How to play piano book

The best guide to learning piano

Everything you need to begin your journey – in one simple e-book. The Complete Beginner’s Guide breaks learning down into easy to understand steps, so you can follow your dream knowing that you’re doing things right

Contents

Who is this guide for?

We wrote this guide for piano beginners. Ten chapters guide you all the way from zero knowledge to the point where you are sitting with your hands at the keyboard with all the understanding and resources you need. This guide cannot replace learning and practicing, but we can show you how to get the most out of your time. So even if you already have some playing experience, you can still find something valuable here.

What is covered?

It is structured to match the way you begin to play. We cover all the equipment you need, choosing a learning method and set you up to sit at the piano. We move through technique and playing your first melodies. Then we support your learning with chapters on reading music, structuring practice sessions, goal setting, staying motivated and using the pedals. Throughout the chapters, separate boxes give you further information or help you avoid common mistakes.

How should I read it?

This may feel like a lot, but you don’t have to read it all at once, or in order. You can skip chapters that you are already comfortable with. You can leave parts that aren’t relevant yet, and come back to look things up when they are. It’s designed to remain useful at any level.

In just a few chapters you’ll be playing your first melodies, and soon enough you’ll be able to take pride that you can play piano. We hope you’re excited to learn as we are to guide you.

20+ Learn to Play the Piano Books for Free! [PDF]

Mastering any musical instrument offers countless advantages for both children and adults. With this in mind, we have compiled books to learn to play the piano in PDF format, all of which are publicly accessible and distributed free of charge.

The benefits are basically on three levels: physical, mental and emotional. In this sense, one of the musical instruments most acclaimed by apprentices and audiences is the piano. If you want to improve your technique, take a look at our books to learn to play the piano.

The modern version of the piano was created by the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori in the 18th century. However, this instrument already had antecedents in other string instruments, such as the zither. Its evolution took time, but finally we have it today as one of the most emblematic modern instruments of music.

Learning to play the piano requires the development of various skills and certain qualities in the apprentice, in addition to talent and passion for music. It can be complex and frustrating, but as with any instrumental performance, it requires much practice to master it completely.

History has witnessed the talent of great classical musicians and composers, who brought to light masterpieces to be performed on a piano. Since then, millions of musicians around the world have reproduced and recreated these pieces providing enormous aesthetic pleasure and artistic entertainment to audiences of all times.

We must remember that music is one of the most appreciated fine arts in humanity and the piano is an instrument capable of generating the highest emotions and beautifully expressing the essential richness of the human being.

Dare to accompany your studies with our more than 20 books to learn to play the piano in PDF format, including exercise books to play the piano, ready to download to your electronic devices.

Best Piano Books for Beginners

Many people who want to begin learning to play piano are often witnessed being discouraged and demotivated. The reason that they often are seen giving is that they find learning to play this instrument too tough even when they are completely focused. Your efforts may be good and you might be focused on moving in correct direction but your tutor or teaching aid may not be appropriate. Learning piano is achievable if you have complete focus and an appropriate learning material. Some of the wonderful piano teaching books can help you in gaining proficiency with piano playing techniques. These books prove a strong foundation by offering quality lessons for a great start.

Best Beginner Piano Books:

A good piano book should guide you well with quality lessons and at the same time they should be easier to follow. Some piano learners make this mistake that they opt for difficult books teaching tough theory in the beginning. It is best to go slow and get started with simple tips and techniques so that you are prepared to dive in to details. Here we are sharing some of the best books that you should trust and follow if you really are focused and interested in learning piano.

Ultimate Beginner Series: This piano book has a DVD to accompany quick learning of basic techniques. For a dedicated student who wants to learn all the basic techniques quickly yet effectively, you can jump in to the world of piano music with this book. It gives you understanding of chords, hand and fingering, arpeggios and playing by ear. It is a complete book for beginners to learn piano basics.

