THE
COMPLETE PACKAGE: $89.95 Includes all 6 basic books.
PIANO IS EASY, I CAN READ MUSIC, BIG BOOK OF SONGS, CHRISTMAS
CAROL KIT, TEACH YOURSELF PIANO, EASY CLASSICAL. 6 books,
3 Play Along Audio CDs, DVD and removable stickers.
The great masterpieces of classical music are now available in easy to read "piano by number" format! Here's the perfect, more advanced piano method to follow-up all your "piano by number" explorations.
This unique piano method volume contains timeless masterpieces such as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," Bach's "Prelude #1," Beethoven's "Fur Elise," Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca," and Rossini's immortal "William Tell Overture," more popularly known as the theme to TV's LONE RANGER.
Sit down and explore the great masterpieces of classical music, all in easy to read "piano by number" format.
Plus we include a 29 minute PLAY ALONG AUDIO CD performed by Emmy Award winning composer John Aschenbrenner. This CD includes all the selections in the book in two formats, performance and practice, so you can hear what the piece sounds like, and then practice by playing along at a slower speed!
It's a fun, low pressure piano method that will familiarize you with some of the greatest masterpieces of classical music. No special musical skills of any kind are required to enjoy playing classical piano.
Would you like to try a bit of Bach? Below you'll find a brief excerpt from Bach's immortal "Prelude #1," presented as you'll find it in our latest book, "EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER," simplified to fit on the small keyboard you find online.
Before you begin, please make sure that:
1. Your computer speakers are turned ON
2. The volume of your computer's speakers is turned UP
3. Your computer's internal volume setting is ON
BACH PRELUDE #1
|1 3 5 8 10 5 8 10 | 1 3 5 8 10 5 8 10 |
|1 2 6 9 11 6 9 11 | 1 2 6 9 11 6 9 11 |
Using your computer's mouse, you can easily get the idea of "piano by numbers." Just click on the white key with the number that corresponds to the numbers of the song above. You can find this song in EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER, a fun piano method for older children and adults from Walden Pond Press!
It's easy to get started with "piano by number" because it yields immediate results.
Please note that only the white keys of the piano are numbered and enabled in the above animation.
The reason for this is simple: every piano method starts out using only the white keys of the piano because it is easier for beginners. Later, using a book such as THE BIG BOOK OF SONGS BY NUMBER, you can explore using the black keys of the piano, called "flats and sharps." EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER includes a section to teach you sharps and flats, so you don't need to purchase another book to make use of EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER.
Intended as a follow-up volume for our other "piano by number" method books, EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER presumes that you have:
1. Played melodies by number using a book such as PIANO IS EASY or THE CHRISTMAS CAROL KIT. (Even if you haven't done this, there is a section included in EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER that will prepare you!)
2. Played songs with the black keys of the piano, using a book such as THE BIG BOOK OF SONGS BY NUMBER. (Even if you haven't done this, there is a section included in EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER that will prepare you!)
This book is intended as a destination for those who want to try actual masterpieces of the piano literature before they attempt to learn the complexities of sheet music. It's a piano method that has a proven track record for older children and adults.
Here's a list of titles essential to the beginner included in this amazing volume:
J. S. Bach: PRELUDE #1 IN C
Beethoven: MOONLIGHT SONATA
Beethoven: FUR ELISE
J. S. Bach: MINUET
Mozart: RONDO ALLA TURCA
Tchaikovsky: SYMPHONY PATHETIQUE
Beethoven: RAGE OVER A LOST PENNY (RONDO CAPRICCIO)
Chopin: FANTASIE IMPROMPTU
Debussy: CLAIR DE LUNE
Rossini: WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE (LONE RANGER THEME)
From the Introduction to EASY CLASSICAL PIANO BY NUMBER
The idea for this book comes from students who are able to play music at the piano far more complex than what they are able to read from sheet music.
Musicians play music which is memorized, as well as reading through “literature” (sheet music) for work or pleasure. Sheet music is not the be-all and end-all of the musical art: sound, perception and pleasure are the essence of music, and it doesn’t matter much how you achieve it, from the printed page or elsewhere.
Thus I teach all students to play complex pieces in simplified versions, or by number, or by ear, or by memory. They learn sheet music as well, but start by playing the great masterpieces in however humble a fashion.
