Choosing a textbook is very important for piano beginners.
If you choose a book with difficult sheet music, you may end up spending a lot more time than usual before you can play a song.
On the other hand, if it is too easy, you will be able to play quickly, but your piano technique will not improve.
If you use the wrong textbook, you will be wasting your time practicing the piano, which is, in extreme terms, the precious time of your life.
This time, we will introduce the order of standard piano textbooks that have been used for a long time and the difficulty level and characteristics of each.
table of contents
- Are piano textbooks different from books with sheet music?
- There are many types of piano textbooks.
- Advantages and disadvantages of choosing a “classic” piano textbook
- Textbook order and details
- If you want to choose a textbook other than the standard ones
- Online lessons that are not embarrassing even for adults
Are piano textbooks different from books with sheet music?
Can you explain what the textbook is?
Textbook is an abbreviation for textbook.
For example, even if someone who doesn't speak English wants to read an English novel, they won't be able to read it. First of all, you need to memorize English vocabulary and grammar by looking at textbooks.
The same goes for the piano. Even if you start playing the piano, you probably don't know where the "C" is or how to read sheet music.
First of all, you need to learn the basic knowledge and acquire the skills that will form the foundation.
Piano textbooks contain step-by-step instructions for everything from the basics of playing the piano (posture and finger position) to how to read sheet music.
If you are starting to play the piano, you probably have an ideal image of ``I want to play this song'' or ``I want to perform like this.'' By using a piano textbook, you can improve your piano skills step by step until you reach that ideal stage.
There are many types of piano textbooks.
When you think of "textbooks," or "textbooks," how many types of textbooks do you imagine?
Textbooks used in Japanese schools have something called a "Textbook Certification," and only those that pass this test can actually be used at school. That's why there aren't that many types of school textbooks.
However, there is no such thing as a "textbook certification" for piano textbooks. Anyone can publish what they like and call it a ``textbook.'' That's why there are so many textbooks out there . Of course, some of these explanations are difficult to understand, and some are only half-hearted.
As a test, I narrowed down the genre and searched for ``piano textbooks'' on Amazon, where it is difficult to find the same product over and over again.
How
Over 8000!
Of course, some of these may not be considered textbooks, and may include textbooks other than piano. However, the fact remains that there are a huge variety.
Of course, you can't buy all the textbooks or look at them at a bookstore. It is too risky for beginners to choose a textbook that suits their level based solely on reviews and rankings.
Advantages and disadvantages of choosing a “classic” piano textbook
Among the many piano textbooks out there, there is one that is considered the standard. Before introducing them, I would like to introduce one of the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a standard textbook. Please consider each one carefully before deciding whether to use a standard textbook or something different.
First of all, the advantage of standard textbooks is that have a proven track record
It has been used in many piano schools and schools, and is the path taken by many professional pianists. The piano has never changed form since it was invented. Although it has become easier with the introduction of electronic music, the method of playing has remained the same since ancient times. Therefore, we can still walk the same path that our predecessors took.
is that many people find it uninteresting because the textbook has been formalized into a ``hard textbook
Actually I experienced this too. Textbooks repeat basic knowledge and basic practice forever. You may become bored with the piano because you can't play your favorite songs or play them. Of course, if you don't overcome this, you won't be able to play your favorite songs. However, it may not be suitable for people who just want to have fun practicing even basic techniques.
merit | Demerit |
| You can rest assured that many people, including professional pianists, have used this service. | I get bored with all the hard basic training. |
Textbook order and details
The order and difficulty level of standard textbooks are as follows.
- ①.Bayer (Introduction)
- ②-1. Burgmuller (Beginner)
- ②-2. Czerny No. 100 (beginner to intermediate)
- ③.Czerny No. 30 (Intermediate)
- ④.Czerny No. 40 (Intermediate)
- ⑤. Chopin Etudes (Advanced)
I will explain each in detail.
①.Bayer
Many people know this.
