Palmer-Hughes Accordion Course, Bk 1

I normally play wind instruments, so I know how to sightread music for Clarinet, Tin Whistle, etc., but even so I like the slow pace of this book. I have ordered the next 4 in the series too.Getting your right hand to do one thing while your left punches out a rhythm on various buttons feels like a challenge (for me, like patting your head and rubbing your belly!) and, thankfully, this course eases you into it with short exercises leading to actual (simple) tunes that you can play within your first 30 minutes with the accordion.The fact that you are playing both hands at once makes even the 'easy' tunes worth the effort and I felt a real sense of accomplishment the first time I got through "Batter Up" without making a mistake. *chuckles*I bought another Accordion book before this, thinking that my previous musical experience would let me progress more quickly - I was wrong. The other book jumped into more complex music too quickly and didn't have enough simple exercises that added to your previous knowledge like this one does. The first 30 pages or so only use the 5 'home' notes of your right hand as they slowly train your left to hop around the buttons.So, enough burbling from me. If you're not already a pianist or similarly skilled, use this book first, then see if you feel confident enough to jump to a more advanced 'learner' book. Maybe, like me, you'll decide that slow and sure is the way forward.

I would recommend this book to any one. Its in 1958 so is a little dated and has comments in it for both your tutor and parents (I am 41 so found this rather amusing). Despite being slightly on the (unintentional) comedy side this book is fantastic. I bought 3 beginners books (due to one being delivered to my dads address and another being delivered by amazon to my neighbour in error!) the other 2 are horrendous to follow. This one is fantastic. It gets straight to it.. no history of music or history of the accordion, no boring details about the design etc it just does what it is meant to do and gets you playing! My dad plays the accordion, he came to visit 2 days after I got this book and was amazed that I could already play several tunes. I have now ordered book one recitals and book 2.

I live in France, and the choice of accordion books here is limited, even on Amazon.fr. In addition, they are very expensive.I bought the first four in this series. They arrived the morning of my regular weekly lesson, so I took them with me. When my teacher saw the books she asked if she could borrow them until my next lesson. That was before I had a chance to play a single tune. She was very impressed. I suspect she will be buying some in future.I am a beginner, despite being a pensioner. I find the progression is gradual, which suits me. A previous reviewer said the lyrics in some of the earlier tunes are too childish. So what. The point of the book is to teach you to play music. I have found the lyrics an aid in getting the correct flow and rhythm, no matter how simplistic they were.I previously bought Ivor Benyon's Piano Accordion Tutor and Gary Dahl's First Lessons. The first of these was good, but tried to advance too quickly, and I was struggling to keep up. As for the second, I don't suppose anyone ever learned to play an accordion using it - a total waste of money.

I always wanted an accordion since I was a little girl. Having now bought one on an impulse, I realise I did not have a clue how to read music. so I purchased 2 books from Amazon. One for grown-ups and this one for children. If you are a total novice like me, this is perfect. You are not going to learn to be a maestro from day one. However, it gives you to practise all the fingers in the right order. I have been practising for 2 weeks and feeling more confident with my skills. I only gave 4 stars because the tunes are designed for children and it can be a bit boring for an adult point of view.

I wish I'd discovered these Palmer and Hughes books earlier, they are great. Just because the are styled pictorially towards childern don't let that put you off. I've purchased various other beginners books with mixed success but none have been so well structured as these. The lessons are well explained and thankfully the learning curve is not too severe. I was worried these books were going to be childish and unsubstantial but I could not of been more wrong. Highly recommended

Great introduction to playing the accordion, Sets things out in a easy to follow manner. Clearly aimed at a younger audience than myself.

This book is brilliant for the beginner. It teaches things slowly and does not move on to the next stage too quickly. There are practice pieces before learning a new song at the beginning. I have learnt more from this book than any other book I own. You can get to playing a simply tune very easily and it encourages you to move to the next stage. Although I don't know many of the short tunes they are very catchy and easy to learn.

good delivery and good product.