Get Set! Piano Tutor Book 1

As an adult beginner who is essentially a child at heart, I chose Get Set Piano over adult beginner books and I'm very glad I did. Having studied violin for a few years' already, some aspects were already familiar to me but reading two lines of music at once is a new skill and all of the fingering is very different to violin, so it was useful to start at the beginning and relearn the treble clef. With gorgeous illustrations, playful titles and fun lyrics, themed around pirates or pizza or haunted houses, for example, the book progresses fairly quickly but at a manageable pace- especially if used alongside Pieces Book 1, as intended. This tutor book is mainly concerned with teaching and has just one or pieces to illustrate each new learning point in the early stages (more pieces as the book progresses). However little boxes throughout the book tell you when to switch to Pieces Book 1 and what pieces to play there to reinforce what you're currently learning, giving you three or four more pieces to practise. I particularly like how both hands are used from the start, initially alternating in melodies but soon playing together in very simple patterns. Beginning with B and D either side of middle C, new notes are gradually introduced, along with dynamics (initially Forte and Piano) and articulations (Staccato and Legato). The book illustrates these terms using analogies children can identify with, before consistently using the standard terms to reinforce it. Middle C is used as a point of orientation, a bit like the home row in touch typing, but your thumbs are by no means stuck there and about halfway through the book shifting to higher and lower notes, beyond those surrounding middle C is introduced. Another fab aspect of the book is how it teaches note reading, aural skills, theory and improvisation alongside the melodies, with a variety of other activities, such as singing, listening to the teacher playing, making up your own tunes and performing actions to indicate high or low notes integrated into the book. There are also periodic quizzes to fill in, notes to write on the keyboard etc. There are many teacher parts included and more available free to download alongside additional pieces and certificates, to encourage ensemble playing. In the pieces, some prompting is provided in terms of occasional finger numbers or reminders (look for where it goes quiet, make sure you move smoothly from one hand to the other) but additional annotations are kept to a minimum to encourage competent reading ability.

As a piano teacher I LOVE this teaching method. It's the perfect combination teaching kids to use their ears while they play while simultaneously teaching them to read notation. I only wish someone would come out with an American version of this method using the different musical terminology that we use over here.

Beautiful & fun pieces that entertain me as a teacher as well as students! The book starts with setting up at the piano, followed by composing using a graphic score, finger numbers , note values, rhythms and quizzes before starting pieces. The rhymes are silly and make me laugh which I need after a full day of teaching beginners. The Tutor and Pieces books compliment each other beautifully and are put together well. They allow the student to be creative, reinforces theory allowing students to put what they’ve learned into practice immediately. Reading notes starts on the B & D either side of middle C which students understand easily.

Lots of theory work at the beginning so more suitable for an older child, from 8 upwards. A younger child needs one on one attention to complete the work and little tasks. I am an experienced piano player so can teach my children from this book but anyone without any prior musical knowledge may struggle to teach from it.

This is a great introduction to playing the piano with clear explanations, engaging pictures and lovely activities to teach theory in a fun way. I bought it for my 8 yo who has just started lessons and it's going to be really useful. I always hated theory as a child but I really believe this will make it come to life. 😊