Play it Again: Piano Book 1: Piano Book: the Perfect Way to Rediscover the Piano

I am a (near) complete beginner to the piano - I have dabbled in the past, but only in so far as I have done music theory (ABSRM Grade 6) and I play guitar and ukulele so play about with my piano to help me work out extended chords and get the theory straight in my head - it never extended to playing repertoire! I also played Clarinet (again to around Grade 5/6 standard) a long time ago.The great thing about this book is that it doesn't labour the point or patronise on the music theory etc. - it gets straight to the point.I think anyone with a good sense of music theory and who has been playing any musical instrument will find this a better book than any of the "complete beginners" books, as it gets straight down to the actual playing the instrument and the ins-and-outs of the piano itself, rather than music more generally - I suspect you will progress quite quickly and not have the frustration that the "complete beginners" (even ones designed for adults) usually bring.Edit: I have been working through this book for a few weeks now - it is a really good selection of pieces that I am enjoying playing - I don't feel the need to skip through as I have with other books. The notes are a great aid to learning. The difficulty of the pieces is progressive, although don't seem to quite align to where some of the pieces have been put on the ABRSM syllabus when they have appeared (e.g. this has minuet in G at level 1/2 and it has been a ABRSM Grade 3) - but the book seems to have them one grade or so below the ABRSM grade (this is no problem at all, just worth bearing in mind when assessing your progress). Worth supplementing this with a good scales book (I chose Willard Palmer: The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences (Alfred's Basic Piano Library) - this seems to be widely recommended) and maybe another book of graded etudes/exercises (I got tips from my local music store, but worth getting some actual advice based on your own piano goals), but otherwise, it is bringing my piano playing along very nicely.Good luck!

I have been looking for a book that would provide a good mix of music and technique tips. This is by far the best I have found. It seems to start from around grade 2 level and progressing from there. Only part way through, so far all of the pieces have been engaging and enjoyable to play.

Melanie is a brilliant writer and editor. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is moving on from a beginners book like John Thompson and is looking for sophisticated pieces that aren't patronising to learn. I use this book with two of my adult students and they get along with it very well. For each piece Melanie has written 2 pages on how to practise the piece, with a scale and arpeggio in the key of the piece that you can use to warm up with and practise technique. There are brilliant charts and diagrams in the back showing you how to count and reminders of note lengths. The fingerings suit the style of each piece and make it easy to move around the keyboard with ease.

Made an excellent present for my 89 year old Aunt who is starting to play the piano again!

Excellent book! I’m so excited to have found a piano book to help me relearn playing again. Having reached grade 6 as a school girl in the 1980s, I’m now nearly 50 and so wanted a thoughtfully compiled course to guide me back. This book is certainly rekindling my joy in playing. Excellent purchase!

Very good piano tutor for the returning player

very well put together and lavishly printed - excellent.

fast postage very pleased thanks!

I'm relearning the piano after 60 years away, and am a beginner once again. This book has been a wonderful aid in this new journey. Melanie Spanswick's teaching notes, which accompany each selection, are truly helpful. The teaching videos, available on YouTube, also help. The seLections are carefully graded to match the pianists level of development, making the series approachable. Highly recommended!

This is a well structured and comprehensive piano course to cover all levels with a thorough progression closing all gaps to achievers level of playing beyond grade 8. The 3 books in this Series from Melanie Spanwick are not only useful for piano returners but also those wishing to have a structured approach to learning piano. I highly recommend this to all pianists wishing to develop their knowledge of theory snd technique.

Ottimo libro per rispolverare le nozioni e la pratica del pianoforte ricominciando veramente dagli inizi. Se non si ha la possibilità di seguire corsi on line, questo è un buon testo sul quale esercitarsi. Lo consiglio anche se purtroppo è necessaria la conoscenza dell'inglese.

Love the tailor-made exercises, genius. I haven't taught out of this book yet, but looking forward to.

Awesome!