Faber Music Piano Adventures: Faber Music includes a series of books that teaches piano well. Beginners can understand this instrument and learn to experiment with its varied components and features. It is a complete guide that uses a different approach for teaching piano. Learners can experiment with pedaling and other functions to gain awareness of various piano sounds. Set of exercises are shared with each lesson and instructions are given so that you can become more aware of each of the important aspects of playing piano.

Alfred’s Basic Piano Course Lesson: Alfred is a name well-known when it comes to training yourself to play piano. These books are really famous among students’ at all different levels and of different ages. This book enables you to progress slowly and gradually. All the information is shared in simple and easy to remember format. Basics are taught and all the lessons take you only one step further so that you are able to follow all the sections well. So if you want to gain piano learning skill, grab this book to add practicality to your learning.

My First Piano Adventure Books: These are a set of books that are focused on giving young children an understanding of instrument as well as to make them learn basics of playing piano. Although it is aimed for young kids but adults beginners can also reference these books for learning piano. Books that are designed to suit kids’ learnings are usually slow based but these are interesting enough to keep you engaged with learning.

Hal Leonard Student Piano Library Book 1: This series is another interesting set for beginners. These workbooks are designed to give a strong basis for beginners and motivates them to create music with simple instructions. It comes with a CD that makes real piano playing much easier. If you are more interested in learning piano at home with practice, this book may be appropriate choice for you.

Best Beginner Piano Books: 15 Top Piano Books for Children & Adults

If you’re learning the piano and very keen on improving, you’ll likely end up using a piano book.

With all the endless books available, you may wonder, “What are the best beginner piano books?”

Some of them can take you to new heights, while others, not so much.

This article will discuss the best piano books for children and adults.

Let’s dive right into the piano book world.

Can A Piano Book Help You Learn The Piano?

If you’ve seen a glimpse of the piano community, you know that lots of pianists use books. “How helpful are these books? And, which one should I get?”

Since the invention of the piano around the year 1700, piano books have a primary way to learn the instrument. Even Mozart likely used a book called “Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments.” C.P.E Bach wrote this book, and it was one of the most popular of its time. So, what’s my reason for saying this? It’s to show that even one of history’s greatest pianists used a book.

Learning from a piano book can be one of the most effective ways to improve. Though online resources can be highly beneficial, finding a guided plan can be challenging. Most of the time, the authors are excellent pianists themselves that know effective steps you can take.

What Defines a Good Piano Learning Book?

When a book has songs you’ve already heard, it’s much more entertaining to go through. You also need something that helps with music theory and technique. A balance of popular songs and technical playing aspects makes the learning process more manageable.

Best Piano Book For Kids

Alfred’s Basic Piano Prep Course Level A

This book is one of the most widely-used piano books of all time. It’s for children who are just starting their piano journeys. Within the book, there are many bright colors and illustrations to keep kids interested. However, this book is a little outdated, and there are still more visually appealing books out there.

Nevertheless, the Alfred series is still a standard used throughout the world. Teachers use it because it brings consistent results. This book does an excellent job of covering all the important piano playing aspects. On top of this prep course, Alfred has 4 more series’ for children. You can mix and match these courses to create an ultimate learning plan.

These books have a definitive style that kids adapt to easily. And, once they do, the learning comes very smoothly. You learn lots of helpful ear training exercises, music theory, and piano techniques. Whether or not your child takes piano lessons, this is a tried-and-true method of learning.

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Piano Time Classics by Pauline Hall

Here’s a children’s book that’s worth evaluating. The “Piano Time” series, written by Pauline Hall, includes many unique books catered for children. This series includes a full piano course and several seasonal books, such as Piano Time Christmas Carols.

Piano Time Classics is an excellent book for children. Loads of appealing colors keep kids interested and engaged. The quiz pages are a great feature. Kids learn without realizing it when they answer these questions, which is very convenient.

