Book Description
As seen on public television stations nationwide, a revolutionary new approach to playing non-classical music on the piano.
Have you ever wished you could play the piano? Well, now you can! Scott "The Piano Guy" Houston teaches you to play the way the pros play, in a style enormously simpler than traditional classical piano and with an absolute minimum of note-reading. By focusing on playing the melody with the right hand (one note at a time) and simple chords with the left hand, Houston gives you the tools you need for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Best of all, your tour guide to this adventure forces you to have fun along the way!
Customer Reviews:
If you're trying to decide..........2007-09-26
...whether to buy "How to Play Piano Despite Years of Lessons: What Music Is and How to Make It at Home" or "Play Piano in a Flash! Play Your Favorite Songs Like a Pro--Whether You've Had Lessons or Not!" by Scott Houston, buy BOTH--- and do read Scott Houston's book FIRST. He explains the whole premise of playing off chords so much more clearly and simply. After reading Scott's book, you can delightfully play all sorts of piano music you may have around your house effortlessly after a few tries. To give you an example, I used to practice fairly simple folktunes for about a week before (somewhat joltingly) being able to play up to tempo at an even pace. Now, knowing what I know from Scott's book, I can play any such song in about 15 minutes. Really! And I can play faster and more eloquently than I ever could before. Now, I have confidence that I could accompany any singer (including myself)-- a trick I used to think only "good pianists" could do (with much practice). In short, it motivates you to play music almost immediately in a fun and joyous manner.
Now for "How to Play Piano Despite Years of Lessons: What Music Is and How to Make It at Home". It's A LOT more philosophical, and a lot more wordy. It explains everything in much greater detail, and is very fond of the basic Oom-pah-pah sort of playing. The "standard" technique call for playing the melody an octave higher, the root note in octaves on the lowest possible section of the piano (for the Oom) and the chord (reconfigured so as never to reach higher than middle E nor lower than middle C) for the Pah-Pah. This takes quite a bit of PRACTICE. I certainly do not master this in 15 minutes! However, using this technique, I sound like one of those pianist that play at cash bars in restaurants that used to send my mother in the other direction because the "noise" gave her a "headache". It may work exceptionally well for some pieces, and it is certainly not the ONLY device taught in this book. It *is* a good book, with lots and lots of ideas of how to vary the bass notes and such to get a "full" sound from your piano. But you might get a headache or two... and might get discouraged and give up playing piano after all. (DON'T!) It is less motivating, and much more practice than Scott's book. I just can't decide whether I even like the result of the techniques shown. But music theory is explained in a somewhat harmless manner....
Now, I again suggest you buy BOTH books so that you can read them both, try them both, and make your own decisions. However, if you're relatively new to this topic, I suggest that you at least buy Scott's book first. Yes, you'll probably finish it in one sitting and it will seem so OBVIOUS after you read it that you'll wonder whether you ought to have spent the money for the book at all. Yes! Now, sit down and play the piano using these technique to see for yourself!
(To give you some point of reference, my level of playing beforehand using the classical method was Book Four of John Thompson series.... about intermediate I'd say.)
Azphil.......2007-06-30
Great instruction. I've played sax for years and never touched the piano until now. From moderately easy to moderately difficult. Good learning system.
Play Piano in a Flash!.......2007-06-28
If I could give this 10 stars I would !!!!
Our son started this program the day it arrived and he has not stopped since. In no time at all he was playing his favorite songs on the piano and has even arranged 2 of his own songs!
He had not had any type of lessons prior to this, just the desire to learn to play the piano. (I do have 3 aunties who are all self taught-so he may come by this naturally)
Anyway, if you are wanting to play the piano and do not have the time or the money for expensive lessons BUY this book! You will not be sorry, it is worth it's weight in gold as far as I am concerned. (atleast "this is one woman's opinion")
In less than 2 years he now plays and sings solos in church!
Great book for beginners.......2007-06-09
I really liked this book. Specially because it clarified for me somet hing I had thought: Classical piano and party piano are a world apart so the ways to learn to play the two can not be the same. Most people want to play piano for parties, have fun, etc. But then they get into learning classical piano that is not it! This book shows how to learn the right way. I do not mark it as 5 star as I do think it is a bit glib on "how easy it is to play piano" and gives you the idea that there is nothing to it, when the truth is that is easy but requires hard work and practice if you want to become good at it. Everything else is great
Very helpful.......2007-04-30
This well-written little book is just what the trepidatious beginner needs.
