[Fuzzybear]

(Or returners or intermediate levels)

Do you have any favourite books or music you can share?

[Mopey]

Seems to me there was a book of piano exercises (was it Czerny?) that was standard for technique-building in the beginning student, Fuzzy.

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by Mopey

Seems to me there was a book of piano exercises (was it Czerny?) that was standard for technique-building in the beginning student, Fuzzy.

Thanks Mopey, I’ve heard of Czerny, good idea

It's been a very long time since I studied piano, but I remember loving a somewhat beginner's level book of pieces by Bela Bartok. Bartok specifically wrote pieces for beginner piano learners. I don't know if you like that type of music, but I really did. At a slightly higher level, Scott Joplin is great. He wrote some easier pieces.

[CepheidVariable]

Yeah, you mentioned this earlier and I didn't have much to suggest. I'm still looking for suggestions too.

The method books sell well because they seem pretty good for a beginner. Here in North America, the Alfred's Adult All-In-One and the Faber Adult Piano Adventures both seem to be really big.

The Royal Conservatory of Canada puts out a lot of quality material, but it's very formal and rigorous. It might not be your cup of tea.

As far as individual pieces ....

The Largo from the New World Symphony has some arrangements that are great for beginners at the earliest stages. When my teacher first asked me to pick something outside the method book, this was what I chose.

The first modern song I learned to play that sounded mostly like the original was the Michael Andrews/Gary Jules version of "Mad World". Syncopation was and is difficult for me. But once I got it down for this song, it worked well and the song is manageable if broken into pieces and stuck with. A little dreary of course, but slower songs are easier to play.