This book isn’t only made for small kids but also can serve teens. Pauline Hall specifically made it not too difficult for kids and not too easy for teens. You’ll find that this book isn’t as long as many others, but that’s not all bad. Some pianists claim it doesn’t have as much fluff and includes only the critical things. With heftier books, kids can also lose interest and become discouraged by endless pages. You don’t want that to happen. A small book gives kids hope that they’ll be able to finish it.

Piano Time Classic is an excellent book that keeps kids engaged while teaching them valuable techniques. However, there’s one thing you should keep in mind. Though this book can work wonders, you should use it alongside other books. The reason being, learning only from this can give kids a 1-dimensional understanding of the piano.

Bastien Piano Basics Primer Level

Here’s another classic piano book series. These books work best for beginners aged 4 to 6. However, you can use them with older children and late beginners as well. The Bastien books provide children a wealth of knowledge and material for many lessons.

This piano book series is highly convenient because of its 4 books. There’s a book dedicated to performance, theory, technique, and general piano. Publishers did this to spread out the learning process rather than cramming everything into one book. It’s ideal for kids to start with the general piano edition. Of course, there are some downsides to having all these books. It can become tedious for kids to carry all of them to their lessons. Also, you have to buy each of them individually. For teachers, it can also be slightly frustrating to transition from book to book.

Other than that, the presentation of these books is pleasant. Kids who follow the material are in for a thorough ride through the basics, sheet music, and more. A convenient aspect of these books is they aren’t too quick or slow. They cover ideas just enough to stick, but not too much for them to be redundant.

Me and My Piano by Fanny Waterman

For beginner pianists, this is the UK’s most sought-after book. It’s suited for children who’ve never touched the piano before. Inside, kids learn the black and white notes and other fundamentals. This book is delightful to look at and has beautiful colors to keep kids’ attention. “Me and My Piano” is for the beginning stages and nothing more.

In other words, it’s a resource that’ll take kids from a beginning to an intermediate level. That’s one of the downsides. Once a kid finishes, there’s no apparent progression of books afterward. A teacher will likely know where to go next, but if you’re a parent, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.

In the big picture, this book is a delightful resource for children. The word games do a great job of teaching notes and concepts in unique ways. For example, a rabbit hopping up and down might resemble octaves on the piano. For complete beginners, it’s a must-have.

Teaching Little Fingers to Play by John Thompson

For learning sheet music, this is one of the best books for children. Many piano books treat sheet music as a side skill, while this one places it at the forefront. Without focusing on sheet music skills, children can be disadvantaged in the long run.

However, this book has one major drawback, and it’s the design. Though it has excellent concepts, the colors and illustrations are dry and un-captivating. Most of the pages are in black and white, which may not keep a kid’s interest.

There isn’t much mentioning of music theory or technique, which is unusual. The book focuses more on playing pieces, which can be nice but also dull. Instead of being treated as a comprehensive learning tool, it’s better to use the book for learning sheet music and pieces. So, it may be great to pair it alongside a theory and technique book.

Overall, this is a good piano book. It excels in the sheet music department but lacks a bit in other ways. In presentation alone, it’s certainly not the most appealing.

The Older Beginner Piano Course by James Bastien

This book is one of the first on this list dedicated to older beginners. For teens and young adults, it’s one of the best options.

Though it’s for the older beginner, it doesn’t assume that the student has any prior piano knowledge. With this book, a teen or young adult learns sheet music, notes, and basic pieces. A convenient aspect of this series is its compatibility with tight schedules. If you only have a little time to practice the piano each day, the book works great. Lots of teens are busy with school and don’t have as much time to practice.

The book uses efficient and accurate visuals to demonstrate different piano concepts. But, rather than merely showing these concepts, the book focuses on results. Because of this, kids see consistent progress and maintain their motivation. The book teaches a wide variety of styles, including pop, classical, blues, and jazz, which is fantastic. Sometimes, books focusing purely on classical are hard to get through.

Even if a kid doesn’t have a teacher, they can likely still get through this book alone. Bastien explains everything in an easy-to-understand way.