Even a rank beginner would probably do fine with this. Having read Houston's book, I'm now even angrier at my old piano teacher than I used to be (yes, you, Mrs. Ó Murchú!). You mean it was that simple all along?
Houston, using layman's terms, makes it plain that there's no mystery to the piano. Chords with the left, melody with the right, and away you go.
He does glide over the fact that you actually DO have to either i) learn the melody by heart on the keyboard or ii) learn how to sight-read quickly, but there's no avoiding that really.
A good book, easy to read, and will definitely get you playing simple tunes (that sound good!) within days or weeks.
Like many, I was introduced to Houston's book and technique through Public Television, and despair for the United States should PBS go under.
Book Description
Piano Players…
Do you feel like an impostor when asked to "fill in" or "fake" music?
Does the idea of improvisation make you shiver?
Have you always wanted to play by ear?
Are you bored with classical music and yearning to play something jazzy?
Have you read Play Piano in a Flash! and are ready for more?
Piano Teachers…
Do you wonder how to guide creative students who tend to "improve" written music to fit their taste?
Do you have students who want to try out non-traditional musical styles?
Are you having trouble finding simple and clear jazz educational resources oriented to early-intermediate piano students?
In this book, you will learn how to:
- read a lead sheet as found in fake books.
- interpret chord symbols and position them on the piano.
- play style specific left-hand self-accompaniment patterns.
- generate right-hand spontaneous melodies that "fit" with left-hand chords or patterns.
- play introductions, endings and turnarounds to create full arrangements of your favorite songs.
This book uses a fun and creative approach to piano playing. Following on the heels of the best seller Play Piano in a Flash! Using everyday language and down-to-earth examples, Scott and Bradley guide you through the more practical side of chords, scales and rhythms. The best part is that everything is presented in context, and with one goal in mind - getting you to play better, sound more authentic when playing non-classical styles, and have more fun than you ever thought possible on a piano or keyboard!
Customer Reviews:
Almost flawless........2007-03-03
This book is an excellent primer for the advanced-beginner pianist who wants to leave sheet music behind, or for the by-ear or lead-sheet player who has attempted at least a couple of songs using the "right-hand melody, left-hand chords" arrangement presented in many methods, including of course, "The Piano Guy's" (Scott Houston), "Play Piano in a Flash" series.
Scott Houston and Bradley Sowash propose to take the reader to...well, the next step beyond the barebones arrangement described above and to introduce him/her to more sophisticated harmonies and options for creating bass lines and thus fuller, more satisfying arrangements of lead sheet melodies.
They have succeeded.
Using a songlist of the usual suspects including "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain", Sowash and Houston guide us, in a casual, conversational style through some elementary ideas of chord construction, including inversions, minor and dominant 7th chords and then they explore some options available for LH parts. The authors then gently introduce some exercises demonstrating construction of simple bass lines, melodic ornamentations, improvisation and then move into slightly more complex re-harmonizations and a brief introduction to chord substitutions and more complex LH patterns like pseudo-stride.
Overall, the presentation is practical, friendly and emphasizes exploration by the reader (who is admonished not just to read, but to play, play, play through all the examples).
My only quibble with the presentation (and it is a small one) is the lack of a discussion on practisng the chords and their inversions for each lead sheet before trying to create arrangements, which may result in less experienced beginners becoming frustrated and attributing their difficulties to the method. More experienced players will be able to run through the exercises quite rapidly, and will gain confidence in the steps required to go from melody line to fuller arrangment.
All in all, this book offers a user-friendly, technically accessible and surprisingly comprehensive foundation for lead-sheet and by-ear pianists to start creating full-sounding arrangements on their own. In fact, by extending the ideas in this book by yourself with regular practise, you will be able to go quite far as your technical skills improve. You should be able to read simple music in both clefs and be able to play very basic arrangements hands together to benefit from "The Next Step".
A learning tool-.......2007-01-04
This book gives the basics of improvisation when playing from a fake book. It is a good tool for a continuation of the learning process. The use of a varied base line, improvisation within a chord and the pentatonic scale are worthwhile skills.
