BEST Piano Methods Books for Young (5-7) Beginners | Review - Alfred, Chester, Piano Adventures etc. 

I’m American and yes Alfred’s Basic is really popular here. My students love the Alfred’s Basic Piano Method. At the beginning, the pieces are meant to be taught by rote so you can work on technique. Then it moves to floating notes written on the note head. That is helpful because the students learn the names of the keys on the keyboard really easily. I think depending on the students aptitude you can move a bit quicker through the first part. Then when you get to reading the notes on the staff it introduces them in such a logical way that my students really have an easy time learning them. Also, I love how they focus on intervals. The students are also playing hands together so early with harmonic intervals in the left hand and a melody in the right hand so they are playing pieces which sound “fuller”. My students either hate the picture or love them. Once the notation begins I white out the finger numbers in the first few levels so they actually learn the notes and aren’t reading the numbers instead. Thanks for all your reviews! Very interesting to see what books are popular in Britain.

My thoughts... Alfred Preparatory Piano Course = GREAT for little kids who are more of average or somewhat lower IQ. VERY thorough theory/ear training-wise, and pictures are a bit fun/cutesy. Alfred Basic Piano Course = Its "ok", the later levels are more oriented around classical solos. Lots and lots of sudden 8va's. Pictures and some solos remind me of something of a more goofy but also caring, sympathetic element. LOVE the exaggerated expressions on the people who are dancing, playing the piano, etc. (Though the Casey Jones picture, among a few others, looks PARTICULARLY, COMICALLY intense... 🤣🤣😂🤣🤣🤣😂🤣) Alfred Premier Piano = Its great, but not my first choice, no real reason why. I think its by Dennis Alexander, and its a more "current" version of the Alfred Method. 🤔 Bastien Method = I had this method when I was a boy. Lots and lots of scales and key signatures. Pictures (and overall color scheme) often emphasize pastels, pinks, lavenders, and also bright, cheerful colors. Lots of rosy cheeked kids with round faces, as well as a certain "80's Saturday morning cartoon/tv show for kids" vibe, like Fraggle Rock. 🤣😂🤣🤣🤣 Computer game, etc. oriented songs remind me of the 80's Atari (similar deal with Alfred, but with Alfred, it was more like a Commodore or even an IBM in some respects, with the computer themed pieces). Bastien Intermediate Method = Key signatures of many solos and level of theory instruction is pretty hard-core/advanced... 👍🏻 The theory book is better for older teens/is college level theory, etc. (There is a Bastien Young Beginners method, but I think it is weaker on the whole.) Faber Method = My favorite piano method, other than Alfred's Preparatory Piano. It has the best tunes (some of them being QUITE full of personality and genuine fun/danciness), and the pictures are more, hmmm, very "crisp" looking and imaginative/imagination/"dream fuel" at times. They kind of "capture" the essence of the song. John Thompson = I only did levels 3-5 with these books. The music is just outstanding, and it feels like you are going back in time with the illustrations. Lang Lang = Newer piano course by Lang Lang. EXTREMELY thorough technique-wise, more oriented around intermediate levels. Combo of classical, more recent classical, traditional Asian music, world music, some other stuff a bit, etc., but its, hmm, its defintely not cutesy, more just "pianistic". 👍🏻 Photos of Lang Lang playing on certain pages, but no illustrations, etc. Hal Leonard = Used it a teensy bit (like in so many other cases, I kept using the method the previous teacher used with the kid). Its "ok", not really a huge fan. Royal Conservatory of Music = The "standard classical method" for Britain, China, etc. Serious, academic, not kid friendly/definitely not cutesy... I don't really use this method. Russian School = I'm a big fan as much as I've heard stuff about it, but since I'm not Russian, haven't really used it (much), etc... Suzuki Method = No. Piano Pronto = Sucks. Hanon = Has a place with intermediates and above. Physical endurance, evenness of notes, etc. Czerny = Great for intermediates and above. Clarfield = OUTSTANDING!! (Intermediates and above) Masterworks Classics = Excellent classical solos. Schaum, Fletcher, Snell, Music Tree, Noona, etc. = Limited experience. Bastien, Alfred Adult Piano = Both decent methods. 😊👍🏻 Bastien Classical Solos (James Bastien) = Also great to have for intermediates, etc. Liszt Technical Studies = Advanced and beyond Bartok Mikrokosmos = Haven't really used it. Ferdinand Beyer = The old European beginner piano book. Schumann, Burgmuller, Kabalevsky, Rebikov, Gurlitt, Green and Red Piano Books/Solos, yeah, yeah, yeah... 😁😁😁 There are always more piano methods that I am less familiar or not familiar with...

Thank you very much! This is exactly what I was looking for and needing. I’ve played piano for 35 years and taught oboe and piano but haven’t taught early beginners other than my own children, so I wanted to compare the different methods and books out there. And you did all the work and explained it perfectly. I now know which books I’d like to start my new students with. Thank you again👍🏻😊

I’m 58 with a nodding acquaintance with the piano. I’m going to buy ALL the children’s books. Start from the beginning. One method is bound to work!😁👍

I appreciate the thoroughness of this video. I use John Thompson with my son, it gets kids immersed into music very quickly and by introducing one note and finger at a time the child learns quite a few tunes and to use their fingers together without it being difficult. It's also good as they learn to actually READ music rather than just "piano by numbers" which you get with some books that focus on fingers. The older books use outdated language some may find offensive but that's obviously been eradicated in the newer books but I just can't recommend it enough ESPECIALLY if you are teaching your child at home with limited musical knowledge. There are accompaniments and examples of how to play the exercises on RU-vid as well.