Piano Lessons: Book 1; Hal Leonard Student Piano Library

The last children’s book on the list is “Piano Lessons,” and it doesn’t disappoint. Over the years, Hal Leonard publishing company has been a standard in kids’ music journeys. This 64-page book focuses on finger numbers, rhythmic patterns, and the keys. As the book progresses, kids learn hand positioning and sheet music fundamentals. A CD comes with the book and features countless play-along songs for kids to follow. Many teachers enjoy this book because it allows kids to learn by ear and sight.

The book introduces concepts in a way that doesn’t bog down beginners. When kids understand what they’re doing, they feel more confident in their abilities. That’s important because people often lose interest in things when unconfident.

Best Piano Books For Adults

Piano Jumpstart by Joshua Ross

Piano Jumpstart is a concept-based, informative, and well-written book geared for adults. In this book, Ross breaks down concepts into individual units, which makes it easier to follow.

This book starts by teaching you the keys and hand positions. After that, you learn about rhythms, intervals, sheet music, and pieces. Without having good internal rhythm, it’s nearly impossible to be a good pianist. The way Ross dives into rhythms is excellent for adults. Before playing the exercises, you have to tap them out first. Most units end with short pieces that adults can try out on their own. These pieces incorporate some of the key concepts taught in the unit.

The book effectively demonstrates ideas in real music, which is incredibly helpful. Some books only introduce concepts rather than apply them. That’s not nearly as effective.

Bastien Piano For Adults – Book 1

Bastien is a renowned author of children’s’ piano books. Some people may not know this, but he also wrote some highly-effective adult books. This book teaches you sight-reading, theory, technique, and lesson materials. Compared to other books, this one focuses a lot on sight-reading. After all, it’s an essential piano skill. There are tons of helpful sight-reading exercises to take your piano game to the next level. You can do these as much as you want and go at your own pace.

Keyboard Musician For The Adult Beginner by Frances Clark

This book might be a little old, but the material is still very relevant. With 207 pages, this book covers loads of material. It doesn’t move concepts too quickly and gives you plenty of time to digest each one. Pianists have 155 pieces at their disposal, which is a big plus.

With this book, you do lots of sight-reading. It starts easy and progressively gets more challenging as your skills improve. Basically, it has an excellent structure. The book also covers lots of scales, music terms, and more essential things.

John Thompson’s Adult Piano Course

Adult Piano Course by John Thompson is an excellent resource for any adult wanting to learn the piano. If you want something with a wide variety of genres, this book delivers. You play through classical, jazz, pop, rock, and many more genres, which is excellent. Some books only feature one primary genre, and it can make for a dull experience.

It’s only 80 pages, so it’s a little shorter than your average piano book. However, don’t be fooled by how short it is. Thompson covers a lot of material, including rhythm, technique, and sheet music. There’s a lot of emphasis on playing each piece with the correct fingering, which is a nice aspect. Some piano books teach fingering in the beginning but expect you to figure it out on your own as they progress. If you’re a visual learner, you might enjoy the illustrations that teach hand positioning.

Though this book covers all the basics, it still leaves out some things. On the other hand, you probably won’t find a book that has everything you ever need anyway. An advantage of this book is its easy-to-follow design. With teachers’ notes dispersed along with the pages, you can get through it without a teacher.

American Popular Piano by Christopher Norton

This book is an excellent resource for adult pianists. The repertoire list is highly enjoyable and arranged by style. Some pieces are mostly rhythmic, while others are lyrical or technical. The main areas covered by the book are repertoire, technique, and etudes. “What’s an etude?” An etude is a piece composed specifically to improve a specific technique.

Adult Piano Adventures – Book 1

In terms of having technique and theory material, this book delivers. Compared with other books, this one has lots of guidance and step-by-step instructions, helping you stay on track. If you get confused at any point, you can ask questions to convenient online support. So far, this book is the only one on the list with this type of feature. Their online tools include instructional videos and play-along tracks.