Book Description
As seen on public television nationwide, Scott The Piano Guy Houston is the leading authority on fast and fun piano instruction. In Play Piano in a Flash for Kids! he simplifies his unique and effective method of learning to play piano, making it accessible to even the youngest want-to-be pianists. Highlighting popular, not classical, music, this book fosters and nourishes an early love for music by giving children the tools to play their favorite popular songs. Your child will be able to: lLearn the basics of piano playing using a simple technique that pros use, which focuses on becoming a good player versus becoming a good notation reader lUse easy-to-follow step-by-step illustrations that demonstrate each stage of learning lPlay popular music on the piano without having to learn how to read complicated sheet music It is a great book for kids who may have taken lessons previously but became frustrated by the long and complicated process. And all at a fraction of the cost of piano lessons! Both parents and children can have fun learning the piano or keyboard together, or children can work through the book on their own, with parents providing support only when needed. Play Piano in a Flash for Kids! is the perfect tool for parents or teachers to help their kids learn to play the piano quickly and easily.
Customer Reviews:
Another bad binding.......2007-06-16
I was so disappointed when I received this book. You would be excused to think that you had received an English literature book rather than a piano lesson book. I must warn you that if you are thinking of a book that you can place on your piano as you try to figure out how to play the stuff in it then this is the wrong book. However if you are the type who play the piano with one hand while holding your music book in the other hand, then the book has some good stuff.
Product Description
Finally
kids can find all of their favorite songs in this one-of-a-kind fake book for children (and those wanting to play for children!) For the first time, the easy techniques that TV host and author Scott The Piano Guy Houston has taught to millions on TV, in his books and through live workshops are now available to kids interested in learning how to have FUN at a piano. Playing in the style Scott describes in his book Play Piano in a Flash for Kids! is much easier for kids if they can find songs they want to play in lead sheet format, which is just what you'll find in this fake book. Even better, every song in this book includes chord diagrams for the chords used in that particular song right on the page, which is everything a beginning piano player in this style needs to have fun and success immediately! Over 100 all time favorite kids classics with lyrics included Chord Diagrams at the beginning of every song A great companion to the Play Piano in a Flash for Kids! instructional book Also perfect for parents, teachers, grandparents and caregivers wanting to play kid's tunes for children Give the child in your life the gift that will provide a them with a lifetime of fun at a piano or keyboard
Average customer rating:
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Virtual Thailand Media and Culture Politics in Mainland Southeast Asia (Rethinking Southeast Asia)
Glen Lewis
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Book Description
"Radio is purely the announcer's medium. Accordingly, most of the best sports broadcasting has been done not on television, but on radio. David Halberstam writes from the knowledgeable and nuanced perspective of one who practices, respects, and understands the craft and its history." --Bob Costas NBC Sports "Some of my friends and associates do not believe there was civilization before television, but I assure them that listening to Red Barber on radio from Ebbets Field or to Marty Glickman from Madison Square Garden was better than watching television. It was magic. Sports on New York Radio brings back memories of that magic. Reading about the many gifted radio voices who covered the Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, Rangers, Jets, the fights, and so much more reinforces my early conviction that I would never be a broadcaster. How I made it to even the brink of such company still baffles me." --Dick Schaap ABC News The Sports Reporters, ESPN "I grew up with Red Barber, Mel Allen, and Marty Glickman. They were warm, friendly, great voices. Through the radio they brilliantly linked the fan with the game. David Halberstam captures the colorful history and many great memories of sports on the radio." --Robert Merrill #1-1/2 New York Yankees New York Metropolitan Opera "The next best thing to sports on radio is reading about the perfect marriage of sports and radio. Halberstam takes us there. The information is riveting, the anecdotes hilarious. Radio lives in these pages." --Vic Ziegel Columnist New York Daily News "Sports radio in New York has spawned many broadcast legends, and David Halberstam has captured them in his thoughtful book." --David W. Checketts President and CEO Madison Square Garden
Customer Reviews:
A Thorough History on A Fascinating Subject.......2003-09-18
If ever one of my book reviews deserved five stars this is it in spades. David Halberstam, a great author on numerous subjects, has provided us with a comprehensive history of the great names that have graced the radio sports scene in New York. The book is filled with anecdotes that reveal the personalities of such greats as Graham McNamee, Ted Husing, Red Barber, Mel Allen, Don Dunphy, Phil Rizzuto, Marv Albert, Marty Glickman, Clem McCarthy, Russ Hodges, Jim Woods, Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy, and numerous others. Anyone who ever reported sports on radio in New York is in here. Separate chapters are devoted to boxing, hockey, college and pro football, basketball, the Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants, the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, talk radio, and his personal experience of a mistake he, himself, made while doing a game for the Miami Heat basketball team. The book concludes with a final section on references that cover most anything you may want to know on this subject. Halberstan says that baseball voices are not paid for how they describe a play, but how they handle airtime between plays. We are treated to a number of Vin Scully phrases such as when the Brewers and Cardinals, both sponsored by beer companies, played in the 1982 World Series. Scully said, "There will be no bad hops in this Series." An interesting tidbit is that Connie Desmond and Al Helfer are the only individuals that have covered the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants. An interesting, but puzzling, story is told when Halberstam asked the general manager of a radio station in Talahassee, Florida, to arrange for him to spend a half hour with Red Barber. Barber was cordial, but could be cold with visitors. The author said he had so much to ask him. Just as he was warming up, Barber politely got up off his chair, shook the author's hand, and thanked him for coming. Thirty minutes were up, and it was time to go. If you enjoy the giants of the sports airwaves this book is a must for your reading, and deserves a prominent place in anyone's sports library.
