There are eight lettered books, A-H. Then there are two “After the H Books” and one “Pre” book, called the “Green Book.”

I myself used Alfred’s and had some impressive success with that, but I must aver that Schaum’s is a superior series. It takes the student much, much deeper and at a much more comfortable pace without, at any point, throwing anything horridly intimidating in his face.

I didn’t know about Schaum’s while I was learning piano or I would have switched over. As it is, I can still get put through my paces with the F, G, and H books, which take me into realms Alfred’s did not get into, at least explicitly. And Alfred’s certainly goes far deeper than either the Bastien or the Faber.

Too bad these don’t come with CD’s, at least to my knowledge.
Rating: 5 / 5

I love the Alfred method. The four books: technic, lesson, solo/recital, and theory all seem to really work well together. The songs coordinate with each other, so for each new concept taught in the lesson books, the student has a warm-up, a solo piece, and some theory work to back it up. I find this to be very effective. It gives the students a chance to see several examples of each concept, and practice each new concept in different ways until they achieve perfection with it. It also really walks the teacher through each concept very clearly, giving definitions for musical terms and clear instructions for which songs go together. I feel like the order in which concepts are taught also makes a lot of sense.

Overall, it’s a good method for a teacher who doesn’t know a whole lot about HOW to teach another person to play the piano!

I currently have some of my students on this level (1B), and others on the Prep Course levels. I love how all of the different levels are interchangeable, so gifted students can advance more quickly, and students who need a little extra reinforcement can stay on the lower levels. The map for how this all works is on the back of all of the books, which you can see on the book preview. So many great things about Alfred!
Rating: 5 / 5

Though not for the beginner, these pieces will reward the more advanced pianists who love the Gershwin style. He even supplies a hint about how to play them – keep your foot off the sustaining pedal. American popular music (in the early twentieth century, at least) “asks for staccato effects, for almost a stenciled style.”

If you’ve been at the piano for a few years and love his music, you’ll enjoy this collection. If you prefer simpler arrangements with lyrics, try “50 Gershwin Classics,” also available through Amazon.

P.S. A note to sheet music publishers: Why not include a few sample pages so web users can judge for themselves whether the arrangements are appealing?
Rating: 5 / 5