John Thompson's Piano Course: First Beethoven
Sheet Music

These fun repertoire books contain some amazing pieces that have been specially collected and graded to be used in conjunction with the Easiest Piano Course. Pieces like Minuet In G Major, Rondo In C, the sublime Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement and the classicFur Elise will reinforce essential technical ability, while simultaneously enhancing a general sense of musicality and melodic playing. First Beethoven is therefore ideal for pupils who've worked through the course at levels 2 to 4, but it's also a great set of pieces for sight reading practice for more advanced students.

The pieces in this songbook become progressively more difficult, and, to this end, dynamics and phrasing have been omitted for the earlier pieces, since they're not introduced until Part 3 of the course. Early pieces like Ode To Joy and Turkish March help to reinforce what pupils learn in the beginning of the John Thompson Method, with a focus on playing notes and rhythms accurately. Towards of the end of the songbook, more challenging pieces like Eroica Symphony and Sonata Pathetique will help pupils to enhance their technical skills, play more melodically, and, most importantly, enjoy playing!

Generally, these pieces stay in the 5-finger position, with handy hints and suggestions when a different fingering is called for. The pieces in this songbook are beautiful to hear and to play, making First Beethoven a really great beginner's.