Beginner Piano Materials

Written By Austin Baugh

Method Books

Piano Adventures, written by Nancy and Randall Faber, has become the standard in piano pedagogy and for good reason. My most common choice for an elementary age student starting piano as their first instrument. While the entire learning pack has great materials, I only require my students to work out of the method & theory books weekly.

  • Well researched modern technique, reading skills, and pedagogy

  • An ecosystem of supplemental materials that are well graded to the method books

  • Modern appearance & choice of songs

  • Free online practice resources

Faber Piano Learning Pack | Primer Level: https://amzn.to/4p4mr7j

Faber Piano Learning Pack | Level 1: https://amzn.to/4gRDk32

Faber Piano Learning Pack | Level 2A: https://amzn.to/3SFQFBD

Faber Piano Learning Pack | Level 2B: https://amzn.to/4hjWleJ

This accelerated series, written by Nancy and Randall Faber, is my most popular method for anyone middle school or older. It condenses the material of the 1st four core books down to just two. This is also my go to method for anyone looking to learn piano as their second instrument. These books are also a much shorter approach than the adult methods, which is why I also suggest adults to pick up this method. While the entire learning pack has great materials, I only require my students to work out of the method & theory books weekly.

  • Well researched modern technique, reading skills, and pedagogy

  • An ecosystem of supplemental materials that are well graded to the method books

  • Faster paced approach to get you into easier piano literature sooner.

Faber Accelerated Piano Adventures for the Older Beginner Learning Pack | Level 1: https://amzn.to/4z8TTOS

Faber Accelerated Piano Adventures for the Older Beginner Learning Pack | Level 2: https://amzn.to/4yZeNja

 

Supplemental Books

The vast Faber library of supplemental books, title PreTime-ChordTime Piano, is one of the big reasons I made the switch over years ago. While the books are matched to the level of the methods very well, that sort of assumes that the student has already learned many key skills from that level. My biggest tip… they will be much more enjoyable if you buy them one levellower than the book that is currently being studied. This way any song in the book can be learned without much (or any) teacher assistance. We drive our love for learning to read and play music forward when it starts to feel easier to do.

  • Disney, Christmas, Jazz & Blues, Hymns, and many more genres!

  • Teacher duets parts to make the music sound more mature at recitals

Faber PlayTime Piano: Disney | Level 1: https://amzn.to/4z8TTOS

Faber PlayTime Piano: Christmas | Level 1: https://amzn.to/4yZhfX3

Faber PlayTime Piano: Jazz & Blues | Level 1: https://amzn.to/4fJc31W

The Faber Sightreading Series is for any student that can’t get enough of trying to read new music. The unique thing about these sightreading exercises is that they are based on the pieces from the core lesson books. This means that if you pick up this book, it should be at the same level as the method book. It will offer six variations of the piece assigned as homework for each day between lessons. This way you get comfortable seeing patterns repeated across different pieces you are working on.

Faber Sightreading Book | Level 1: https://amzn.to/4yZeNja

Faber Accelerated Sightreading Book | Level 1: https://amzn.to/4fVfcKC

Austin Baugh
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Easy Piano Materials