The Classical Piano Method Book

As you’d expect from the title, this book is solely for classical piano. This book has an array of organized piano lessons that cover the important aspects of playing. It also thoroughly covers the pedaling technique, which isn’t always included in other piano books. There are detailed diagrams included with each lesson, which is excellent for visual learners. The end of each chapter consists of a series of questions to make sure you learned the concepts. To check your answers, you can use the answer key in the back of the book.

Since the methods progress in a structured way, you can follow along with this book easily. In terms of difficulty, the pieces get progressively more challenging, which is standard. The pieces come in many styles and are lyrical and fun to play. For adult pianists learning on their own, this book is a must-have. It can build your skills from the ground up and give you consistent progress.

Hal Leonard Jazz Piano Method

Most piano books focus on classical music, but this one is an exception. If you want to learn jazz instead of classical, this might be your prime option. Though the style is primarily jazz, you still learn all the fundamentals of the piano.

Hal Leonard includes convenient recordings to play along with. You’ll learn all the different types of chords and the theory behind them. Chord voicings are mainly focused on since they’re essential in jazz. On top of everything, the book teaches you to improvise. Improvisation is a beautiful part of music, in general. In fact, most classical composers, like Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin, composed their pieces by improvising. It’s a powerful skill that can sprout your creativity.

This book also heavily focuses on rhythm since it’s essential in jazz. You’ll also learn about phrasing, which can help to bring music your music to life. It’s worth noting that this book isn’t ideal for an absolute beginner. Before starting it, you might want to understand scales, key names, music theory, and fingering. In general, jazz can seem overly complicated if you don’t have a grasp on the basics. If you want to focus on jazz instead of classical, this could be an excellent book for you.

The Best Piano Music Books for Beginners

The 10 Best Books for Learning Piano (Kids & Adults)

Learning how to play piano is something that can be done in a variety of different ways. You can choose to take courses, or search for the best book to learn piano, doing things the “old fashioned” way.

Though there are some amazing apps and high tech ways to learn how to play, but there’s still lots of great information in books. A piano book can be used anywhere, plus, some people find it comforting to own something tangible that shows them how to play! There’s something nice about a collection of piano books sitting in the storage in your piano stool!

Also, it’s worth noting that some information is hard to find online. For instance, piano books can also be piano chords books that have collections of songs and sheet music from certain musicians that can be very helpful, this information may not be available even online.

Table of Contents

In a Hurry? Here Are the Best Piano Books for Beginners

The Top 10 Piano Books (and More)

1. Piano Book for Adult Beginners: Teach Yourself How to Play Famous Piano Songs, Read Music, Theory & Technique

If you are looking for an all-in-one solution for piano books for beginners, this could be a great option. It has a bit of everything and can teach you from the very start of your piano career.

This is a piano lesson book written by someone who truly knows what they are doing! Damon Ferrante is the composer and musician who has created this resource. He’s well-known as a professor of piano and of music theory, but he’s also a composer, guitarist and classically trained pianist in his own right. He won the Simkins Award for contribution to music.

The method he has put together doesn’t use the traditional method of reading music, you can learn how to play without having to learn how to read sheet music.

It can take you from absolute beginner to the point where you can play some songs you are happy with, and also, there is a video course included with the book, also created by Ferrante. A simple code can allow you access to this course.

If you want to learn how to play piano, but you aren’t bothered about being able to read music, the methods in this book can help. It is very clear and the inclusion of videos to accompany the text lessons makes it even simpler.

2. Beginner Piano Lessons for Kids Book – Best for Kids

If you are looking for the best piano books for beginners, you may also be looking for a kids book. It is good to get books to start your children learning to play piano early on, and this is a book that has been designed for school kids.

The book has the ability to keep kids entertained and focused on their piano playing, which is easier said than done. It is aimed at ages 5-11 and there is plenty of fun included via the included online video and audio courses that come free with this course.

