The Complete Piano Player: Book 1 Paperback – Import, 22 October 1999

Best book ever ,I bought it long time ago ,forgot the name and lost the book than I luckily looking here found it again ,sweet .

everything was perfect i m very lease

I write this in 2017. The original edition of this book was published in 1984 ... that's 33 years and counting. That fact alone plus another - that millions of copies have been sold - should tell you that there is something special about Kenneth Baker's books and style. Put simply - they're VERY well paced and move you on in well thought out steps and stages. The music used is what can loosely be classified as "modern standards" or "pop standards" and although very young users of the book may not now be as familiar with all the songs and tunes as those with - er - "more experience", that's no real problem, especially as books 1, 2 and 3 (so far) have been re-issued with a CD. All the songs and tunes used by Baker have been chosen because they're strong melodies so even if you're unfamiliar with a few pieces, the CD is there to help you. Failing that, there is Youtube.Each tune is represented by two tracks - the first features the tune with its backing and the second features just the backing. Using auto repeat as necessary makes practise and learning much, much easier and more fun.From the very outset, you learn by playing tunes but, of course, there is nothing to stop you adding scales as necessary and appropriate. Baker's pacing is geared towards ensuring that you move forwards slowly as you acquire skills, keyboard knowledge and a gradual understanding of music theory. You are never over-faced with anything and everything is sequenced as perfectly as it could be when writing a book that will be of use to legions of different people.In books 1 and 3 there have been minor changes to the pieces of music used. In book 1, exercise 7 used to feature 'Rivers of Babylon' but now features 'Autumn' from Vivaldi's 'Four seasons'. Personally I preferred 'Babylon' and so have copied that and added it to my copy of the new edition of Book 1. I'm guessing the change has been made for two main reasons ... (1) because 'Babylon' may now be less familiar to younger users, and (2) to placate those who decry the lack of classical music in the series. For me, although I love 'The four seasons', I found it less interesting to play than 'Babylon'.In Book 3, exercise 3 used to feature "I whistle a happy tune" but now features 'Dream baby' which is presented as a more challenging piece than 'Happy tune'. Exercise 18 used to feature "Getting to know you" but now features "I'm not in love".As far as I can tell, and beyond those changes, the content of the original and new editions of Books 1, 2 and 3 is identical.As I commented in my review for the smaller format omnibus edition of this series, those who are using Book 1 and who want some truly simple but enjoyable tunes to play once they have acquired a few of the basic skills and knowledge, might like to check out this book ... Easy Keyboard Tunes: 30 Fun and Easy Keyboard Tunes for Beginners It isn't by Kenneth Baker but can act as a very useful supplement, certainly for the those who are working through, say, the first third of Baker's Book 1.Finally - two things to beware of ...(1) If you are thinking of buying the omnibus edition (which currently does not come with CDs) be sure to read the product description, especially regarding its size. (I have reviewed that item, mostly to offset all the whingers who didn't bother to read that description).(2) The Kindle version is not well regarded. Indeed, Kindle versions of pretty well any music tutor are slammed by a lot of people. Books are the way to go for this series.So - in a nutshell - this series of books has a well-proven record of effectiveness and popularity for the simple reason that it is really, really good. Easy Keyboard Tunes: 30 Fun and Easy Keyboard Tunes for Beginners

I've used this book alongside a video tutorial. And I like it. The CD helps with songs I never heard before. The book is easy to read and the lessons are easy to understand.

Good concise book for learning to play the piano.