I like that phrase "super slow motion" - I think I might adopt that to describe my own performances. It sounds so much better than the word "slow" by itself - it makes it sound like playing very slowly is a super power that others only dream of! 
"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)
Well, I'm happy to announce that I finished the second book! I just started the third Alfred book, which in true Alfred tradition, starts with a few easy pieces to lull you into thinking playing piano isn't all that hard 
The first piece is A Super Special Song which is, well, not all that special really... but fun to play.
Then on page 3 or so it bursts out into a lot of theory mumbo jumbo, which thanks to some very kind forum participants now makes sense to me... at least why it is important 
I will be going back to the second book quite a lot though. I have found in my piano journey that (at least to me) there simply is no direct, linear way to learning the pieces thoroughly. When I was in Alfred book 2 I played through book 1 quite a lot and every time the pieces went better and better. Now that I have started book 3, I plan to do the same with the second book. I guess I'm the zig zagging type, but it seems to work for me. As long as I don't feel that I'm hitting a solid brick wall, I'll continue on this path... forward a little, back a lot 
So rather than starting yet another thread and abandoning this one, I have changed the title to include both book 2 and 3. I think right now @Nightowl and I are the only ones at this stage in our journey... everyone else is either way ahead of us, or following other books/methods.
I'm really excited that I made it this far! For reference:
I started the first book in January 2024. Because I was just catching up with previous skills, it only took me 6 weeks from start to finish (most of that time on the last pieces in fact). Mid February I started Alfred 2. It took me almost seven months to finish that. If that is the expected pattern, then Alfred 3 will take me about 2 years to finish
It's been so much fun to learn piano and I can't emphasize enough what a help and encouragement this forum has been throughout. I could kick myself for giving up so many times in the past, but I won't. This is now - and the future is full of endless possibilities. Learning blues... finishing the Alfred course.... continuing where I left off in the John Thompson method, playing duets, and then moving on to pieces of my own choice rather than just following a method book... improvising... I want it all
This piece puts a happy smile on my face... (second piece in the new book):
I think Simba likes it too! Though he was distracted when he heard a big bang somewhere...
A very nice piece played very nicely. Good tempo, too. You improved a lot. Looks like you reached the fun part of Alfreds.
Thank you! Yes, it seems that now Alfred thinks we are reaching the point where he can give us fun pieces
Side note: I also started lick #4 of lesson 9 and basically started to cry deep down inside, lol. It's hard! But I know it will come too
Variant 4 was indeed somewhat harder to learn. But it also sounds a bit better. Call it rewarding. I am done with learning all lines. Now it is time for practicing, making it error free and smooth. Problem is, if I play everything in a single take it is over 4 minutes long. Lots of room to mess it up.
Hmmm... if I play it faster, it will be less than 4 minutes... 
Sounds like a plan
Haha yes, but playing faster would also mean it takes 3 weeks longer to learn. There are no easy choices with piano!
Sophia, thanks for the detailed update on your progress - it gives the rest of us hope of brighter things to come, especially when listening to that Calypso piece - it's very upbeat and you play it well. 
Updating the thread title to include book 3 is a great idea, because it seems that many people end their Alfred's journey with book 2, so this provides an inclusive place for people using books 2 or 3 to compare notes as they move to the heady heights of playing intermediate level pieces. 
My progress is a lot slower than yours, but I am pleased to report that I am nearly half way through book 2 and I even braced myself to learn the HP (Hokey Pokey AKA Hideous Piece)! I will never love the piece, but felt it was useful to help with my sight reading and learning to play a different style from the slow, romantic pieces which I favour. The next piece is Hava Nagila and I seem to be actively avoiding it... I keep replaying other pieces from book 2, and sometimes work on That's Amore as a bit of a diversion, as it has an upbeat vibe and a pretty tune. HG is 4 pages long and I'm not quite ready to take it on yet. It would be great to hear from other Alfredos who are at a similar stage in their journey.
"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)
Oh I can relate to stalling on the hard stuff... I think I played through both books about three times before I finally found the courage to tackle the pieces with three flats
So far I'm liking book 3. It has a lot more theory and a lot less hand holding on pieces. I'm a little nervous about self teaching now and I realize there might be a point where I will regret not having a teacher.
