Alfred's Adult All-In-One Piano Course: Level 1

Quitter · 2024-05-27T16:11:19+00:00

This thread is a place for folks to discuss the Alfred's Adult All-In-One Level 1 experience. There were many of these threads on another, un-named piano fo...

Sophia

Yes, I had that same experience. The latter pieces are really a lot smoother... but still not flawless. I'm just about to finalize the book with Chattanooga Choo Choo, which I believe is not in your version. I'm having fun with it though, because it ties in nicely with my blues course (which I have placed on halt for just a few weeks until I finish playing through my books and the duet).

I am not sure if I will ever pick up Alfred 1 again after that - not until I'm a concert pianist and able to play those tunes like this 😃

Nightowl

OMG, that girl in the cartoon reminds me of the possessed girl in The Exorcist, the one whose head turns around 360 degrees! 😲 Sophia, if you ever start to resemble that image, just call a priest, pronto!
What's the object on the floor meant to be - some kind of remote control? Also, why is there an alarm clock - does the girl sleep on top of the piano then go into some weird possessed trance and start doing her backward playing? So many questions, but I'm not sure anyone has the answers, except a psychiatrist maybe... I might need therapy if I look at that image much longer.

Sophia

Haha blame it on AI imagination... all I asked was a very simple question of a pianist playing upside down. The rest is not mine ^_^

Nightowl

There is talk of AI taking over the world one day, and if that's a taste of how AI sees things we should be scared... VERY scared! 😬 I just noticed the feet only have 4 toes and the hands look sort of twisted and seem to have mini hoof-like ends, instead of fingernails - it's an absolute abomination, but I can't unsee it now! <shudders>

Anyway, if you want to see a pianist playing upside down, take a look at this clip of the recent Olympics closing ceremony - they had a grand piano suspended in the air, with a pianist suspended upside down in a chair, moving his hands over the keys as though he was playing it. Another abomination. The world's gone mad, I tell you!

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Kaydia

Hi all, I was looking for a piano forum to join and found this one, so here I am.

In November I bought a used digital piano that came with a huge stack of books, some of which are Alfred's Adult All-in-One Course books 1 and 2, Adult Piano Adventures all-in-one books 1 and 2, Step-by-Step course books levels 1-3. Plus a couple more method books and quite a few books with just songs to learn, and some books technique as well.

I'm currently working through the first 3 method books that I mentioned. I recently found out about an older gentleman who has YouTube videos for these books, so I started over at the beginning and reworked all the earlier pages I'd already done. So I finished doing that today and am now on page 42 of the Alfred's book, learning What Can I Share, trying to make the chords sound nicer and quieter.

In the Faber's book I'm working on getting Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to sound better. In particular, getting through it without any hesitations.

I've already finished the first Step-by-Step book and am about halfway through the second one. Currently working on Jingle Bells. This version is SO MUCH easier than the one in the Alfred's book. I really struggled to get my hands to work together in that one!

Also, (Because why not?) I'm learning Puff the Magic Dragon from Alfred's Greatest Hits, and I've decided to start working my way through the Step-by-Step Book 1 Pieces to Play. There are 8 of them in thay book. They look very simple (famous last words?) so shouldn't take too long to get through them.

That's all I have for now.

Nightowl

Kaydia Hi Kaydia, Welcome to the forum, this is a great place to chat with others who are learning piano and there are several regular posters here who are also using Alfred's books - including me. 🙂 I began back in November 2023, using Alfred's All In One Self Teaching book (AKA book 1), and I moved onto Alfred's AIO book 2 in March 2024. I had no previous experience of playing an instrument so was a complete beginner, but I've made quite good progress by working steadily through Alfred's books. I rate their methodology highly, but some of the pieces in the books are pretty dire, so sometimes it's a case of plodding through pieces which don't appeal, knowing that they have been included to help people learn certain techniques/skills - they are the means to an end, stepping stones to playing nice pieces one day.
Do you play any other instruments? I ask because I noticed that you said you are "currently working through the first 3 method books" but unless you already play another instrument and can read music it could be quite confusing and counter productive to juggle all 3 books at once. I would strongly recommend that you work through the books one at a time, in the correct order. Good luck.

Animisha

Welcome to this forum Kaydia! How nice that you found us.

It sounds great to me, working to three books simultaneously. I also started with Alfred's, but I also felt the need to play a lot more pieces besides the Alfred ones.

I can also so much recommend recordings, especially as you are working without a teacher. For starters, just for you. For instance, record a piece, listen to it and clap your hands, so you can check if you got the rhythm correctly. Or if you want to listen to your chords.

Enjoy! 😊

Player1

Kaydia Hi all, I was looking for a piano forum to join and found this one, so here I am.