Following the piano lesson book can get your children playing songs pretty quickly. The first lessons are about playing with the right hand, and eventually introduce the thumb on the left hand, the full left hand and get you to the stage where you can play full compositions.

The songs included were chosen to give a good all-round knowledge of the basics, there is notation as well as fingering notation and hand shifts in order to allow you to learn more quickly. The method is taught in the book, but also accompanied by audio and video lessons, this can help kids who want to learn more visually.

The songs are designed to be learned slow first, and then the speed can be gradually increased.

If you are looking for piano lessons for adults, this may be a bit childish for you in tone. It will teach anyone the basics, but the songs especially are aimed at kids, to keep them interested while they learn how to play.

3. Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course

This piano course is great for adults who are looking to get started. It doesn’t go through a huge amount of theory or reading music, instead it aims to get you playing chords quickly and effectively. Alfred piano books are very well known, and set up as different levels. However, this simple level 1 course lets you get started with the basics.

It includes loads of songs that you can learn to play fairly quickly, and there are some true classics in the songbook section as well as the song lesson book. Au Claire de la Lune, Over the Rainbow, Happy Birthday to You and loads more songs appeal for a lot of different occasions. Though it could maybe do with some more current poppy songs for a more eclectic choice on what you want to learn.

One of the best things about this book is the way that everything is laid out within. It makes it really simple to learn each step of the way, split into tiny manageable chunks that you can go through at your own pace.

The individual lessons may teach you a specific technique, keys or chords, it then shows you some exercises you can do to get familiar with whatever you have just learned. Finally, a song for you to play through using this technique or these chords. It is a very clever way of cementing the knowledge.

The Alfred piano book range is pretty big, and another great thing about this book is that it shows you which books you can move onto next in order to learn how to play in a certain way, focusing on different styles and techniques. This is not just the brand plugging their books, but they are genuine positive next steps you can take.

This book was originally published in 1983 and has been really well reviewed over the years, so to say this is a popular way of learning piano is probably an understatement!

4. Faber Piano Adventures Primer Level Learning Library Pack

Something a little different from the other options on the list, the Faber Piano learning pack has a collection of books covering different aspects of playing piano. These are a popular and effective resource for music educators, you’ll find them in the arsenal of piano tutors and musicians around the world.

The books are split into Theory, Technique and Artistry, Songbook and a Lesson Book. The parts of the books that should be grouped together as lessons are coded so you can clearly see which pages of which books make up a full piano lesson. A lot of people who are looking to learn how to play opt for these books, because they are so thorough, they allow you to go in depth with some specific techniques, or approach things as a beginner.

Some of the lessons span multiple books, which can be a little bit annoying, having to flit between the two, but it isn’t a massive inconvenience. The books can teach you a little bit about more intermediate and advanced techniques, and even the art of musicianship, composition and more. There’s a huge amount of information packed into these books.

Many tutors like to use this curriculum to base their lessons on. It is a set of piano lesson books that appeals to all sorts of ages and abilities, and makes an excellent resource. You’ll pay a little more for it as you are getting a 4-in-1 deal, but it may be worth it. The only real downside is the fact that it doesn’t come with any multimedia such as video lesson access. If you love to learn reading from books then this won’t be an issue at all.

5. John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course

Here we have another brilliant option for children to learn how to play. You can see just by looking at the front cover that the book is aimed at children with fun illustrations and a colorful design. There’s plenty to keep youngsters interested in this piano book. It also lays the foundations of playing piano correctly, teaching classical methods and reading music as part of the basics, even if it does so with exceptionally simple songs.

When it says “easiest” it does mean it! The book is a sort of “pre level one” course. It’s good for younger elementary children, but don’t be embarrassed if you turn to this piano lesson book as an adult! The fundamentals of playing piano are the same no matter what age you are, and this does a good job of teaching them.

It won’t get you to the point where you are playing full pop songs, but it is designed to just be the first part of a bigger course, expect to be able to read very simple sheet music and also to be able to play melodies quickly (and with the correct technique) if you follow this course.

