio reference. This method also works for anyone returning to the instrument after years away and needing to rebuild confidence from the ground up.

• Reference the CD recording while working through each new piece. Hearing the intended tempo and phrasing before you attempt it sets realistic expectations and prevents ingrained mistakes.
• Practice hands separately through any passage that feels awkward, then add the other hand only once coordination feels secure.
• Return to earlier exercises and songs periodically. This reinforces your growing comfort with notation and fingering while building confidence across musical styles.
• Sit with proper posture and arm position from lesson one. Correcting bad habits later takes far longer than establishing them correctly from the start.

Use this as a supplementary resource for students in group keyboard classes who need additional home practice structure. It also serves well for independent study in school piano labs or as a foundation text for private lesson teachers who want to assign self-directed work between sessions.

• Reading treble clef notation and understanding the keyboard layout
• Proper hand position, posture, and finger numbering conventions
• Playing scales, chords, and progressions across multiple keys
• Sight-reading simple to moderately complex melodies
• Performing across diverse musical styles: pop, blues, classical, folk, hymns, spirituals, and ragtime
• Understanding rhythm notation, time signatures, and tempo markings
• Developing finger independence and coordination in both hands