When starting out on the piano, it’s important to have the right learning material to be successful. There are all kinds of ways to learn to play the piano, whether by discovery or even rote learning. no matter how a beginner learns, the method books they turn to for guidance are really important. Over the years as a student and teacher, I’ve found that the best piano books for beginners are those that reinforce the fundamentals while keeping the student engaged at all times.
here is my complete list of the best piano lesson books for beginners:
You are reading: Piano books for beginners
- faber piano adventures
- lang lang method
- musical tree
- john thompson modern piano course
- hal leonard piano library
- a dozen a day
- bastien piano basics
- hanon virtuoso pianist
- alfred basic piano library book 1
- adult all in one course level 1
why method books are important
Method books are an essential tool for piano teachers. During a lesson, it’s always good to work with a student to help them improve their technique and approach. the reality is that most of the development happens during practice at home.
The right kind of piano lesson book will provide beginners with simple and effective answers to their questions. I suggest something like the introductory piano course because it teaches everything a beginner needs to know the right way.
The books I find to work best are usually full of diagrams, colorful pictures, and clear instructions to help students learn new repertoire.
All of the books listed below do a good job of systematically developing the student into exceptional players. Let’s start our list with the first piano lesson book, Faber Piano Adventures.
faber piano adventures
I grew up with the faber piano adventures method book and can attest to its contribution to my playing. I always enjoyed opening the book to practice just because of the book cover; it’s a piano that flies through the air with wings.
For beginners, you’ll want to stick with level 1, as it gets progressively more difficult beyond that point. faber piano adventures comes with a wealth of supplementary material including theory, performance, and art books.
I like this book better because it makes you play quickly. faber piano adventures focuses heavily on recognizing intervals and switching between various finger positions.
As a beginner, playing is really important as you develop your sounds, so there’s a definite focus on playing dynamics the right way.
Along with that, there is a specific emphasis on music theory and an understanding of basic chord structures such as root, dominance, and seventh chords.
From a teacher’s perspective, this book provides access to all aspects of note reading, understanding the grand staff, and making sense of dynamics and symbols.
The book includes a helpful progress chart so both teacher and student can see where they are and what to expect. everything is broken down into 10 units; each designed to help beginners achieve specific musical goals. overall, the book is clearly designed with nice illustrations to keep students engaged.
lang-lang method
I was lucky enough to spend some time with Lang Lang over the years and was very excited when he released the Lang Lang piano method book for children. It is a book that I have also used to teach my students and they love it. there are 5 different levels, each book in its own color.
the difference between the book and other methods is the speed with which the students play. the keyboard is clearly laid out and there are instructions to let you know which notes you will use for the current page you are on. if rhythm is your thing and you want to learn to play the piano quickly, then I would stick with this one.
There are plenty of illustrations to keep beginners interested. Lang Lang is actually a cartoon character who is a superhero piano player. throughout the book, you play pieces centered on his adventures.
I will say that as you progress through books 3 to 5, things get pretty tough. If you’re looking for a really active book that also teaches some elements of theory and encourages creativity in performances, this is definitely one to go for!
The pages are well laid out, the speech bubbles are easy to read, and it’s a new way to learn to play the piano.
musical tree “time to learn” and part 1
during my time teaching music in uga, i spent a lot of time with music tree. This is widely regarded as the best piano method book for beginners.
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author frances clark does a great job of introducing the piano in a unique way that even the most novice learner can achieve effective results.
I love the illustrations in this book; it is based on animals such as puppies and squirrels. “time to start” is the main building block book that all beginners use. It starts off a bit slow, so you may want to go up a level or two if you find it too simple.
The musical tree books are also combined with activity books that reinforce the methods taught. is an excellent supplementary material that makes it very easy for teachers to get results quickly. repertory pages have diagrams similar to the lang lang method, but much easier to read.
point out which notes are being used for each piece, how to place them, and with letter names. grouping of notes is also taught. where I think the musical tree stands out is the letter that is added below each note.
students can work on their ear training in this way and sing the piece as they play. here are some sample music tree pages to get an idea of how it all works.
john thompson modern piano course
When I came across John Thompson’s piano method, I had been playing the instrument for quite some time. however, what I was missing became immediately clear.
this book has a heavy repertoire and has a lot of funny pieces; not just a huge manuscript of really difficult classical techniques.