Outstanding Reference Guide.......2002-01-26
David J. Halberstam (not to be confused with the more well-known David Halberstam) has written one of the best reference books ever on sports broadcasting, focusing on the history of radio play by play in New York City from its inception in the 20s to the present. Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey etc. are all given equal treatment in their own chapters, and while this can lead to occasionally repetitive information, that in no way detracts from the opportunity to enjoy this work. Only Curt Smith's "Voices Of The Game" has ever done anything similar to what Halberstam has done in this instance. I was glad to see Halberstam correct the injustice Smith's book did to the late Frank Messer by giving him due credit for his 18 years of outstanding work on the Yankees broadcast team (but I have to dissent from Halberstam's negative view of current Yankees voice John Sterling and think its not fair to cite one disgruntled anonymous letter to the Post as a bellwether of how Yankee fans feel about his work), and other voices of New York sports like Mel Allen, Red Barber, Marty Glickman, Marv Albert, Jim Gordon etc. also receive attention for their fine work over the years with various teams. Along the way you'll learn all kinds of fascinating trivia you never would have expected. Did you know Monty Hall of "Let's Make A Deal" spent a season as a Rangers color analyst in 1960? Or that the Mets were on one of the weakest stations in NY during their amazing run in 69? That's just the tip of some of the fascinating material you'll learn in this book. Bravo to David Halberstam for giving us this must-have reference guide that collectors of historic broadcasts me can never be without!
Just The Facts.......2000-03-27
Mr. Halberstam has written a great book for someone doing a research project on a history of early radio. As a person growing up in the New York area, I found it very dry and, unfortunately, repetitive. Information from the section on World Series broadcasts was repeated in sections on the Dodgers, Giants, and Yankees. (Perhaps the author doesn't expect anyone will read it from cover to cover.)
Very Nostalgic and Enjoyable.......2000-02-17
An extremely excellent and enjoyable account of New York radio sports from the 1920s to today with an occasional side journey into the national scene. A must read for anybody who grew up in New York during the "Golden Age Of Sports" or for any media/sports junkies!
Encyclopedic Masterpiece of Sports Broadcasting.......1999-10-28
David Halberstam has compiled an exceptionally well written history of sports broadcasting in the Big Apple. His research is phenominal. The anecdotes that he has compiled make you just breeze through this great page turner. If you want a behind the scenes look at sports broadcasting this is the book for you! Halberstam's prose is witty and concise. Anyone would enjoy this book.
Book Description
The Ultimate Reference & Learning Guide for SAP ABAP Consultants
SAP ABAP Interview Questions, Answers, and Explanations!
It' s clear that SAP ABAP is one of the most important areas in SAP. Mastering technical details is difficult. SAP ABAP Interview Questions, Answers, and Explanations guides you through your learning process. From helping you to assess your ABAP skills to evaluating candidates for a job, SAP ABAP Certification and Interview book will help you understand what you really need to know. The book is organized around eight areas of SAP ABAP: Databases, Lists, Tables, Dialog, ABAP Objects, Basis, and others. Each question includes everything you need to know to master the interview or properly evaluate a candidate. More than just a rehash of SAP documentation and sales presentations, each question is based on project knowledge and experience gained on successful high-profile SAP implementations.
Key certification and interview topics include:
- Database Updates and Changing the Standard
- List Processing
- Internal Tables, and ALV Grid Control
- Dialog Programming
- ABAP Objects
- Data Transfer
- Basis Administration
- ABAP Development reference updated for 2006!