Thank you for your review! My 5 year old wants to officially learn piano after a taught him a few nursery rhymes, and this summer break we will start. Just ordered John Thompson based on your reviews. I agree that it makes more sense to teach notations from the start. Thanks again!

Thanks so much for your detailed review! I’m really enjoying your comparison videos and look forward to watching videos of actual piano playing lessons. I was wondering what is the difference between Thompson’s easiest piano course and the John Thompson modern course series?

Thanks 🙏

Thanks for all this, totally agree with you. You can also try POCO PIANO FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, as it starts with both hands and has fun stickers for theory.:)

The answer you came here for starts at 5:52

Hi. First of all, thank you for your great channel. I would really appreciate if you creat a video about nikolaev and artabalovski methods. And do you suggest teachers to mix methods. For example, using bastien primer for kids and then instead of continuing it, we switch to other methods such as nicolaev or Michel arron or... .

Thanks I really appreciate you doing this review . My daughter is 6 years old she has not started notation yet. Can you guide me to any great piano teachers who works with kids , my daughter is super intelligent I did the Rick Beato nuryl course with her when she was a baby . Any advice or guidance on teachers that can work with her would be appreciated ,

What do you think of piano safari?

Can I ask after "me and my piano" part 1 and part 2, what book series would you suggest to use next? I would love to have a system to follow.

I am from the uk and currently following the Alfred prep course for 7 year old. I want one that is more UK based and which book would be the best one..

Its really bizarre to me why piano methods are like this. Being firstly that there's a separate "lesson" "Theory" and "technique" book a lot of times. To me this is just counter intuitive, we should be teaching theory and specific technique/exercises directly along side particular pieces and in conjunction with them. Not in a completely separate space, I find in my guitar lessons theory makes much more since when its talked about directly related to and during a particular piece and technique should certainly be directly applied to the current or next coming piece of music. All Guitar major guitar methods I've looked and worked from are all in one. Some have better tunes and starting points for kids and some could be more dull because of unrecognizable pieces which I find are better for adults, but there's almost no real classical guitar methods that don't apply the theory/worksheets/technique and the tunes all at once in context as the student progresses. Obviously I agree no one book for guitar is good enough either, but more on the fact that there may be areas one lacks in that one is stronger in and I always supplement with etudes and other music either from public domain or anthology books to expand on music in their level touching different parts of technique or theory. My second confusion with how most piano method books seem, compared to the popular classic guitar methods, is the complete division of young learner and adult. Although I understand it to a degree, particularly because adults will become board with things like twinkle twinkle and Mary had a little lamb while kids would be board with something they do not recognize. But to me for the most part the only difference, at least for guitar, between the young beginner is maybe the rate of advancement and the adult possible having bad habits if slightly self taught. But a brand new adult I would think should start at the same place relatively speaking, although with piano there is the difference in the "pre staff" period which I really don't understand. Third thing I think would probably just be the size of the books, especially for the price points. Some guitar methods start just as simply but by the end the student should be playing at very least 2 or 3 voice music, a base voice with melody and occasional harmony. I know there are guitar books that have tried to mimic some of these piano books, which I don't fault them for wanting the larger print and landscape pages, but I would never use these books because method and actual technique wise they just fall way too short and create bad bad habits. I have been teaching some piano recently and have been searching for some books more to the equivalent of the guitar books I pull from or just general methods for myself to use like I have use these guitar methods to read a particular guitarists insights and thought process to guitar. But when I search for piano version's it comes to books like these or the separate "adult" books which are sometimes closer. I don't know though I just found this difference a bit odd comparing what seems to be the common piano approach to what is more commonly used in the plucked strings world. Just felt like word vomiting's a bit about my thoughts on it. I'm sure their may be more methods in the style I'm thinking for piano at least older ones, I'm just having trouble easily finding them as these line of methods show up for piano but methods by big guitarist and even methods by our Romanic/Classical counterparts (at least on IMSLP) pop up more immediately when simply searching for "classical guitar Methods".

Which book is the most elementary or for the 5 year old?

oh and... what beginner book or books would you recommend for ages 8, 9 & 10 age range.

QUESTION: I am a piano teacher. What book do you go to after the John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course - Part 2? Would you recommend going straight into Piano Adventures Level 1? I am looking for a book or books to replace the Piano Adventures "Primer" book. I have been teaching Piano Adventures for decades and I am finding that most students age 8 & up seem to get bored very easily with the PA Primer book. All other levels though in Piano Adventures I find are very good. It's just the Primer book I don't really like. HELP!

Hello. What tutorial or book would you recommend for someone who wants to learn piano? (p.s i wanna learn myself at home and 28 y.o)

This I very helpful! I play piano myself and am hoping to start teaching my 5-year-old as I can’t afford private lessons currently. What can you share about Piano Safari?

What on earth is level 1 verses grades I am so confused? My grandkid are finishing up John Thompson's Easiest Piano part one I have the part 2 two as well. We have an online teacher. What level would the average student go into after these are completed. Our goal is for them to play in church. We are using Bastien primer hymn with it now.

Do you have a video for an older beginner? My son is 11 and just starting to play. Would you recommend the resources from this video still? Thank you.

solo ??

I’ve watched your video a few times. Can you explain why you don’t recommend the Suzuki method?

Can you do one for teens?

There are many books from which to choose and of course, books are essentially teacher preferences. Please don't use the term "songs". Musical selections or just selections would be better. I like books that don't move too quickly, and that have enough reinforcement. No set of books is perfect in itself. Whatever a teacher uses must be appropriate for a particular student.