Any popular classical piece you’ve ever heard on a CD or seen in concert is in this book. if you have a student who has gone crazy for the piano, then this book is sure to rekindle that interest.
thompson has another method book (the easiest jt piano course) that is much better for beginners. the illustrations seem to perfectly capture the essence of the work in question.
for example, on page 5 you’ll find the piece “playing tag” which features cartoon characters chasing each other.
musically, the right hand plays an eighth note passage followed by the left hand; imitation tag essentially.
There is also a lot of theory sprinkled throughout the book that asks students to draw roots on notes and place note names, for example. overall the method is well organized and is a perfect starter book.
hal leonard piano library
if you’re looking for a straightforward, no-nonsense approach, look no further than the hal leonard piano library. Book 1 is the perfect starting point and actually encourages creativity by playing from the start.
When I was a kid, I used to play along with the accompanying cd’s and let me tell you, they are amazing to play with.
the cd alone is enough to challenge a beginning student to be their best and practice. I find this book to be really good for a student who wants to be able to move forward and grow without having a teacher by her side every step of the way. it’s so well designed!
hal leonard even sprinkles elements of improvisation and theoretical training throughout each level of the method. musical terms and symbols are also explained in detail in each level.
a dozen a day
short, sweet and to the point; that’s what a dozen a day provides for beginning piano students. this book is more of an exercise book than anything else, and it strives to be that too.
The pieces are really short and really fun to play. If you want a student to make some quick gains early in their piano journey, this is definitely the book to follow.
I wouldn’t use this as a main lesson book, but it’s a great supplemental material. this is a great book to try out some memory-based and sight-reading practices.
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for technique development, this might be the closest thing to hanon on the market.
bastien piano basics
Bastien’s Basic Piano Book Level 1 takes new pianists through the entire keyboard. the goal of the method is to get students to play effectively in the 12 keys, develop basic techniques and theories.
level 1 focuses on the first 3 keys while the other 9 are taught throughout the other 4 levels of the method.
The beginning of the book focuses on c-position and then gradually works on recognizing the tonic and the dominant. soon after, various articulations such as staccato and musical form are introduced.
By the end of the first method book, students will be able to play in multiple octaves and even experiment with various musical styles outside of classical. There is also a basic level of this book that complete beginners with no experience may want to use.
hanon virtuoso pianist
last on my list is hanon’s ever popular book on virtuoso pianists. this book has become a staple for beginning and professional pianists alike.
This is where some of the most basic fundamentals of piano performance can be developed. This is primarily a technique book, but with a little creativity it can become so much more.
The disadvantage of the hanon book is that it doesn’t contain funny animations and enriching words. it’s just the student and a page full of notes with very strict instructions.
As a teacher, you really need to control what you’re doing before you prescribe a method like this to a beginner.
When instructions are not clear, you should provide a lot of detail and find ways to tailor each exercise to each individual student.
however, the results students can get from hanon last a lifetime. it’s one of those methods you can use to fix common problems someone might have with their main repertoire.
In my opinion, it’s also the best book for developing and perfecting scalar passages and mastering the art of playing octaves.
basic alfred piano library book 1
The reason I really like this book is because of the popular hits included in it. this is a great book for a beginning student who wants to connect with different genres while learning.
Alfred has included some impressive hits in this book. tunes like batman theme, meghan trainor and star wars just to name a few.
As a young pianist you might want to impress your friends and family, this makes the piano seem “cool” to them. He would combine this book with some of Alfred’s theory books and classical training for the complete pianist.
adult all in one level 1 course
Much of what I’ve suggested so far in this list is aimed at young pianists in particular. for them, seeing beautiful illustrations and attaching funny stories to their playing doesn’t make the learning process any easier either.
for adults, that’s not necessarily the case and a more serious approach works better. plus, there are a lot of adult pianists out there these days.
This is where the all in one course for adults level 1 comes in. I used to teach college students about this book and it is very simple and well designed.
The method is comprehensive in every way, with a lot of theory and practical approaches to music involved.
The one thing I like about this book is that the note names are printed right in the middle of the staff so you know exactly which note is where. as a complete beginner which is helpful as you get your hands on the keyboard. the exercises that accompany the music make sense and help tie everything together. What I like the most is that everything is progressively based on the previously learned methods.
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