Learn To Play Day: 5 Books To Get You Going

Learn To Play Day has been and gone, we were running some pretty mind blowing free taster lessons in our shops, hopefully you managed to get along to a shop near you – thank you to everyone that came along and had a blast. Check out our Twitter feed to see some of the lovely responses here.

1) John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course: Part 1 
In print since the 50’s John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course is designed to present the easiest possible approach to piano playing, complete with an amusing family of characters and illustrations to help emphasise the information being taught. Each book of the course contains its own writing exercises, sight-reading drills, review work and later, technical studies. The perfect introduction to learning the Piano. 

2) Absolute Beginners: Irish Tenor Banjo 
The Absolute Beginners Irish Tenor Banjo book tells you everything you need to know about playing this unique instrument from the very first moment you pick it up. Featuring helpful and practical guides to everything from holding your Tenor Banjo to playing your first tunes, this book and accompanying download card will take you through your beginning stages and beyond. If you have always wanted to learn the Irish Tenor Banjo but have never been able to find a comprehensive method, or you’ve just discovered its fantastically distinctive sound, this edition of the Absolute Beginners series is for you. With authoritative guidance and a convenient download card, this tuition book is perfect for any aspiring Tenor Banjo player.

3) A Dozen A Day – Violin
A Dozen A Day books have long been the favourite pre-practice technical exercises for young pianists. Now these classic warm-up exercises are available for violin too! Suddenly violin practice has become more rewarding… and a lot more enjoyable! You can also find these books in Saxophone, Trumpet, Flute, Piano, Violin or Clarinet versions too!

4) Absolute Beginners Ukulele
The complete Absolute Beginners method – all in one book! Absolute Beginners has been designed to tell you everything you need to know from the very first time you play your ukulele. Step-by-step pictures take you from first day exercises to playing along with a backing track.

5) Playbook: Guitar Chords – A Handy Beginner’s Guide!
The Playbook series are a handy pocket size and for several instruments  – Guitar, Theory, Keyboard, Harmonica or Ukulele. A valuable reference for use at home or on the go, the compact Playbook: Guitar Chords contains 80 pages of handy chord information designed to be flicked through quickly and easily to find what you’re looking for. The Playbook’s pint-sized design allows you to flip to each chord easily, wherever you are. So keep a copy at home, at the studio, or just in your Guitar case so that you never forget a chord.Whether you want to learn them one at a time or use as a quick reference guide, make your practice perfect with the Playbook: Guitar Chords, the ideal companion for the Guitar player.