However, there are some textbooks with the name "Beyer". Among them, the standard one is the ``Standard Beyer Textbook'' produced by ``Zen Ongakufu Publishing.''
is an introductory level of difficulty for those who are playing the piano for the first time: ``How to read notes, practice with one hand'' → ``Finger numbers, practice with both hands'' → ``Rhythm, bass clef''...
first textbook for beginners who don't know what's right and what's left.
If you have children, we also recommend this one, which has been edited for children.
②-1. Burgmuller
After finishing Beyer, the next textbook is "Burgmuller".
Burgmuller includes 25 piano pieces of difficulty ranging from introduction to beginner level
Some of them are famous songs that everyone has heard, such as Arabesque and Ave Maria. All the songs are neither too difficult nor too easy, and are just the right level for practice.
This is a textbook that has long been used as a second textbook for improving piano skills.
If you have children, we also recommend this one, which has been edited for children.
②-2.Czerny No. 100
Many people use "Czerny No. 100" at the same time as Burgmuller.
Czerny is a famous pianist and composer who was a student of Beethoven and a teacher of Liszt. He is said to have composed over 1000 songs during his lifetime.
This Czerny No. 100 is a carefully selected selection of pieces composed by Czerny that are effective for practice. The feature is that gradually move from easy to difficult songs to help you improve your piano skills
This Czerny 100 a difficulty level between beginner and intermediate , so by the time you finish this textbook, you will have joined the ranks of intermediate players.
the song you want to play is a very famous classical piece such as J-POP or Turkish March, you should be able to play it by completing this step .
If you have children, we also recommend this one, which has been edited for children.
③.Czerny No. 30
After finishing Burgmuller or Czerny No. 100, it is standard to use "Czerny No. 30" as a textbook.
Czerny No. 30 is a textbook with carefully selected pieces of intermediate difficulty In addition to hand movements, musical notation symbols such as tempo, dynamics, staccato, and accents are also used abundantly.
If you want to be able to play a variety of songs smoothly, you should at least master this.
④.Czerny No. 40
Czerny No. 40 is an extension of Czerny No. 30.
Compared to No. 30, the score is more complex overall, and the tempo is faster.
When I look at each song, there are some that I think to myself, ``Isn't #30 〇〇 more difficult?'', but that probably varies from person to person.
The difficulty level is slightly above intermediate .
Once you can play all the way up to Czerny No. 40, you will be able to play most of the famous classical pieces composed by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, etc.
If you want to play deeper and more difficult songs, we recommend that you read this textbook.
*Czerny will continue with No. 50, then No. 60, so if the next textbook is difficult, I think you can continue with Czerny.
⑤.Chopin etude collection
Once you are able to play up to Czerny No. 40, many people use this "Chopin Etude Collection".
"Etudes" = "Etudes", so some sheet music is translated as "Chopin Etudes".
For those who are hearing Chopin's music for the first time, the music feels ``perverted'' (lol). Once you get used to it, it's not so much, but there are many scores that people who see it for the first time may feel a bit hesitant about. When I first took a quick look at this textbook, I thought, ``Why does he play such a strange way!''
Please take a look at videos of people playing the pieces included in the Chopin Etudes on YouTube.
The difficulty level is unquestionably advanced .
If you can play up to this textbook, you can proudly call yourself an advanced level pianist.
Of course, you can play any song you can play.
It's so difficult that even people who have graduated from music colleges' piano departments can't even play half of it.
Even if you think, ``I'll buy all the textbooks at once,'' I recommend that you leave this textbook alone for later.
If you want to choose a textbook other than the standard ones
If you want to improve your piano skills using something other than the standard textbooks that have been around for a long time, we also recommend this article.
Online lessons that are not embarrassing even for adults
If you study on your own, you may not know what you are doing well and what you are not doing well For such times, we recommend that you occasionally have online lessons from a professional There are many people who take this course, not only children but also adults, and all you need is a piano and a smartphone.
Please see the article below for recommended online lessons.
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