How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear

by Norman Monath, Hal David (Foreword)

“Anyone who can dial a telephone can learn to play popular piano quickly and easily.”

So says Norman Monath, author of How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons. His no-frills, no-drills method will have you playing simple tunes within thirty minutes—even if you don't know one note from another.

The secret? Learning the basic chords and how to adapt them. With lots of clearly illustrated chord examples, keyboard diagrams and practice pieces ranging from “Silent Night” to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” Monath teaches

-the basic structure of music
-how to alter the basic chords for creative accompaniment
-how to read tunes from sheet music
-how to improvise
-how to play by ear
-how to create your own playing style—whether you lean toward pop, blues, jazz or rock

For everyone from rank beginner to experienced virtuoso, this step-by-step, uncomplicated guidebook makes learning to play popular piano the easy and enjoyable experience it should be.

Genres: Music, Reference, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 1984

Reviews

[Jordan Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING!
$16 for this???? That is a STEAL. a STEAL I TELL YOU!
Also, if you can get this from your library, RUN, don't walk! Although I will recommend buying it so you can read it once through a second time (or for me, especially chapters 8-10).
I liked to sit down with the book and read a chapter and then practice all the exercises, but i didn't do that as much for the last few chapters and I definitely need to go back. Just reading you get a lot of information, but practicing really gets you in the noggin.
And like, i feel like with this book *I* could teach someone how to play piano 😂 it's absolutely brilliant.

Here's my background: i did take paino for 6 years but it was all by brute force, basically. Play the songs over and over. This teaches the why. He says he wants to teach you the alphabet of the piano so you know how to read and write on your own.

If you have a ton of experience, maybe you know all this stuff, but if you have none to "i have some just not what I want" this will take you above and beyond!

[Vadim G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book a lot. It has a lot of great tips and helpful exercises for the newest of beginners and even some veterans who may have learned without formal training, and there is some music theory that they can put a name to. The only thing is that the book does more fairly quickly in pace, and for an absolute beginner, they may need to supplement their knowledge with further exercises for finger strengthening and coordination. It takes time to get your hands working well together and your fingers moving on the keyboard, so I would say you would need another beginners book to work along with but otherwise it is great! Train your ears and be able to improvise. All good stuff!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intriguing book. It's very compressed, and leaves to the reader to decide how to practice and thus actually learn the chords and more advanced improvisational and semi-improvisational techniques he presents to complement the melody of musical pieces. I wish he had a few more references...he has certainly reawoken my desire to actually learn some music theory...but he may cite only one other book in the course of the text.

The book tries to assume absolutely no knowledge of music and so a lot is consumed with the obvious necessities of reading music and discussing notes / pitches. He downplays the importance of triad chords but spends a lot of time on them, then (to some degree apologetically) presents the zoo of four-note chords and their awful nomenclature, then at the end launches into an intimidating rundown of techniques used by famous popular pianists of the 20th century. It will take a long while, a lot of patience, and a lot of music to practice on in order to really reap the benefits of the book.

[Jan Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents the essentials in a logical way. Cuts to the core of what is required for playing the piano with no fluff. Wish I had this book before I gave up playing piano 10 years ago but the book has revitalised my interest.
Good to review chapters and practice pieces.
Thoroughly recommend.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

For what it teaches, it teaches it well. Concise and well-written. A very good read.

[Ông Lão Cá · Rating 4 out of 5]

Có nhiều thứ trong cuộc sống sẽ trở nên tốt hơn khi quay lại một lần nữa.

[Brian Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction for the beginner trying to self-teach

Not the greatest idea, but if you must this can help to get you started

[Quan · Rating 5 out of 5]

eye opening as I started to self-teach harmony

[Lady_lit]

Reading throughout the year ; going back and forth between chapters . On currently reading shelf for awhile

[Jason Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff. The most productive and focussed book in this area that I've found. Definitely and directly helped me get to the next plateau in my piano skills.