But then I just keep telling myself that it's only a hobby... the moon will not explode because I'm not doing something 100% correctly. As long as I keep making progress, I'll follow this path 
You know the saying "you don't know what you don't know" but the opposite is true too... "what you know, you know!" And I know I'm not stuck just yet
Well, I wanted to start the Classy Rag (page 32). I wanted to get the feel for it before even trying it (yeah, I know, I know...) so I listened to this version without even looking at the notes yet:
But something sounded strange... like she was in an unusual rush or something. Couldn't put my finger on it... but it just didn't sound right. So I compared it with Gale's version:
And there it was.... at the 10:29, 10:38, 10:47 10:51 mark he actually counts it out... and that was what was missing. She only kept those notes for two counts, not four (0:34, 0:37, 0:46 and 0;49 mark respectively)
Which just goes to show that we are all learners and have to be on our toes at all times no matter our skill level - because even the advanced players don't ALWAYS get it right
Sophia Good ear, and good find!
I have also found on more than one occasion YouTube video marked as “teacher demo” not playing exactly what’s written on the sheet music. And these are just my level one stuff which should be super simple to teachers. So the inattention to details is a bit baffling.
Gale is great, though. I think his former career as a technical writer really shows.
Yes, I really appreciate his teaching methods. I stopped following him for each piece, but any time I do go back to his explanations, I learn something new. I'm not very fond of the hamfisted way he plays some of the tunes, but he himself explained that he just plays the notes, because he wants to make sure the audio comes through... plus he usually plays with a metronome for us to play along, so there is little you can vary there. I remember his methods lead to some controversy in another forum once but honestly I can't fault anything he says usually.
Gale also said he does not want students to imitate him (in the sense of carbon copying his playing). That is why he rarely play through more than a phrase or two when explaining technical requirements. And also why when he play the final demo at a slower tempo to just check on notes and rhythm.
He has another YouTube channel where he uploaded some of his playings, among other stuff. I watched some of them. His restraint to not show off in his method book lessons is remarkable.
@Sophia Ah, yes, now I've listened to both of those Ragtime vids I hear what you're referring to - in the version played by 92pianokeys she made an error with the tempo and someone posted a comment pointing out that she had failed to count the rests... which was met with the reply "Oops". The player on that channel has previously posted that she is not a virtuoso player, but taught piano for many years. Anyway, I really like her style of playing so can easily forgive the mistake, she has probably helped and inspired many beginners with her videos. I do find the LetsPlayPianoMethods vids helpful too, as his instructions are very clear and the slow steady tempo he uses is helpful, even though it can sound a little clunky at times. It's great that there is so much free help available online and I appreciate the work of these YouTubers very much.
@iternabe I might go and check out his other channel, that sounds worth a visit.
"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)
Well, after working on Hava Nagila for 2 weeks, I've now moved on to Space Shuttle Blues (page 75), which feels like a blast of fresh air after HN. Blues music is not really my thing, but I like this piece and it hasn't taken long to learn, which is a nice confidence boost. I'm now past the halfway point in book 2, and hopeful that by new year I might be near the end of the book, playing some really nice pieces.
I have found it very useful to watch performances of the pieces on the 92pianokeys YT channel - the pianist has a lovely deft touch which makes the pieces more musical.
"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)
Yes, I watch her for inspiration on how to sound better... and Gale when I need some extra explanations such as (recently) finger pedaling. The book had a very vague explanation and I almost panicked... but he made it all sound so simple once again, until of course you try to do it yourself and realize you still need to put the work in to make it happen 
My next piece is in the "ambitious" section of the book, the Bach prelude. We all know it, because it's basically THE piece all those "falling block" learners start with. I nearly did that too... but I'm glad I decided to go with method books, because at least now I can practise my finger pedaling and dynamics a little more
LOL I know, they are the real talents around this house! As well as natural born clowns! I'm not far from wrapping up my next blues lesson and I have a feeling it might include a cat... perhaps!
I'm currently working on the Black Forest Polka (p82). It's a fun piece, with lots of nice runs of notes up and down the keys, but I think it will be tricky to play them quickly. Next is the famous Elgar piece, which has two part writing included for the RH - scary stuff. I have tinkered with it and understand in theory what I have to do, but it feels like having 3 hands would be handy at this point! 
I regularly watch 92pianokeys playing pieces from book 2, and of course she makes everything look so easy. Well, she's got decades of playing experience behind her so that's hardly surprising, but those videos are great for people who don't have a teacher, especially as you can play them at slower speed to study the fingering techniques. We are fortunate to have so many online resources to help us on our journey.
"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)