- Everything an ABAP resource needs to know before an interview
Download Description
The Ultimate Reference & Learning Guide for SAP ABAP Consultants SAP ABAP Interview Questions, Answers, and Explanations! It' s clear that SAP ABAP is one of the most important areas in SAP. Mastering technical details is difficult. SAP ABAP Interview Questions, Answers, and Explanations guides you through your learning process. From helping you to assess your ABAP skills to evaluating candidates for a job, SAP ABAP Certification and Interview book will help you understand what you really need to know. The book is organized around eight areas of SAP ABAP: Databases, Lists, Tables, Dialog, ABAP Objects, Basis, and others. Each question includes everything you need to know to master the interview or properly evaluate a candidate. More than just a rehash of SAP documentation and sales presentations, each question is based on project knowledge and experience gained on successful high-profile SAP implementations. Key certification and interview topics include, Database Updates and Changing the Standard, List Processing, Internal Tables, and ALV Grid Control, Dialog Programming, ABAP Objects, Data Transfer, Basis Administration, ABAP Development reference updated for 2006! Everything an ABAP resource needs to know before an interview
Customer Reviews:
Total waste of money and time.......2007-01-12
My first reaction after going through the book was of total disbelief.To be frank,the reviews about the book made me buy it,a decision i regret now.There are simply not enough questions to cover the topics and the price for which is astronomous.
A small advice for people buying this book - It is not worth spending that money and time.
Thanks
Ranga
Too much price for too little stuff........2007-01-12
I think the price too high. This book is not a complete waste. There are a few useful notes. I think this book need to be priced at $5 or $10 so that people wont feel robbed !
Good for a quick read............2006-11-10
Its a slim volume with select questions on each area of ABAP. This would be the book I would choose to go through at the end of my preparation before the interview / exam.
Interview Books.......2006-07-27
First, and frankly the most important thing to understand about interview questions books is that they help you save time. These books help you understand what deserves your attention and further reading, and what does not. These books help you understand what you need to learn, and what you can safely ignore. As an SAP consultant you can spend several hours each week, if not every day, learning about SAP. It is a major part of being an SAP person (especially a good one), and anything that you can do to reduce the amount of time you spend simply learning is very valuable to you. When you're spending time reading and not billing at a client, it can cost you about $100 each hour. That's expensive reading time! And so why would you even think twice about the cost of a $50 book if you think it will help you learn something valuable that you can apply at your job.
Second, the SAP market is evolving. It is evolving in ways that demand SAP people understand more about the product we are working with - It's not uncommon to see requests for an "MM and SD" functional consultant these days. Also, in my consulting practice, I am focusing on SRM - but each day I am called upon to talk about MM, PP, PS, and other areas in SAP. I think that clients are less and less willing to hear, "Well that's a FICO issue - or that's an MM issue."
Finally, I use these books myself. Each time I'm asked a question that stumps me, and this happens all of the time (despite what my clients may think), I turn to my own books as a reference. A couple of weeks ago someone asked me a question about a work order in PM. As an SRM consultant, I had little exposure to work orders. So I grabbed my PM Interview Questions book, looked up work orders in the index, and the EXACT question someone asked me was answered in the PM book. So the SAP Interview Questions, Answers, and Explanations series of books help save SAP people time because they show you what is important to learn, and I believe they help greatly in cross training - and so that's what these books are all about. They will save you time, and give you more knowledge about the SAP product. And the only group of people that don't want that to happen are consultants who want to keep their skills a secret!
It's too expensive .......2006-05-31
It's interesting, but the information is not enought for the price. I expect a deep explanation for those questions maybe some samples.
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- Quarter Notes and Bank Notes: The Economics of Music Composition in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries (Princeton Economic History of the Western World)
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- Rhythmic Illusions
- Roar of Silence
- Sarah McLachlan Collection: Piano, Vocal, Guitar
- Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans (Da Capo Paperback)
- Schubert in the European Imagination: Volume 2: Fin-de-Siecle Vienna (Eastman Studies in Music) (Eastman Studies in Music)
- Sergey Prokofiev Diaries 1907-1914: Prodigious Youth
- She's a Rebel: The Histroy of Women in Rock and Roll (Live Girls)
- Soul Sacrifice: The Santana Story
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The Easy Fake Book
