Piano Book 1
This course teaches the pieces in Suzuki piano volume 1 except the first few pieces (the Twinkles) which are covered in the Prep Course. Coordinating the hands is a big step in getting started on piano and it is common for students (especially young children) to keep the hands playing separately for quite some time. The Right Hand pieces should be learnt in order. Similarly with the Left Hand pieces and the Hands Together pieces. If co-ordination is no problem then each piece could be learnt hands together immediately after learning each hand's separate part. However for anyone who finds the co-ordination difficult (especially young children) there is no problem with continuing to learn hands separately through a large part of the book then going back afterwards and putting the hands together.
As you learn each piece in this course the piece will pass through a "learning" stage and a "polishing" stage. The learning stage is where you are learning the notes, fingering and rhythms. The "polishing" stage is where you will improve your posture, tone and speed.
This course usually takes between 6 months to 2 years to complete.
Developing a good piano hand position and the dexterity to play at CD-speed often takes most of book 1 so take your time.
Instructions
To view the lessons in this course register for a Piano membership.
Print out the course booklet using the link in the Course Materials section (visible when logged in), then work through the lesson videos using the course booklet to record your progress.
When subscribed to the "Standard" or "Fastrack" Piano options you'll see at the end of most lessons there is the option to send me a video so that I can check the playing and give you feedback. The video uploads can also be used to ask me a question. I look forward to hearing from you.
Course Materials
You will need a copy of:
Suzuki piano volume 1 (New International Edition) book and CD (or mp3s)
or the book can be bought without the CD and the mp3 tracks can be bought as a digital download on Amazon or on iTunes.
and the course booklet:
A narrow A4 ringbinder folder with tabs can be a good way to keep your piano paperwork in order.