In November I bought a used digital piano that came with a huge stack of books, some of which are Alfred's Adult All-in-One Course books 1 and 2, Adult Piano Adventures all-in-one books 1 and 2, Step-by-Step course books levels 1-3. Plus a couple more method books and quite a few books with just songs to learn, and some books technique as well.

Welcome and we're happy you found us.

The community here is, for the most part, supportive of newcomers. To that end we encourage members to record and post videos of their progress up through the levels. It's daunting in the beginning to consider doing it, but your best progress will be made by being able to watch yourself, and letting others see/listen to you as well, when you're playing. Not only from the personal satisfaction, but because helpful comments can tip you in a better direction musically as well as performance.

So, we're glad you're here. Take a moment to breathe in and enjoy the atmosphere.

iternabe

Kaydia Welcome! It's great to hear your story. I am a beginner, too, started just several months earlier than you, but only following the Faber book.

From your description I guess the older gentleman you were referring to is the teacher of the "Let's Play Piano Methods" channel on YouTube. I follow his lesson on every page of the Faber book, too. He is just great!

I second others recommendation to record yourself. You don't have to show them to anyone. But just the ability to listen back to your own playing can help tremendously. In fact, I record all my practice sessions in entirety.

Kaydia

Nightowl Hi Nightowl! Similar to you, I'm starting as a complete beginner as well. I would prefer having a teacher but that's not an option right now for various reasons, so in the meantime I'm going the self-taught route. I don't have any serious aspirations. This is more of a hobby for me.

Alfred's AIO book is the one I'm enjoying the most. feel like the 3 method books I'm going through are different enough that I'm benefitting from each of them. I more or less use them on a rolling basis. For example, if I don't get to one or more of them one day then I add them in the next day that I have the time, and so on. It's a slow process, but I'm not in any hurry. In any case, since the pieces are starting to take longer, I will probably decide to use just one book soon.

I'm wondering what are the dire pieces that you're referring to. Dire sounds so ominous!

And, just to clarify, I am using them in the correct order. Alfred's book 1, Faber's book 1, Step-by-Step book 2 (I finished book 1).

Sophia

Welcome to the forum @Kaydia and congrats on your new piano! I think you may be referring to Let's Play Piano Methods and I agree that his channel is super useful.

You'll find many likeminded fellow beginners here. I too (re)started in January with the Alfred method and can confirm what Nightowl is saying.

Feel free to share recordings of your progress, I'm sure we'd all love to see them 😊

Kaydia

Sophia Hi Sophia. Thank you for the welcome. I'm not sure about doing any recordings. Will have to wait and see if I'll be able to get the nerve to do one someday. TBD

Nightowl

Kaydia Working from two or three level 1 books simultaneously is a little unusual but at least you will have a wider choice of pieces to play, so that's a plus. As for the dire pieces, everybody has different ideas about which pieces they might find dire, it's all a matter of taste, but as you progress through Alfred's books you will probably encounter several pieces which will bring that word to mind. It just goes with the territory.

Kaydia

Animisha Hi, thanks for the welcome. It is fun, so far at least, using multiple books. That's a good point to at least record for myself. Maybe I'll try a private recording later this week.

Kaydia

Nightowl I do like the wider choices of pieces. Hopefully I won't find too many dire pieces. My tastes are fairly simple. I don't even mind the nursery rhyme type of songs they use for beginners.

Sophia

Right, I think when we all first start out, getting our hands on the keys is exciting enough to miss the fact that we are playing tunes like Brother John or Merrily We Roll Along. But as we progress a little further and the honeymoon period is over, we soon start to feel this as a limitation and we want more. And then we find out that "more" might take a while - and we become painfully aware of our limitations. There is no question that some of the pieces will start to feel dire by then. But that too will pass and it will become fun soon enough again 😃

There are several of us who are self studying as well, and as Animisha pointed out, in that case taking videos of ourselves is really useful. It's very hard to play as well as listen to ourselves play, and a recording enables you to really listen to yourself with "neutral ears".

You don't have to share those here of course but at some point, we all said the same - oh I could never share a video in public! And we all ended up doing it because it's so enjoyable to share our progress (even sometimes to share our frustrations because we have all been there and know what it's like!).

The Methods guy you mentioned is very helpful - whenever I decide to listen to him talking through my current piece, I always end up learning something I wasn't aware of! Well I rambled enough, just some thoughts from someone who is on a similar journey as yourself 🙂

Kaydia

Sophia I'm familiar with "honemoon" periods, and no doubt that's where I am in the process right now. As far as recording myself, you all have convinced me to give it a try. At least a private one for my own benefit.

Oh, yes, it is the Let's Play Piano Methods channel that I'm using (among others). I forgot to mention that from your earlier post. He's really got me trying to make my pieces sound as musical as I can get them.

