If you’re not ready to hire a piano teacher, an excellent resource for the beginning musician is a good method book. A method book is an instructional book or series designed to teach you how to play a musical instrument in a strategic, proven, methodical manner. Countless volumes of these books exist, each featuring its own “method to the madness,” whether old-fashioned or new-and-improved.
Like any series of how-to books, piano methods come in all shapes, sizes, and skill levels — from beginner to advanced.
You can find rock methods, classical methods, jazz methods, country methods — the list is endless. Pick one that’s right for you and, most important, one that looks fun and interesting.
Although no book can replace a live, human teacher, method books offer an inexpensive, viable option for continuing to master the piano. To get you started, the following method and exercise books are worth checking out:
FastTrack Keyboard Songbook 1 and 2, by Blake Neely and Gary Meisner (Hal Leonard)
Francis Clark Library for Piano Students, by Francis Clark (Warner Bros.)
Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, by Barbara Kreader, Fred Kern, Phillip Keveren, and Mona Rejino (Hal Leonard)
The Jazz Piano Book, by Mark Levine (Sher Music Co.)
Piano Exercises For Dummies, by David Pearl (Wiley)
You Can Teach Yourself Piano, by Matt Dennis (Mel Bay)