I ask students to memorize these pieces so that they can look at the piano keys, not the printed page.
The reason for this is simple: beginning sheet music is necessarily boring and limited in scope. To combat this fatigue, I make all students start as soon as possible playing great masterpieces of classical music in a simplified form.
A student who is inspired by playing, however humbly, a great masterpiece, is far more likely to endure the repetition necessary to achieve mastery at the piano.
How one gets the information for the music is irrelevant, what matters is that the player knows which keys to push when. It’s very much like a script to an actor: at first, they are dependent on the written text, but, once memorized, the script is discarded as the actor fully inhabits the role.
Or, think of a driver with a road map: one consults the page and then drives, for to do both at once is a recipe for disaster. Learn the notes, the keys, and then memorize, and then play the piece from memory, never referring to the printed page. Look at the keys while you play, not the printed page. Like an actor with a script, the printed page is largely irrelevant once it is memorized.
It’s the same with music: what matters is that the player knows what to do, not how they have acquired the information. The great singer Pavarotti, for example, cannot read sheet music, and relies on coaches who sing and play his part until the great tenor is sure of what to do. What matters is the music itself, not the form in which it is delivered.
Everything you and your child need to start having fun at the piano:
This unique volume contains timeless masterpieces such as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," Bach's "Prelude #1," Beethoven's "Fur Elise," Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca," and Rossini's immortal "William Tell Overture," more popularly known as the theme to TV's LONE RANGER.
Start playing the great masterworks of classical music in easy to read piano by number format!
Every order of the EASY CLASSICAL PIANO Book Package includes a copy of I CAN READ MUSIC plus a FREE copy of the 56 minute DVD video from TEACH YOURSELF PIANO
Our Play Along Audio CDs are an important element in making the piano fun for kids, and are produced by Grammy Award winner (Sesame Street) Joe Castellon.
Our colorful books and videos have been created by Emmy Award winning composer and piano teacher John Aschenbrenner and are guaranteed to get your child happily started at the piano.
PIANO IS EASY (ISBN # 0-9718936-1-6) Sturdily bound, durable, colorful 107 page illustrated song book with 44 songs such as Jingle Bells and London Bridge, Play Along Audio CD and removable numbered stickers.
Every book package order of PIANO IS EASY includes a copy of I CAN READ MUSIC. This fun, easy-to-understand music activity book is the best way to start children reading music. Click here for sample pages.
Every book package order of PIANO IS EASY includes a FREE copy of the 56 minute DVD video from TEACH YOURSELF PIANO. This video will have you playing chords (three piano keys played with the left hand) and fun, familiar songs with both hands right away. That's a $16.95 value free!
Inspire your children to play piano: visit the GREAT PIANIST VIDEO MUSEUM and watch all the videos! We have classical, jazz and comical film routines such as the great Chico Marx and many more!
PIANO BY NUMBER® BOOKS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE HERE IN OUR ONLINE STORE
John Aschenbrenner is an Emmy Award winning composer and leading children's music educator. Below is a selection from his many articles on Children and Piano.
THE PIANO WHISPERER "...There is a certain way that a piano teacher can act that a child will find delightful. This manner will inspire children to try things that they are sure they cannot do at the piano."
BRAINS, CHILDREN AND PIANO "...All that matters is your child's experience at the piano. It doesn't matter what other people think, what others expect, even what the piano teacher thinks is irrelevant."
THE
COMPLETE PACKAGE: $89.95 Includes all 6 basic books.
PIANO IS EASY, I CAN READ MUSIC, BIG BOOK OF SONGS, CHRISTMAS
CAROL KIT, TEACH YOURSELF PIANO, EASY CLASSICAL. 6 books,
3 Play Along Audio CDs, DVD and removable stickers.
Listen to the great pianists of the past. You can hear short selections from all the recorded classical geniuses, such as Horowitz, Rubinstein and even 19th century legends, like Paderewski.
Let your child hear the Masters play! It's fun to listen to these historical recordings
BIG BOOK
OF SONGS Book Package.
$49.95 Includes 141 page illustrated book with 130 songs,
I CAN READ MUSIC BOOK, DVD and removable stickers. Read more