Product Description

At first glance, a piano may seem like an intimidating instrument that would be very difficult to learn how to play, but despite what your seventh-grade piano teacher may say, playing piano isn't brain surgery. It just takes time, practice, and patience.

Piano For Dummies starts at the very beginning and walks you through everything you need to know to turn that oversized hunk of furniture into an instrument that can make beautiful music. If you don't know how to read music, this book explains in friendly, uncomplicated language all the basics of music theory and applying it to playing the piano. And if you've been playing piano for a while – or took piano lessons when you were a child but haven't played since – you can pick up some valuable tips to improve your playing or use the book as a refresher course.

Here are some of the topics you'll find in Piano For Dummies:

• Buying a piano: Acoustic versus electronic
• How a piano works, and how to care for one
• Left- and right-hand piano techniques
• Examining keys, scales, melodies, harmonies, and chords
• Plenty of musical examples to play
• The history of piano musical styles
• Advice for piano teachers
• A Top Ten list of pianists you should know about

Piano For Dummies also includes a glossary and a free CD, which includes audio of all of the examples in the book so that you can play along.

So if you've always wanted to learn to play piano, but you don't have the time to take piano lessons, you can pick up the basics in Piano For Dummies; you'll be tickling the ivories with ease in no time!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7400 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-18
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Library Journal
Instruct: to provide with knowledge, especially in a methodical way. That is, in fact, what Phillips and Chappel of Cherry Lane Music do in this logical, pedagogic introduction to keyboard instruments, music theory, and piano technique. The chapter on the famous?or is it infamous??"Part of Tens" includes information about past and present masters of the instrument, ways of expanding your interest beyond the scope of the book, and tips on finding a teacher. Printed musical examples are plentiful, and an accompanying audio CD is included. This book intends to be fun and funny and succeeds in a vaudeville sort of way. Students are encouraged "to continue to seek knowledge about your instrument long after you tire of the jokes" and told that "piano teachers and method books shouldn't be forsaken forever." The do-it-yourself phenomenon has made the "Dummies" books very popular. This one is particularly appropriate for school media and public libraries.?Janet Brewer, Murray State Univ. Lib., KY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover
Play-along audio CD included! The fun and easy way to get started on the piano

A Reference for the Rest of Us!

Perfect for all keyboards?not just piano

Find out how to have some fun with your piano

Don't leave your keyboard in the corner collecting dust! Open the book, run through a few simple exercises with virtuoso Blake Neely, and soon you'll be tickling the ivories with the best of them. From basic scales to old favorites, classical themes, blues, boogie-woogie, and more, this friendly beginner's guide and songbook doesn't miss a beat.

All 97 songs and exercises from the book on audio CD

Play along with "Oh Sussannah." " The Beautiful Blue Danube." "Swanee River," " Ode to Joy," " Greensleaves," " Danny Boy," Berry-style blues, a boogie-woogie bass line, " Hank the Honky-Tonk" riff, and much, much more

Discover how to:

Familiarize yourself with the keyboard

Understand the language of music

Have fun when you practice scales

Impress friends with great grooves and riffs

Play classical, rock, blues, and country

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About the Author
Blake Neely has been playing piano since he was about 4 years old, although it took a while before real audible music could be detected. His fascination with music led him to other instruments, such as the French horn, guitar, and drums, but the keyboard remains his baby.

Upon graduation from the University of Texas in 1991, he moved to Los Angeles to experience the music business. He licensed music for Hollywood Records and later worked for Disney Music Publishing as editor of all printed music publications.

An award-winning composer and author, he has written symphonies, a piano concerto, and numerous orchestral and chamber works. He is co-author of the acclaimed FastTrack series, published by Hal Leonard Corporation.

Blake has worked as a composer, orchestrator, arranger, copyist, engraver, musicologist, and consultant for such prominent figures as Disney, Hal Leonard Corporation, Decca Records, Hyperion Books, composers Michael Kamen and Alan Menken, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

Currently living in Austin, Texas, Blake spends his free time tuning into his family: wife Elizabeth, daughter Jordan, and son Jacob. Blake is the proud owner of a Kawai grand piano and Kurzweil, Ensoniq, and E-Mu synths and samplers. You can reach Blake via e-mail at BlakeNeely@aol.com.

Customer Reviews

Basic book for piano and how to read music
This book is not terrible, but it does talk down, like you were a dummy. I got it at the library. There is a cd of songs, but when I played it, it was not just a piano, but with an accompaniment, that would not be so useful for one trying to play just the piano piece. I found the songs to be hard to read. You would have to open the book up, photocopy them and enlarge them up to a readable size. The one good thing is the book is basic, and does not try to teach you to play by ear. Very few people can play by ear, and it takes a lot of training to learn to play by ear. Many quick courses tell you play by ear, it may not work, if you don't have a musical ear.

easy to read
This is an excellent book for teaching yourself piano. All the reviewers who slam this book for corny humor can go jump in a lake. There are plenty of serious music books that just shovel out the facts in a dry manner, so if that is what you want, fine, no reason to get uptight about a book that trys to use a more human touch. I want to also make it clear that the book does not tell jokes per say, so you dont have to read through long groaners to get to the material. The author simply interjects personal examples. Its a technique that is used in all the dummies books, if you dont like it, dont read dummies books.

An easy way to learn...
It's very easy to learn piano with the this book and it's really funny. You learn without the stress of a regular "learning manual".