Bastien Piano Method: Is it the Right One For You?

I teach piano to children and adults every day in my studio, and I've used the Bastien piano method books. Let me help you make a well-informed decision as you're choosing a books and materials to learn piano. You really can play piano - I promise!

Bastien Piano Method

The Basics

I mentioned back on the piano methods page that the Bastien books aren't my favorite traditional curriculum. My students and I found the music a bit dull and old-fashioned. I also found that new concepts were introduced a bit too quickly for good retention by my students. I would supplement the lesson instruction with additional songs and work before moving on in the lesson book.

My other problem with this method is the fact that in the early levels, most everything is taught with just a few hand positions. Students then develop associations with fingers and specific notes. For instance, "Oh! Finger 5 (the pinky) always plays G in my right hand!" This is a problem - your hands never stay in one place when you play songs on a keyboard, once you're past beginner music! You need to be able to play any note with any finger.

That said, the Bastien piano method is easy to follow and pedagogically sound.

Here are the different choices:

The Very Young Pianist (Ages 4-7)

This set of 3 books moves from finger numbers (1-5) and the musical alphabet (A-G) through to reading different key signatures on the grand staff. At the end of the three books, the student would move to the regular Basics curriculum. In my opinion, if you're going to use the Bastien series, these are the starter books to use. Kids need more time to process information than they get in the standard Primer, and even in the Young Beginner books. Music reading is a new language. For me, only a page or two per concept isn't enough. These books give more practice time for each bit of new learning.

Bastien Piano for the Young Beginner (Ages 5-7)

This little course consists of two books: Primer A and Primer B. The goal is to present pre-music reading learning, as well as learning to read on the grand staff, with a bit more time and practice than the regular Primer book in the Basics series. Students who finish the two Young Beginner books would move on to Level 1 of the Basics.

Bastien Piano Basics

The Bastien Piano Basics method is made up of five levels: Primer and 1 through 4. Each level has a set of five available books:

• Piano Theory
• Performance (Repertoire)
• Technique
• Sight Reading There are accompaniment CDs available for all levels.

Bastien Older Beginner Piano Course

This course consists of two levels, each with three books: the lesson book, Favorite Melodies the World Over, and Musicianship for the Older Beginner (keyboard technique and theory). Also available are supplemental books: Classic Themes by the Masters, Easy Piano Classics, Religious Favorites, and Solo Repertoire. You know by now that the Bastien courses aren't my favorites. This one is my least favorite out of all of them. Older kids just find the music old-fashioned (it is).

Bastien Intermediate Piano Course

The Bastien piano method intermediate course was designed to "bridge the gap" between the Basics course and advanced classical literature. This is, in fact, a gap that exists in many methods and indeed in piano education, in my opinion. Of all the Bastien courses, I like this one the best. One of the reasons could be that there are so many beginners and so few who progress to advanced levels. Not a good thing – but there's obviously much more demand for beginning method books. The Bastien intermediate course consists of 3 levels. In each level there are four books: Repertoire (Lessons), Technique, Theory, and Multi-key solos. (Multi-key solos are those that change key signatures - i.e. sharps and flats - within the song.)

Bastien Piano for Adults

The Bastien adult books are combination books: lessons, music theory, technique exercises, and even some sight reading exercises are included. The music learned covers a variety of styles, including classical, jazz, folk songs, and original compositions. Variety is good, but like other books in the Bastien series, I'm just not all that thrilled with the music and arrangements. Rather flat! There are two books in this series, and they're available alone or with accompaniment CDs. There are also two Christmas books, and accompaniment CDs are available for those as well.

Bastien Piano Method - My thoughts...

If traditional piano lessons are the path you've chosen, the Bastien books wouldn't be my first choice for you. If you want to learn more about them, though, you can visit the Bastien piano method section of the publisher's website.

The music in all of the Bastien piano method books, until you're into reading full-on classical pieces, tends to be dry and not very motivating for students. I find that that the Basics method introduces new learning too quickly, without adequate time for concepts to really sink in and become second nature.

In the end, the choice of a piano method is up to you. Many teachers you speak with will have preferences and favorites (just like I do) - and many teachers use a combination of methods! Just be sure you're comfortable with both your teacher and the method as you start lessons. Happy playing!