Review (PDF)

Keyboard Musician For The Adult Beginner (Frances Clark Library Supplement)

Here is a complete repertoire and textbook for the older or adult beginner. Starting with material appropriate for the first lesson, it moves rapidly through discoveries, music and activities equivalent to The Music Tree and Levels 1 and 2. On completing the book, the student is ready for Level 3 of the Clark Library. The book provides quantities of music, all of it selected or composed to appeal to the older student -- Studies (introducing each of 65 new subjects), Repertoire (155 solos and duets), Accompanying and Transposing (62 melodies to accompany and to transpose to all major and minor keys), Sight Reading (107 one-line pieces that review each of the new discoveries and teach sight reading skills). In addition, the 22 units in 208 pages include: Technical Exercises, Rhythm Exercises, Written Work and Improvising. A Glossary at the end defines all new signs and terms introduced throughout the book.

Series: Frances Clark Library Supplement

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: Alfred Music (September 1, 1995)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0874871034

ISBN-13: 978-0874871036

Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 8.2 x 10.8 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #33,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #9 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Instrumentation > Keyboard #115 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Songbooks > Piano #177 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments > Piano

Both my wife and I have been recommending this book for many years to adults wanting to learn the piano. As part-time piano teachers, we found that the lessons progress at an very good pace for most adults. The choice of songs used in the lessons are tasteful mixing both folk and classical traditions. This book also works well for someone with some music reading background but no previous piano playing experience. This book uses the classical approach and doesn't offer instruction on specific styles like rock, jazz, blues, etc. Overall, I still think it's the best adult piano method book that I've come across so far.

I've taught piano for many years. This is by far the best available. In reading a couple of the comments, it appears that some have tried to use it as a self-teaching method. This just won't work, and I don't know of any that will--no more than learning a foreign language from a book. You have to be guided and shown by an experienced teacher. It was never the intent of this book to be a self-teaching guide.The material presented is in done a logical and progressive way. The exercises and repertoire are appropriate and well graded. I do find that some supplemental material is appropriate. I generally use a combination of this method with the Keith Snell Theory books (1-2,3), and the Francis Clark Piano Etudes books (1,2) work well to supplement the material in the book (by the way, I have never found that practicing lots of 5-finger patterns along with Alberti base, thirds, broken chord accompaniments, etc. ever heart anyone). I also add the Keith Snell Essential Piano Repertoire books where appropriate. These slow down the core book and allow more time to explain and develop style.

Frances Clark's beginner book moves you through a series of exercises that truly help develop both dexterity for the adult learner as well as rapid sight reading improvement. I am very, very pleased with my progress.

As a piano teacher, I like Music Tree and have used it my entire career. I gave this book 3 stars because it moves very fast. Only use it if you have some previous musical knowledge. Also, the print is very tiny. My eyesight is good but those notes are very, very hard to read.

Great book for both beginner and intermediate piano players. This book focuses on the fundamentals and allows you to build your skills gradually, with structured exercises. I would purchase this book again if I ever misplaced it!

It would be more helpful if the binding allowed the book to lie flat when open. It is really hard to keep it propped open when trying to read the music. Otherwise the method is fun as it moves you around the keyboard and challenges you to work your brain with many transposing exercises.

Great product for the adult beginner. The pace is pretty quick and doesn't patronize the learner, but you really should have an instructor. It doesn't emphasize learning all the notes from the beginning but key notes that you can build upon. Learning piano can be overwhelming, but this book tells you what you need to know to start and builds on the the basics so it's actually easier to progress faster and really feel like you are learning something. The exercises mix different skills so it will be easier to do music from different books and not be stuck playing twinkle twinkle for the rest of your life. I had a beginner keyboard book and didn't learn anything, but three lessons using this book and I was already excited to start reading sheet music.

The font is very very small, but the book would come in two or three volumes if it weren't. I am using this with a HS student who sings in a Jazz Choir. She wants to be able to play her part. She knows a lot about music basics, so we can concentrate on the keyboard, technic, etc. I am a Frances Clark fan and like her approach, reading intervals. This book uses a lot of her series for young beginners, but it is in an adult format.

Keyboard Musician for the Adult Beginner (Frances Clark Library Supplement) Dvorak, Rimsky-Korsakov and More: The Orchestra Musician's CD-ROM Library Vol. V (Orchestra Musician's CD-Rom Library, Volume V) Stravinsky Bartok And More Vol. 8 Flute - Orchestra Musician's CD-ROM Library (The Orchestra Musician's CD-Rom Library) Three Mazurkas: The Keyboard Artist (The Keyboard Artist Library) Gilbert & Sullivan: 15 Classic Songs for Keyboard (The Easy Keyboard Library) Essential Keyboard Duets, Vol 3: Music by Bizet, Debussy, Fauré and Ravel (Comb Bound Book) (Alfred Masterwork Edition: Essential Keyboard Repertoire) Essential Keyboard Duets, Vol 6: Music by J. C. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorák, and Mozart, Comb Bound Book (Alfred Masterwork Edition: Essential Keyboard Repertoire) Complete Blues Keyboard Method: Beginning Blues Keyboard, Book & CD (Complete Method) Essential Keyboard Repertoire, Vol 2: 75 Intermediate Selections in their Original form - Baroque to Modern (Alfred Masterwork Edition: Essential Keyboard Repertoire) Piano Literature of the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries Books 6B (Francis Clark Library for Piano Students) (Bk. 6b) Adult Coloring Book: De-Stress: Adult Coloring Books (The Peaceful Adult Coloring Book Series) Adult Romance: Adult Bedtime Short Stories - Sultry XXX Romantic Billionaire Romance, Mail Order Bride Historical Romance, Western, Alpha Male Love, New Adult, Victorian Romance, Bedtime Anthology A Village to Village Guide to Hiking the Camino De Santiago: Camino Frances : St Jean - Santiago - Finisterre Diccionario Espanol/Frances - Francais/Espagnol: Collins Pocket (Spanish Edition) Manual De Traduccion Frances-Castellano (Teoria Y Practica De La Traduccion) (Spanish Edition) El pequeno Trotamundos / Le petit Routard: Libro bilingue para ninos de 1 - 6 anos (espanol - frances) Livre bilingue pour enfants (francais - ... a l'ile Maurice (Volume 1) (Spanish Edition) The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Ravel, Elgar and More - Volume 7: The Orchestra Musician's CD-ROM Library - Trumpet Ravel, Elgar and More - Volume 7: The Orchestra Musician's CD-ROM Library - Cello Ravel, Elgar and More - Volume 7: The Orchestra Musician's CD-ROM Library - Flute