Though the course covers the basics, it does it in a way that could lead to playing classically in the future. For instance, it has some sight reading drills included. This is quite an advanced technique, but if you can learn the principle behind it at a young age then you are on a good footing musically.

This is a very good book for youngsters to get started, especially if you have ambitions to one day play at a very high standard. It isn’t the quickest way to start to learn pop songs, but it is a quick way to start learning melodies.

6. Hal Leonard Jazz Piano Method – Best for Jazz Piano

Jazz piano is a very popular way of playing, and if you know that your ambition is to play jazz piano, why not go straight into this method and learn the style from the very start? You might think you need to specialize later in the process, but with books like the Hal Leonard Jazz Piano Method then you can get started with the style you love!

The book is designed at anyone from complete novices to intermediate players who just want to learn a bit more about the theory or the way to play in jazz stylings.

If you are into jazz, this can also be one of the most rewarding piano books to learn from, it is full of piano chords and jazz licks and riffs to get you started, and they sound great. Also, this is one of the courses to include an audio accompaniment, so you know what it should sound like and if you are playing it correctly.

This book can be helpful if you want to learn other styles of piano, too. Jazz piano methods can be specific, but much of the theory and the areas covered in this book can help no matter what style you want to play.

The topics that are covered within this book are theory (but not too much, this isn’t just a theory book), rhythm, soloing, playing scales and even improvisation. It really can take you from novice to an accomplished intermediate.

7. Piano and Keyboard All-in-One For Dummies

The “For Dummies” series is huge, and they cover such a lot of different categories, it can be hard to think they are the right choice for piano. Surely you want something from a specialist piano tutor? Well, these books are all under the same umbrella, but the piano and keyboard books are written by piano and keyboard experts! Don’t be put off by the fact that there’s also a “For Dummies” book about building websites or mechanics.

This book series is, as the name suggests, for people who are brand new to playing. It is fine for use by older kids and teenagers, and the language isn’t complex, so anyone can understand. The brand say they have designed this series as a refresher course or to start from scratch.

This resource has multiple books included as a 4-in-1, you get Piano For Dummies, Keyboard For Dummies, Music Theory For Dummies, and Piano Exercises For Dummies. There is a wealth of information within, to take you from beginner to intermediate player. There are loads of exercises included to improve your technique.

THe other books also include lots of supplemental information. This may be useful depending on how you wish to use your musical ability. You can learn theory, how to compose and also how to use keyboards and music technology.

If you are looking to specifically learn one style of piano, these books won’t teach you everything, but there is a huge amount of knowledge within the pages to use as reference.

8. The Disney Collection (Easy Piano Series) – Easy and Fun Songs

Instead of a piano lesson book, this is a piano song book that can be a huge amount of fun for all the family. You can’t use this book alone to learn the piano, as it doesn’t actually have any lessons within, instead this is a book of easy piano songs that are actually great fun to play, especially for Disney fans.

All the lyrics are included as well as the sheet music and chords so that you can play along to over 60 different Disney classics. The book was first published in the 90s, but it has been updated for modern classics including Frozen.

Other classic Disney songs include “Beauty and the Beast”, “Bare Necessities”, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and many more. The book might challenge beginners, and some of the songs are probably for advanced beginners. However, this is a great way to learn.

Kids will love the reward of being able to play songs they love and know from their favorite films. The book is filled with simpler arrangements of songs that can let you pick things up a bit quicker.

Though you will have to combine it with other lessons, this is one of the best books for Disney fans and children to learn specific songs they love from the movies.

There are other books in the Easy Piano Series if you’d rather focus on different styles and genres. These are also arranged in a simpler way to suit beginners.

9. Piano-K. Play the Self-Teaching Piano Game for Kids – Best “Game Based” Piano Learning Book

Although there are loads of books out there to help you learn how to play piano, some of them are quite similar in nature. We wanted to include a different option in our list of the best books to learn piano, and the Piano-K book provides exactly this. It aims to turn the piano into a game, to keep kids interested and avoid their attention spans waning after 10 minutes of practice!

