Piano Books: The Top Piano Books To Help You Become a Better Piano Player

There are umpteen zillion piano books available in music stores and online at such places as Amazon. And piano books are usually necessary if your goal is to become a better pianist.

But how does a person know which piano books are necessary and which books are redundant, to say nothing of good or bad. There are books on music theory, scales, chords, books about composers, books about music in general, and of course piano lesson books by Schaum, Williams, Alfred d’Auberge, Bastien, John Thompson, Glover, etc., etc.

The best way is to divide the study of piano playing into it’s components:

General lesson piano books:

While there are many, for the adult beginner I would select the series by Bastien titled “The Adult Beginner” It is excellent for adults, and includes quite a bit of music theory along with the piano lessons.

General books about music:

Far and away the most inspiring book about music in general is “The Joy of Music” by Leonard Bernstein. If you want to wrap your brain around music, this is the book for you. (Berstein, in case you don’t know, was both a great conductor and a great composer, having written “West Side Story” and many others.)

Another great selection would be “What To Listen For In Music” by Aaron Copeland. (He was also a great composer.)

Technique books:

The best book I have found for developing finger dexterity and piano technique is a book that has been around for a hundred years or so, but is still the standard. It is “The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises – Complete: Piano Technique” by C. L. Hanon.

Music theory books:

There are many, most of which are complex and difficult to understand, but a good choice for a beginner would be “The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Music Theory” by Michael Miller.

Books on piano chords:

In this category I’m going to have to cast all modesty aside and select my own book titled “Piano Chords & Chord Progressions: The Secret Backdoor To Exciting Piano Playing”. It’s thorough, cheap, and very easy to read and understand.

Song books:

In addition to books that teach all aspects of piano playing, you’ll need several good songbooks so you can practice the things you are learning. The piano books you select are largely a matter of taste: if you love rock, you’ll want to buy books of rock songs. If you love jazz, or gospel, or pop, or whatever, you’ll want to get the song books appropriate to your likes and tastes.

But in addition to regular piano song books, be sure to also get a “fake book”. A fake book is a book which contains the melody, the words, and the chord symbols for songs. Usually a fake book has a thousand or more songs in it, so it is a huge bargain.

When I was a teenager fake books were illegal, but they were sold under the counter to musicians all the time. I paid $50. for my first fake book (which I still have, incidentally) which contained only 200 songs. Fifty bucks back then is similar to the national debt now. But it was something working musicians had to have.

Now fake books contain thousands of songs and sell for much less — often just $25. or so. So be sure to pick one up — preferably several, as they come in all flavors — jazz, folk, western, gospel, pop, and just about any other musical classification that you could think of.

All of these books can be obtained at your local music store or from online stores such as Amazon.

Then there is another totally different class of piano books that are part of an audio-visual course. Usually these books are supplementary to the DVD or CD (or both) which comprises the course. This type of piano books are new in the history of the world, because obviously DVD’s and CD’s haven’t existed all that long. This type of course puts it all together, so in addition to reading a book, you can hear the instruction and see it being demonstrated on your own TV or computer screen.

But whatever books you select, the important thing is to just get started learning in all these areas of music.

Duane Shinn
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should i start teaching piano?

kay, my mom started teaching piano at 14 and she thinks i should start teaching also (i’m 14.) I want to put an ad in a local classifieds but i wanted to know what people thought about it first. I am currently in grade 8-9 royal conservatory and have 11 years of playing experience. I was looking to take young children (ages 3-7 ish) that are just starting out. I would charge between 5 and 10$ an hour ( whatever the parent wants). I want to know if you think it’s a good idea and would you let me teach your children at my age?

Great idea, but I agree with angeles. Have you watched Mom teach children of this age? Parents should not stay unless she’s there. When
I first started at 13, there was a parent who flirted with me. My mom
was in the next room though.

What should I be when I grow up?

I’m 13, and my parents told me I should decide what I want to go to colege for.
At school, I suck at science.
I’m pretty good with Math.
English is my best subject.
I love Music.
I play the piano, so I would like to be a piano teacher, but I don’t know what classes i would take to become a piano teacher.
I love all kinds of arts.
I also like history a lot.
And I have OCD, so I am very neat, and organises.
But what I like a lot is also helpinh people with Mental Health.
And even though I’m young, I answer a lot of questions in the Mental Health section.
So what should I be when I grow up?

Airline Pilot. Travel the world.

Activities Director on a Cruise Ship. A great life.

teach piano to poor kids in a school.

Be a doctor and save lives.

Own your own restaurant.

I teach individual music lessons to kids from 9.30-5pm one day every week. How can I keep myself alert & fresh

I am in one room and have one 30 break for lunch.

I would take a walk during the 30 minute break while eating lunch, if possible. Sounds like a long day.

I’d also encorporate "stretching" or dance exercises with the kids to wake you (and the students). Try making the lessons more physical, if you can. A certain note is high, like this- reach for the ceiling and wiggle your fingers. Another note is low, like this- bend over and touch the floor.

I’d also keep lots of water and nibblers around (carrots, muffin, crackers) to keep your blood sugar from dropping.

Hope this helps!