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WOODWIND & BRASS

Basics

The Basics series is designed for absolute beginners. Written by leading instrumental teachers, it takes pupils up to Grade 2 standard, a point at which they can start to play basic repertoire pieces. The aim is to help teachers build a sound technical foundation with students before going on to more advanced work. While the books are designed for individuals they can also be used effectively as a resource in a group or class situation.

Basics books are available for clarinet, electronic keyboard, flute, saxophone, trumpet and guitar (for Guitar Basics, see below). There is also an accompaniment CD available with each book.

“This is an excellent first tutor book, full of great advice, imaginative presentation and creative exercises…The pieces are a good mixture of known and unknown and concert pieces are placed at strategic places. The Hot Tips are excellent…The book has cartoon drawings on most pages and these fill the book with humour. An excellent publication!”

Flutewise, Spring 2003

More Info: Flute Basics | Clarinet Basics | Trumpet Basics
Saxophone Basics | Electronic Keyboard Basics

Team

The Team series is suitable for use with both individuals or as a group tutor encouraging students to try ensemble playing from the very early stages. All of the books in the series are fully integrated allowing students using ‘Team Strings’ to play in ensembles with students using ‘Team Woodwind’, ‘Team Brass’, ‘Team Percussion’ and ‘Team Recorder’.

Team is a flexible and adaptable course ideal for beginner players. The tutor can be tailored to suit the specific needs of each student. Each piece is carefully graded to ensure a logical progression at a sensible pace and students are introduced to a wide variety of musical styles throughout the book. The books have been specially written to support almost any combination of instruments the teacher may encounter.
Imaginative piano accompaniments have been provided as well as helpful notes and clear ensemble scores to aid the teacher.

The volumes come complete with a CD of backing tracks designed to add a third dimension to practice sessions or performance when an accompanist is not available.

More Info: Team Strings 1 | Team Strings 2 | Team Woodwind
Team Brass | Team Recorder | Team Percussion

PIANO

Me and My Piano
Waterman, Fanny and Harewood, Marion

This full colour piano tutor series, by Fanny Waterman and Marion Harewood, is specifically designed to suit the needs of the younger beginner. It takes the young pianist step by step through the earliest stages of piano technique, first with separate hands, then with a sequence of very easy pieces for hands together. All use a constant five-finger hand position in the key of C major. Part 2 follows on directly from Part 1, by extending the compass of the notes learnt and introducing new rhythms, note values, chords, and changes of hand position. Games and puzzles give elementary theory a new lease of life and children will love the rhymes and songs which introduce characters such as Ostrich, Sammy Squirrel and the Old Man with a Beard. Me and My Piano aims to make learning the piano a pleasurable experience for both pupil and teacher.

It is now published in a new edition including a new larger size, improved layout making it easier to read, a clean new look with new typesetting and music-setting, and the instantly recognisable cover designs have been updated for extra vibrancy.

"Fanny Waterman's success as a teacher stems from her concentration on security of technique combined with the development of imagination and musicianship. These books convey a sense of excitement which will enthrall many a young aspiring pianist."

Piano Professional, Spring 2009

It's Never Too Late to Play...
Wedgwood, Pam

Do you wish you’d learnt to play the piano when you were younger or that you hadn’t given up? Then this book is for you - because it’s never too late!

At last a truly grown-up approach to learning the piano. Pam Wedgwood, author of many popular piano series, takes you through the rudiments of piano technique and music theory in her own friendly style that’s guaranteed to get results. The book is organized into clearly structured progressive units with a fabulous array of music to get you playing straight away, including Pam’s own jazzy pieces, plenty of well-known classics and a smattering of pop and show tunes.

Help and information is included at every step with top playing tips, technical boxes, fact files, general advice noticeboards, crosswords, recommended listening and boxes of fascinating musical history. The CD is packed with over 90 backing tracks as well as interactive activities to help you practice and a unique Pam Wedgwood site at www.pamwedgwood.com includes optional extras such as an opportunity to ask Pam your questions, optional teacher’s accompaniment parts and more!

This is an extensively revised and updated new edition for a new generation of beginners - proving it really is never too late.

Piano for the young Football Fanatic
Bastin, Melissa and Wedgwood, Pam

Piano for the Young Football Fanatic provides exercises and pieces for the beginner pianist and has been conceived to complement any beginner piano tutor. The books are very gently progressive: Book 1 Division One primarily explores five notes with each hand – C-G in the right, and F-C in the left. Book 2 Premier League extends to one octave in each hand. This book is perfect for motivating young football fans to practice good piano techniques.

PianoWorld
MacGregor, Joanna

PianoWorld is an inspirational new piano series for children, written by the highly acclaimed pianist Joanna MacGregor. It is centered around a set of three story-based tutors, with colourful characters – Ned, Grumper, Crash Harry and the Scherzo Sisters – who take the young pianist on musical journeys involving catchy pieces, games and puzzles. Illustrated by the cartoonist ‘Stik’, each tutor book has its own CD with exercises and adventures. This is the perfect series for the young pianist who wants to have fun.