The course doesn’t need any previous experience of music. It is a great book to combine with a beginners songbook, and use it to help you to decode the sheet music within.

The colors and figures included are designed to let children associate the keys of the piano with colors and simplify the process. There are three levels, using the right hand and left hand as well as combining both together. A simple set of stickers comes included with the book to use on the piano and help to color code.

Adults may not get much out of this book, but for young children who need an extra stimulant along with the words, the practice of turning it into a game could be ideal. Some children who have struggled with other ways of learning find that this casual style can keep them interested for longer.

10. First 50 Popular Songs You Should Play On Piano – Great Piano Songbook

If you are looking for a collection of great songs you can learn to play then this could be the ideal option for you. The songbook has been collected as a set of songs that even those just getting started are able to learn.

This is published by Hal Leonard LLC, they are the world’s biggest source of books, both physical and digital, for learning to play piano. They have over a million products out there to help you to learn to play.

This is a great resource if you can read music, or you are looking to learn how to read music. It doesn’t simply list piano chords, though, this is proper sheet music, so make sure this isn’t too daunting for you before you get started with this songbook.

It has a collection of brilliant songs including the classic songs that most people learn first on the piano, things like “Chopsticks” and “Happy Birthday” are simple songs to get you started. The book also covers some intermediate songs and things you can wow your friends with like “Candle in the Wind” and “Let it Be”. There are even modern songs like “Happy”.

There’s something for everyone in this songbook, making it a good overall resource. While it is not designed to actually teach you how to play piano, this is one of the best beginner piano books for those looking purely for new songs and sheet music to use as a resource.

FAQs – Choosing the Best Book (or Books) to Learn Piano

Do I Need a Lesson Book, Song Book, or Both?

Lesson books are those that teach you how to actually play piano, giving instructions on the methods, diagrams and information regarding the theory of playing music. Song books are collections of sheet music for songs by a certain band or artist, or in a certain category. For instance, the Disney song book that we listed as one of the best books to learn piano.

Song books are useful for expanding the repertoire of songs you can play. However, they’re not going to be able to teach you how to play without additional information in the form of a course or lesson book. Some lesson books include some sheet music to get you started, but in an ideal world you should have some of both to help you get to grips with the piano.

Do I Need to Read Music?

It is helpful to be able to read music if you are going to learn to play piano. A lot of the books out there focus in on reading music as it provides a language for them to teach you new scales and techniques. If you are going to learn via books, it might be a good idea.

That said, it’s not essential to be able to read music, and some of the courses focus on shapes and patterns rather than being able to read music. This can undoubtedly get you learning songs quicker, but it might be a hindrance in the long term, especially if you want to learn to play in a classical way.

Generic Book or Focus in on One Style?

Another choice you will have to make is whether you want to learn the basics in a specific style or not. Most beginner courses do not hone in on a style of playing, or a specific genre. Instead, they tend to just teach you how to play a few basic songs meaning that in the future, you can learn how to specialize in a certain genre. The basics are the same no matter what style you wish to play. A C chord is still a C chord!

That said, if you are dead set on learning one style of playing then there is no reason not to focus in from the very early stages. For instance, you can get beginner books that teach you how to play classical music or how to play jazz piano. There’s no pressure to decide on the style of playing before you buy a book, but it might help.

Are Books the Best Way to Learn?

This isn’t an easy question to answer, as people like to learn in different ways. There’s a reason why books are still popular though, even though they aren’t the most modern method of learning to play. People still find books are a brilliant resource. It’s nice to have a big collection of books, and multiple songs to choose from if you are looking to learn how to play piano.

It’s also good if you supplement this with other ways of learning. Absorb information in whichever ways you can. Why not take a video course as well? Many of the best 10 books to learn piano even come with access to audio and video courses that let you see and hear what is happening, too. This minimizes your chances of making mistakes without realising it.

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