How to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Piano

I'm a busy mom who is really short on time, and yet after reading the first 40 pages of this book, I'm playing 6 songs. . . such as Jingle Bells, Skip to My Lou, Go tell and Rhody, and Beethoven's Ode to Joy. I'm playing two handed at this point, and with very little practicing (again, no time). I have not purchased any other "how to play the piano" books, and don't feel I need to. This book is great!

The book is short and to-the-point, giving a novice an easy-to-read primer on the basics of playing, as well as an intro to reading music. I recommend it highly to anyone who is just starting out.

Roger Evans, in his most insightful book, "How to Play Piano" (1981 St. Martin's Press) brings to the older beginner the satisfaction of playing the piano in both the treble and bass cleffs. Soon the student learns to coordinate both his left and right hands to play a number of wisely selected melodies, first in the key of C, then in the key of G Major with one sharp followed by key of Fmaj with the first flat B. Next Roger introduces three flats in the key of E flat major. By this time, and with practice, we find that we have stepwise mastered three of the common key signatures. That is why I rate his book at the five star top evaluation. Those of us who have not been taught as a child, thank you very much, Roger Evans. My very best wishes, Don W Don Wohlenberg

I had no prior experience with music playing (other than blowing some simple tunes from a harmonica) and, yet, I found this book to be surprisingly easy to learn from. It smoothly and concisely guides the reader through the key elements of piano playing, starting with one-hand playing, but quickly to two-hands, then chords, etc., and ending with sharp and flat notes. It is well organized, has well thought out exercises, advices, and a diverse collection of (short) attractive tunes of increasing complexity (from Jingle Bells to Waltzing Matilda to Silent Night to Green Sleeves to We Shall Overcome to Minuet in G Minor). I prefer it to other teach-yourself piano books that take much longer to cover the same skills, such as The Complete Piano Player or Piano for Dummies. I particularly like that it gets to two-hand playing almost right away, which I feel is better preparation--even if it feels hard and slows the playing initially. It may have helped (coordination-wise) that I have been typing for 20+ years with both hands. If you are looking for a book that teaches all the essentials of basic piano playing in a thoughtful and concise way, then I recommend this book. If you perfer a slower pace, then maybe look elsewhere. For me, this was the perfect book to learn from.

This book is good for anyone who has any knowledge of reading music. It focuses on the piano playing part more than on the music reading part. It is a good basic book at a basic price. If you have no musical experience, I would recomend something that is more in depth and moves at a slower pace.