# anyone think this is a good piano book to buy ?



## Davzon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Piano-Handbook-Complete-Mastering/dp/0879307277/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I'm thinking of getting this book on piano what do others think? cause it seems to start off basic then gets a bit more harder which I kind of like books like that.


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## Three14

Get a teacher - books are instructional tools not teachers


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## Davzon

A teacher is all very well, if you can afford one. So I just want something improve me, I know a few scale books and stuff that I can get, but something to push me, but not too much that I lose faith in myself playing. So of cause if I can't afford a teacher then I guess my next best thing is a book so, I can improve better so.. then when I finally in a good position for a teacher I wont be as bad, and then I can go through all the grades. I did only manage to pass my grade 1 piano but that was in 1998 so I'm not too sure if I should just retake my grade 1 piano again and just go through them all, I aim is to get all the way to grade 8 piano.


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## Ingélou

I would have thought you wouldn't have to retake grade 1 again, but there are some very helpful piano teachers on this forum who can give you good advice.
Hope you find an enjoyable path to improvement.


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## Davzon

Maybe I don't I can't get any worse can I lol. nah I do try and improve myself but as most say I really need a teacher to get the the levels that I want, but then there are also teachers that aint that good either. I mean I do like those Pianist magazines the do every two months they have good insight and free online video help too, maybe that will be ok for me for a while. At the moment I want to also try and learn how to write orchestral music too, cause I'm a fan of John Williams film scores. But of cause I think I might be trying to run before I can walk, cause orchestral music is complicated and you have to know what instrument can do what, I mean even the great Chopin wasn't good at it cause he wrote parts as if it was piano music, and you really can't think that way, you kinda have to think like each note of a chord is a separate instrument. Thanks for the word of thought and I'm always playing, trying to think of notes as numbers cause then that helps to transpose into different keys, cause really C F G is just a 1 4 5 so being as I practice my scales too that means I can then play that in any key as easy as breathing. Sorry I do tend to do on alot. I have to admit though Im far better at my music theory than my practical playing, cause I passed my grade 5 in music theory at a music college I went to but still can't really sight read that well. Strange really oh well. Thanks for the advice and have a good day.


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## muzik

Learning with a book is perfectly ok, there is nothing wrong with being an autodidact! 

I've personally learned with a book, when I'm not sure about something I ask a friend. No need for a teacher.


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## PetrB

The title alone tells me no matter what is in that book, the title implies something which is a massive lie.

Get a teacher. If you cannot afford one regularly find one who will work with you every so often. Make that a real pedagogue, who knows best for you, what to start with and what comes next.

This will end up being read, telling you near zip-nada, and collecting dust on a shelf.

It is a popular belief that it is possible to teach yourself how to play an instrument. It is a popular belief only.

That popular belief has a lot of people writing such books, posting tutorials on-line for a fee, and must be generating a ton of money somewhere. I urge you not to contribute to that profit pool while you get little or nothing of any real worth in exchange.


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## Davzon

Well to be honest given a choice I'd rather have someone there that I can bounce Ideas off. That way they can either tell me yes amazing idea to practice or go errrm no that's rubbish. I did want to be a music teacher myself at some point. but with my practical level being rather rubbish, not much chance of that. The thing I find hard the most is rhythm it confuses me loads. I can tell what a note is but when I come across anything with a 16th note I'm lost. I know the 1e+a 2e+a and so on, but music doesn't come in order it's all over the place with rests in between. I just want to get better cause I've wasted so many years by just messing around and not really getting anywhere. The song that got me this way is this song, I mean omg how good do you have to be to play that.


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