Best Beginner Piano Book: 5 Piano Beginner Books To Get You Started

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It is good to at least master one instrument, and if a piano is your choice, this is the sign to look for the best piano book for your preference as a beginner.

Frankly, to become a great pianist, you need to be consistent in what you do. A great pianist starts from scratch! Mainly there are three things to consider to be at your best: first, a quality piano book and second is to be consistent, and you are doing it because you love it. The third one may vary, an excellent teacher. These books below will be a significant factor in learning piano.

best piano books for beginners

Top 5 Beginner Piano Book

IMAGE PRODUCT DETAILS  
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Series
  • Allows you to choose from a variety of books
  • Offers tailored experience for students
  • A staple teaching resource for piano teachers all over the world
The Hal Leonard Student Piano Library Lessons Book 1
  • It gives students the opportunity to practice making music.
  • Concepts are presented in a clear and concise manner
  • All lessons come with MIDI enhanced book/CD sets
Faber Piano Adventures
  • Comes with plenty of supplemental material
  • Has a progress chart so that both the teacher and the student can know where they are in the process
  • Laid out with attractive illustrations to keep students interested
John Thompsons’ Easiest Piano Course
  • Includes 4 Books and Online Audio Access
  • Has been the first choice of more than 12 million students since 1955
  • Features colorful, fun characters and illustrations
The Ultimate Beginners Series
  • Focuses on the practice of the instrument
  • Great for fast pace learning
  • Features 3 hours of audio recordings and 4 hours of video lessons

1. Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Lesson Series

Of course, the number one on the list is the most beloved piano book of all time!

The Alfred’s Basic Piano Library serves the users a set of books, including for kids and adults. It is a step-by-step process; thus, each book comes on different levels. For instance, Lesson Book 1A starts by instructing concepts in pianos such as the keyboard topography and the relationship between the white keys and black keys.

The book highlights the proper note reading and habits, and each book has its intervals to learn to as the book is a series designed to learn one at a time.

Alfred’s books about piano serve its purpose to help the students to learn piano at the beginning as the book is an all-in-one package. You have nothing to regret and miss significant lessons.

Pros

  • Allows you to choose from a variety of books
  • Offers tailored experience for students
  • A staple teaching resource for piano teachers all over the world

Cons

  • It appears to progress at a slower rate than some of the other piano books

2. The Hal Leonard Student Piano Library Lessons Book 1

The Piano Lessons Book 1 of Hal Leonard gives the students mesmeric vibes. The book allows the students to experience creating music and making them ready for more great piano lessons ahead, a perfect book for beginners.

The exercise is not a filler, but it is an interactive way for the students to explore the piano keyboards, calling it their masterpiece as My Own Song. The book’s beginning establishes a solid basic foundation about rhythm styles, finger numbers, and white and black keys.

The book also offers the first step to transform into a true pianist as effortless as possible because the book comes with straightforward directions and illustrations. It is also escorted with a CD containing audio files. It is indeed a perfect book home buddy for beginners!

Pros

  • It gives students the opportunity to practice making music.
  • Concepts are presented in a clear and concise manner
  • All lessons come with MIDI enhanced book/CD sets

Cons

  • A little more challenging for complete beginners with no prior musical experience

3. Faber Piano Adventures

If your preference is a unique way of learning piano over the standard one, Faber Piano Adventures is your pick!

Uniquely, the book offers a different approach. The students learning the book are advised to take experiments when understanding the piano pedals to comprehend their functions properly. See, a different approach but no regrets after this as the books’ purpose is to help beginners in an enjoyable yet informative way. The illustrations of the Faber Piano Adventures are pleasant and compelling to the eyes, especially for children.

There are notes behind the keys in a piano, such as the middle C, and it is very vital not to remember. Still, Faber Pianos saves it as it comes with exercises that improve students’ awareness regarding such notes. As a reminder, the book comes with different levels, so better check it out.

Pros

  • Comes with plenty of supplemental material which includes theory, performance, and artistry books
  • Has a progress chart so that both the teacher and the student can know where they are in the process
  • Laid out with attractive illustrations to keep students interested

Cons

  • It was a little inconvenient to have to flip through multiple books

4. John Thompsons’ Easiest Piano Course

Easiest Piano Course by John Thompsons features a classic way to learn piano.

The word “easiest” on its title is not a hoax as it is the perfect book to start learning piano lessons. Thompsons’ book accents its lessons with vibrant illustrations with specially made characters for the book itself. There are notes for each book and its distinctive features. An accompanying audio file that can be accessed on the internet is attached to the book, making it fun, engaging, and educational.

Furthermore, it is made with writing and reading exercises. Added with review works, worksheets, and many more to discover when purchased. Thus, making the book be an enormous auxiliary resource for a teacher-to-student confrontation.

Pros

  • Includes 4 Books and Online Audio Access
  • Has been the first choice of more than 12 million students since 1955
  • Features colorful, fun characters and illustrations

Cons

  • The CD with this book only plays music and does not provide instructions.

5. The Ultimate Beginners Series

The ultimate of all books! As the book allows the student to jump to the domain of piano quickly – the piano chords, different forms of playing, arpeggios, and any lessons that are inclusive to a piano’s domain because the book is a one of a kind as it comes with DVD attachment and plays with text.

The Ultimate Beginners Series can capture the musicians having their hearts set on music as it is unparalleled because it combines the books regarding USB, Rocks, and Blues keyboards in a full-blown book and, of course, a DVD set.

The DVD attached to the book offers 4 hours of teachings and an audio track that lasts for about 3 hours thanks to the printed diagrams and on-displayed graphics. So if you are pretty impatient yet driven to learn piano, this is your choice!

Pros

  • Focuses on the practice of the instrument
  • Great for fast pace learning
  • Features 3 hours of audio recordings and 4 hours of video lessons

Cons

  • Difficult for complete beginners with no previous musical experience

What Is the Best Book to Learn Piano?

Definitely, there are various books out in the market to learn piano, but only the best one can capture your preference. These books that are listed are the most prominent ones, so better check it out:

Can You Teach Yourself Piano?

One of the perks of self-learning is that there are no constraints! You can learn at your own pace.

But having a teacher to instruct you is preferable but not a mandatory requirement if you possess the means to learn by yourself. These means may include a study ground that is designed for you, a quiet place, quality piano books (check above to see), and of course, the best quality of a student, and that is consistency and loving all his works.

Can You Learn Piano From a Book?

A hundred percent yes if you are a bookworm person who primarily does not entertain the trend, online learning/videos. The footing that we are on offers us vast ways to learn, and online videos are one of them.

A woman playing on piano near a music book
A woman playing on piano near a music book by Charles Parker

You can learn through it without a doubt, especially with high-quality videos, but learning piano from a book is still the best. Nothing beats the classic!

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About Jayden Buckley

Hi, my name is Jayden and I am author/editor for PlayTheTunes. I remember the first time I hopped on the drums, I was hooked. Music has played an enormous part of my life, and I'm honored I get to share my experiences with you!