STRINGS

Superstart
Cohen, Mary

Superstart is a breakthrough for beginner string players. Rhythmic work using words and rhymes, simple tunes and 'real' pieces are all incorporated from the very beginning, with brilliant, witty illustrations, lots of humour and plenty of rewarding musical experiences. The accompanying CD provides all the piano accompaniments, with unique cue entries to help beginners get started. For extra flexibility, most of the pieces in the violin, viola and cello book are compatible, making this a great resource for individual or group teaching covering the first three years of learning.

"Aimed at those from beginner to Grade 1 level, this is one of the most wide-ranging, clever, imaginative and child-friendly books I've encountered. I like the physical approach, 'floating with your gravity-defying violin', introducing sliding up and down the fingerboard in harmonics very early, and taking your bow into space orbit."

Music Teacher, May 2007

GUITAR

The Ultimate Guitar Tutor
The Ultimate Guitar Tutor: Playlist
The Ultimate Guitar Tutor: Blues
The Ultimate Guitar Tutor: Rock
Fleming, Tom

The Ultimate Guitar Tutor provides a comprehensive introduction to playing the guitar. Suitable for acoustic or electric guitar, the step-by-step approach means no prior knowledge of music is necessary. Whether you are a budding lead guitarist or simply want to strum along with your favourite songs, this book provides all you need and more!

The Ultimate Guitar: Playlist is a collection of original pieces and popular songs suitable for electric or acoustic guitar. Carefully arranged for the beginner guitarist, the material provides useful consolidation of techniques learnt in the tutor book, as well as more tips and guidance from author Tom Fleming. A CD of backing tracks is also included.

The Ultimate Guitar Tutor features an introduction to TAB and standard notation; essential guitar techniques including tuning, power chords, barre chords, hammer-ons, string bending, sliding and left-hand damping; classic songs from legendary artists Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, Van Morrison, Eagles, Green Day, Nirvana, Elvis Presley, George Michael and R.E.M.; well-known folk and classical tunes and an integral CD of backing tracks.

Tom Fleming is a skilled and highly experienced guitarist, adept at a wide variety of styles including rock, jazz and folk. He is also an arranger and composer, and an examiner for Rockschool, the UK's only dedicated rock and pop exam board.

Guitar Basics
Longworth, James and Walker, Nick

Guitar Basics is a landmark method for young guitarists. It starts at absolute beginner level and progresses to Initial/Preparatory Grade. The method is set out in fifteen stages and contains original pieces and traditional tunes in an array of styles including classical, folk and world music as well as well-known favourite film and TV themes such as James Bond, Batman and The Flintstones.

There is a thorough introduction to standard notation, with sections on chords and TAB, whilst ensemble pieces are ideal for group teaching, including 'Wider Opportunities'. The enhanced CD provides accompaniment parts, teachers' notes and tips for parents which are easily downloaded, or it can be simply used to play the fun backing tracks!

MUSICIANSHIP

Improve your sight-reading
Harris, Paul

This workbook is designed to help overcome the nerves that accompany sight-reading. Step by step it helps the player to build up a complete picture of each piece, first through rhythmic and melodic exercises related to specific problems, then by the study of a prepared piece with associated questions for the student to answer and finally, to the real unprepared sight-reading test.

Improve your aural!
Harris, Paul

The very thought of aural, especially in examinations, strikes fear into the heart of many young pianists and instrumentalists. But aural should not be an occasional optional extra, it’s something to be developing all the time, because having a good ear will help you to improve as a musician more than any other single musical skill.

Improve your aural! Is designed to take the fear out of aural. Through fun listening activities, boxes to fill in and practice exercises, these workbooks, each with CD, focus on all the elements of the aural test. And because all aspects of musical training are of course connected, a range of interconnected activities are included to help develop the ear including singing, clapping, playing your instrument, writing music down, improvising and composing.

Improve your aural! also fulfils all ABRSM exam requirements, ensuring success in the aural test of graded exams.

Improve your Practice
Harris, Paul

Improve your Practice begins by encouraging students to plan their practice sessions, starting with warm-ups and then giving tips on how to 'explore a piece'. This book will encourage children to think about different aspects of their music as they play giving them a better musical understanding of their pieces and also encouraging independent thought and exploration.

"Thinking around the music is essential for keeping pupils interested. Few people know better than Paul Harris how to encourage youngsters to explore different aspects of their music... With the guidance given in these books, pupils will start to take a real interest in their music and in how they are practising. From there follows progress. Terrific! I plan to give a copy to each of my pupils for Christmas."

Piano Professional, Autumn 2008

Improve your Scales
Harris, Paul

Paul Harris's brilliant series of workbooks use 'finger fitness' exercises, scale arpeggio study pieces, and simple improvisations to help you play scales and arpeggios with real confidence. An invaluable resource for students, Improve your Scales! covers all the keys and ranges required for the exam syllabus, helping students pick up valuable extra marks in exams.