I Need a Good Piano Method

[David Kaczorowski]

I've been messing around for several years, using the piano to compose, work out harmonic ideas, experiment with voice leading ideas, to help transcribe, learn tunes, etc., but I can't play it worth a damn. Can anyone recomend a good method to help me get my fingerings straightened out and to get me reading the grand staff. I can read treble cleff, but the two clefs, two hands thing needs work. I have a beginners book by Schirmer (I think), but I can stand the Kiddie approach. What's the piano equivelent of Simandl?

[Daniel L.]

You might check out 'Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course'. I've been teaching myself piano with it and it is surprisingly better than I expected. There are 3 different books in increasing difficulty.

[Phil Rowan]

Bartok's "Mikrokosmos", which he wrote for his son, is great. There are several books of it, and I think book 1 would be the best place to start, since the later editions get a little tricky.

For voice-leading, and to learn a lot about the basics of counterpoint (which will help with everything), I highly recommend "The Study Of Counterpoint", from Johan Joseph Fux's "Gradus Ad Parnassum. Haydn is just one of the greats who got a lot out of it.

[oliebrice]

the great thing about mikrokosmos is that its great music, as well as beginners piano stuff.