Kaydia

Player1 Hi, and happy to be here! Did you guys conspire to gang up on me about recordings? I never had any intentions of doing so, but may attempt a private recording for myself later this week. I guess I am curious how I'll sound when I can listen when I'm not playing at the same time.

As for my chords, they are definitely hit and miss. More miss than hit as far as the notes sounding as one. Same for not drowning out the melody. Fun stuff!

Kaydia

iternabe Hi iternabe, thanks for the welcome. Your vote for recording is noted. I am pretty much convinced by now.

Have you thought about starting a Faber's post? Are you doing the AIO book? I just started learning the New World Symphony Theme right now. I really like this one.

Player1

Kaydia

Conspire? Us? Noooooooooo, we'd never... 😇

In all truthfulness, recording does help your playing. It also helps knit the forum together socially because we can actually see/hear the members play and that translates to participation in the forum.

Plus it's fun. Really. Yes, it can be frustrating to try and get that one recording that's "good enough" to post it in either one of the recitals or the member recordings sub forum, but it's worth it because we all know how difficult it is to pull off.

Animisha

Kaydia Recording for your own sake and for uploading to this forum are two very separate things. Don't let yourself get stressed by someone who thinks you should upload. I am a very active member here at PianoTell and so far I have not participated in any recitals or in another way uploaded my videos. Nobody has held this against me.
So please feel free to participate in the way that suits you best.

Sophia

iternabe One of its best features is the ability playback a section of what you just played easily and without the need to stop recording.

Interesting! Does it work with the built in mic, or do you need to connect directly to the iPad port? I just record old skool by pointing the smartphone in the direction of the piano and hope for the best 😂

Kaydia Oh, yes, it is the Let's Play Piano Methods channel that I'm using (among others). I forgot to mention that from your earlier post. He's really got me trying to make my pieces sound as musical as I can get them.

I never had piano lessons, but I dabbled with it five years before I started again last January. Back then I had no idea there was such a thing as Internet learning. When I found his channel it was like a light bulb went on above my head... the way he explained dynamics, melody hand louder, etc. I also learned to use the pedal for the first time, though it so happened that it suddenly became clear(er) after a post in this forum. So much to learn still!

Glad you're enjoying your learning! I am not familiar with the other books you use, but for Alfred, the rite of passage is basically Blow the Man Down. It is surprisingly tricky to learn, so if you survive that one without blowing your piano up, from then on you can boast that you play piano 😂

Speaking of which, I'm not sure if you mentioned it but what piano did you purchase?

hebele

Kaydia welcome to the forum. There's already a Faber post: https://forum.pianotell.com/d/1059-faber-all-in-one-piano-course-book-1/47 It's not as active as this one though.

I've also started a few months after you. I follow Faber AIO and "Let's Play Piano Methods" YT. Those two are my main resources. And I also find this forum really helpful. I do not post much here but enjoy reading other people's opinions, progress etc.

In Faber, I didn't find any piece dire enough to skip so far🤞. I do like some of them more than others 🙂. But I also don't mind simple melodies or easy arrangements of classics. I enjoyed New World Symphony Theme.

About recording yourself, I agree it's useful but I'm guilty of not listening enough of my recordings.

Have fun!

iternabe

hebele About recording yourself, I agree it's useful but I'm guilty of not listening enough of my recordings.

Both @Animisha and I use Pianoteq. One of its best features is the ability playback a section of what you just played easily and without the need to stop recording. Pianoteq detects silence and use that to segregate recordings into discreet files. So no need to rewind or seek, just load and play the last recorded file. I even programmed a smart button to automate the playback with a single press because I use this feature so much.

Kaydia

hebele Hi hebele, thank you for the welcome and link to the Faber's discussion. I'll check it out later.

As I mentioned, I'm only up to New World Symphony Theme right now, but if I had to pick my least favorite so far it would be the one before this piece called Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I wouldn't go so far as to label it dire, but those were some weird (to me anyway) slurs in the middle of the piece.

I'm curious, did you just do audio only or video recordings? I think what I don't want is to see myself playing, though I get how that might be useful to monitor posture.

Kaydia

hebele kindly informed me about this thread, so I may post in here on occasion as I work my way through book 1.

navindra Have you seen the Faber YouTube channel?

Thank you for sharing this. Now I have another channel to follow. I just watched up through unit 3. The 3-minute Study in 2nds technique in unit 3 was interesting. It involved small circular wrist motions. Playing the notes in the exercise with my right hand seemed fairly natural and easy to incorporate the circular motion. But my left hand was a different story. I don't think I'd call it tension, but more like stiff and awkward. After continuing to run through the exercises for a bit with my left hand, my wrist did eventually loosen up. Something else for me to work on!

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