Beginner Level Piano - John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course Part 1

This course is designed to present the easiest possible approach to piano playing. Part 1 is devoted to developing fluency in reading by note, solving a problem that still seems to rate as 'musical enemy, number one' with most young students. The worksheets, together with the Reading Aloud Exercises, appear frequently, afford plenty of drill for all students.

Curriculum Structure

Lesson 1: 

[1] THE KEYBOARD - Showing Middle C 

[2] KEYBOARD CHART

Lesson's Highlights

(1) The Piano Keyboard
(2) Middle C
(3) Names of the White Keys

Lesson 2: [3]Rudiments

Lesson's Highlights

(1)The Staff
(2)Whole Note
(3)Clef Signs
(4) Bar Lines
(5) How to count: Four-Four; Three-Four; Two-Four
(6) Finger numbers

Lesson 3: [4] MIDDLE C AS A WHOLE NOTE - In the Treble [5] MIDDLE C AS A WHOLE NOTE - In the Bass

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Play with the Right Hand
(2) Play with the Left Hand

Lesson 4: [6] MIDDLE C IN HALF NOTES [7] MIDDLE C IN QUARTER NOTES

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Half Note
(2) Quarter Note

Lesson 5: [8] WORK SHEET 1

Lesson's Highlights

Solving the Worksheet 1

Lesson 6: [9] NEW NOTE - D in the Treble [10] NEW NOTE - B in the Bass

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Learn New Note D with "The Train"
(2) Lean New Note B with "The Seabees"

Lesson 7: [11] WORK SHEET 2

Lesson's Highlights

Solving Worksheet 2

Lesson 8: [12] TWO-FOUR - New Time Signature [13] THREE-FOUR - The Dotted Half Note

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Learn Two-Four with "March of the Gnomes"
(2) Learn Three-Four and the Dotted Half Note with "Dance of the Gnomes"

Lesson 9: [14] NEW NOTE - E in the Treble

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Learn New Note E with "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

Lesson 10: [15] NEW NOTE - A in the Bass

Lesson's Highlights

Learn New Note A with "The Paratrooper"

Lesson 11: 

[16] REVIEW - "Marching Up and Down" 

[17] REVIEW - "Rag-Time Raggles"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 12: [18] WORK SHEET 3

Lesson's Highlights

Solving Worksheet 3

Lesson 13: [19] NEW NOTE - G in the Bass

Lesson's Highlights

Learn New Note G with "The Chimes"

Lesson 14: [20] REVIEW - "Funny Faces"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 15: [21] REVIEW - "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 16: [22] RESTS

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Whole Rest
(2) Half Rest
(3) Quarter Rest

Lesson 17: [23] REVIEW - "Blow the Man Down"

Lesson's Highlights

Learn Rests with "Blow the Man Down"

Lesson 18: [24] NEW NOTE - F in the Treble [25] REVIEW - "Yankee Doodle"

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Learn New Note F with "The Church Organ"
(2) Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 19: [26] REVIEW - "Carry me back to Old Virginny"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 20: [27] THE TIE - "Down a River" [28] NEW NOTE - G in the Treble

Lesson's Highlights

(1) The Tie
(2) Learn New Note G with the "New World Symphony"

Lesson 21: [29] REVIEW - "Bugles"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 22: [30] REVIEW - "Row, Row"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 23: [31] REVIEW - "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 24: [32] NEW NOTE - F in the Bass

Lesson's Highlights

Learn New Note F with "In a Rickshaw"

Lesson 25: [33] REVIEW - "The Banjo Picker"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 26: [34] REVIEW - "Princess Waltz"

Lesson's Highlights

Revision with the help of a Musical Piece.

Lesson 27: [27] WORK SHEET 4

Lesson's Highlights

Solving Worksheet 4.

Lesson 28: Doubt Solving Session & Revision Practice for Test

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Doubt-Solving Session
(2) Revision Practice for Test

Lesson 29: TEST

Lesson's Highlights

Evaluation with a Test.

Lesson 30:  Certificate

Lesson's Highlights

(1) Presentation of Certificate.
(2) Brief outline of John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course - Part 2