My First Piano Book

Genevieve Helsby, Jason Chapman

Naxos ISBN 978-1-78198-029-3

72pp (hb) £7.99

Occasionally within the pages of BBC Music Magazine, you may have read of brilliant young things who sit eagerly at the piano for the first time at the age of three, take to the instrument like the proverbial duck to water, and are rattling off Beethoven sonatas by the time they reach double figures. Lovely, yes, but rare – most children need a bit of gentle nudge to get started. Charmingly illustrated, this excellent course begins by explaining not just how one starts to learn the piano but also, importantly, why one might want to do so. A potted guide to the piano and its history is accompanied by audio examples – which can be listened to either on the CDS included or online – that show just what wonderful sounds can be made by those who have tamed the majestic 88-key beast. Context, you see, is everything. And then we move onto the practical tuition section, guided by helpful friends such as Elephant, Frog and Pig, who lend their names and characters to the various exercises as we progress. The final piece, ‘The Full Cast’, involves both hands, with an accidental or two thrown in for good measure. By this stage, the enthusiasm will hopefully have been well and truly fired up.

Jeremy Pound ★★★★★