A Dozen A Day Book 1: Primary | Pre-PracticeTechnical Piano Exercises for Beginners | Finger Strength and Flexibility Training | Technique Warm-Up Routine for Students | Piano Practice Workbook

I bought this book several weeks ago and have still not got to the end of it. It has been so helpful in helping me work out finger patterns and also with sight reading. Ignore the fact that it seems to be written for children. It is suitable for anyone really. Some of the exercises seem a little pointless but those are the fun ones. The ones which have you crossing hands in the first lesson might not be recommended by your teacher but those are the fun ones and all of it helps you to increase your confidence on the keyboard. One thing I found especially helpful is that it only uses a small selection of notes at first. You quickly learn these and the patterns that each exercise uses so there's more time spent actually pressing keys rather than trying to work out which note it means. Also there's a gradual introduction to a lot of different aspects of music notation and you absorb this almost subconsciously as you work through the exercises. They start very simple and gradually become more complex. Each section ends with a little song which gets a little more complex for each of the groups. If I am trying a new tempo or am trying to learn a new key I often go back to the beginning of the book and start with the familiar easy ones again. That makes this book well worth the price and when I finally outgrow it I will definitely buy the next one.

Great book as I am learning the piano at 80 years

Absolutely love this book — it’s perfect for anyone starting out on piano. The exercises are short, simple, and actually fun, which makes it really easy to build a daily practice routine without feeling overwhelmed. It’s great for strengthening fingers and improving coordination, and you can see progress surprisingly quickly. The layout is super clear, the illustrations are cute, and the step‑by‑step structure helps beginners feel confident from the start. It pairs really well with early grade pieces too, making everything feel more manageable. Such a classic for a reason — genuinely one of the best starter exercise books out there!

My 8 year old and I have just started with a 12 a day. It is such enjoyable practice. We are still on our first twelve but you can feel the improvement in dexterity.

I have used this lovely book for absolute beginners at the piano. It helps to reinforce their knowledge of basic theory, understand the piano keys position and develop basic fingering techniques. The repetitive style of learning is wonderful for finger strengthening but also fun and tuneful at the same time.

Absolutely love this little book; totally agree with the reviewer(s) saying how it improves not only finger dexterity but sight reading, along with being quite an enjoyable set of exercises. I could have wasted loads of money trying to find more traditional tutorial books that wouldn't be nearly as beneficial. Perfect for my situation of having to learn how to read music written in both clefs as well as getting used to the action on my new digital piano. Cheers Edna-Mae!

This is an excellent series I have used for years. It is good for adults and children. Simple exercises that teach both quick recognition of patterns and muscle memory which actually improves confidence when move to recognized pieces. Illustrations are stick figure in design and there are no characters, hence the old fashioned nature of it.

A dozen a day hip hip horray....... I am starting to learn keyboard but i do remember my brother using this as a kid to learn how to play the piano. This is a book of exercises to get your fingers warmed up but also teach you some of teh techniques used in piano play so it is very good if you are larning to play the piano. But, this book brings back so funny memories mainly when my brother was lerarning to pay the piano. one day i came back from school and me and my mum were in the kitchen. my brother starts to play the song at the end of the book like he had done before except this time he belloowed and sang at the top of his voice "a dozen a day hip hip horray......" Me and my mum just creased up. the next time he sang it was at christmas when the tree was being put up. My day secured the tree to the wall with a nail not upto the job. Next thing the string snaps and the tree pins my nan and brother to piano with his still playing and singing "a dozen a day hip hip horray......" You could not make it up but the fun we have had with this book was wonderful and brings back to find memories..

Thank you! My daughter loves the book!

Die Reihe "A dozen a day" ist eine überaus gelungene progressive Sammlung von Fingerübungen für Klavier in 5 Bänden (+ 1 Vorschule, das sog. Mini Book). Die Hefte sind vor allem für Kinder gedacht, aber auch Erwachsene können hier auf sinnvolle Weise ihre technischen Fertigkeiten verbessern. Dieser Band "Book One: Primary" beginnt mit kleinen Übungen im 5-Ton-Raum, Dur-Dreiklängen in Grundstellung, ersten Daumenuntersätzen und verschiedenen Anschlagsarten. Sehr behutsamer Fortschritt. Beginn je nach Schüler nach ca. 3-6 Monaten Unterricht. Die Übungen machen tatsächlich Spaß, weil sie kurz, überschaubar und gut progressiv angeordnet sind. So gibt es schnell ein Erfolgserlebnis, und man kann auch mal mehrere Stücke gleichzeitig üben. Die Aufmachung tut ein weiteres: Jede Übung trägt einen Titel wie z.B. "Walking and running", "Climbing", "Swinging" etc. und ermöglicht damit einen anschaulichen Vergleich zu alltäglichen Bewegungen wie z.B. Springen, Laufen, Klettern usw. Die englischsprachigen Titel sind dabei auch für Kinder kein Hindernis, weil jeweils eine einfache und witzige Strichmännchenzeichnung die Bewegung treffend darstellt.( Die meisten jüngeren Schüler lieben es, wenn sie nach Bewältigung der Aufgabe das jeweilige Männchen ausmalen oder bekleben dürfen.) Spielerisch lassen sich wichtige Fertigkeiten so fast nebenbei trainieren. Ich benutze alle Bände seit Jahren im Unterricht, und die Schüler spielen sie richtig gerne! Das ist bei Fingerübungen wirklich keine Selbstverständlichkeit, deshalb halte ich sie für unbedingt empfehlenswert!

海外からの配達でしたが、早くて良かったです。 音楽が、日本版のデータ発売中止のため、海外版CD付きで、良かったです。

Voilà un petit recueil d'exercices quotidiens pour délier les doigts, les rendre plus habiles et gagner de la force dans les doigts les plus faibles. 31 pages, amplement suffisant pour la première année de piano (et même au-delà).... Comme il est dit en introduction, ces exercices sont prévus pour être faits quotidiennement avant de se mettre à travailler le(s) morceau(x) prévus par le professeur ou la méthode utilisée. Bien évidemment, il ne s'agit pas de faire tous les exercices avant de se mettre à jouer..... 2, 3 exercices sont suffisants. Le but étant d'arriver à faire ces 3 exercices de façon fluide avant de se mettre à jouer. Les exercices sont progressifs, avec des titres et des dessins amusants qui permettent de bien comprendre le but de chaque exercice. - Bon, certaines personnes feront la remarque que les explications de la première page et le titre de chaque exercice est en Anglais ; c'est vrai, mais les dessins sont évocateurs, et même les personnes ne parlant pas Anglais peuvent comprendre.- La progression est vraiment très judicieuse, et les 4 premiers exercices peuvent être utilisés dès les premières semaines de découverte du piano ; puis les exercices progressent toujours de façon très logique dans le rythme, dans la position des doigts, les notes piquées, les mesures ternaires (mais basiques, vraiment très simples), la découverte des dièses et des bémols, des accords....du Majeur et du mineur.....et les derniers exercices correspondent à une fin d'année de piano ou même une seconde année de piano. D'ailleurs, pour les apprentis pianistes les plus avancés et les plus doués, il n'est pas obligé de travailler ces exercices dans l'ordre.... Je conseille même de refaire de temps à autre quelques exercices du début (c'est toujours gratifiant de constater que l'on a bien progressé).... Bref, une méthode ludique, bien conçue, et qui ne peut donner que de bons résultats.

Em primeiro lugar, o custo deste livro foi exorbitante. Depois de 2 meses, me dizem que tenho que pagar mais R$ 15,00 pelo livro. Absuro em 2020 este tipo de situação.