Faber vs Alfred vs Bastien: Which Beginner Piano Method Fits?

Parents and teachers usually arrive with the same search: Faber vs Alfred vs Bastien. Those three names cover most beginner piano method books, and they do not teach the same way. One path keeps the hand in a five-finger shape and brings in chords early. One moves around the keyboard sooner and leans on duets. One puts the theory beside the notes, and the newer Alfred course tries not to freeze the hand in one spot.

This guide is for piano teachers and for parents choosing a first real method, including homeschool families. It focuses on the level just after a primer. You will see how pace, reading, and early harmony differ, then a closer look at Bastien Piano Basics Piano Level 1.

If the student needs obvious pages and early left-hand chords, review Bastien Piano Basics Piano Level 1 while you read. Later sections show who is happier in Faber or Alfred.

Faber vs Alfred vs Bastien at a glance

Piano Adventures is the Faber series, not a fourth brand. "Alfred" may mean Premier, Basic, or the adult All-in-One.

WunderKeys, Piano Safari, and Suzuki sit outside this core choice. They are summarized later.

What to compare before you buy

A method is a route through the first years, not a trophy. Match it to reading speed, attention, and who sits beside the bench at home.

Pace. Teachers do not rank these books in one speed order. Many who have lined them up say Bastien, from the primer into Level 1, covers more ground than early Faber. A quick child can feel held back in Faber. A child who barely practices usually cannot keep up with Bastien. Faber spends longer on each idea. Premier is not the slow Alfred: some teachers use it to rebuild a rushed start, and others find it faster than Faber and add extra pieces for a young child. Basic stays inside each hand position longest.

Reading. Five-finger positions feel safe, and they can train the eye to memorize a hand shape instead of the staff. Faber generally leaves one position sooner. Bastien Level 1 and Alfred's Basic linger inside positions. That confidence helps unless the hand is asked to step outside the pattern. Teachers also see finger-number reading in Faber studios, not only in the position books.

Sound. Bastien uses chords plus familiar tunes. Faber uses original writing and a duet. Teachers do not agree which is more fun to practice. Premier explains each idea beside the piece.

Who is teaching. Groups and homeschool parents need the next step printed on the page. A teacher who likes improvisation may prefer Faber. A student with holes from a rushed book may need more review, which can be Faber or a slower pass through Premier, not a rule that Premier is always gentle.

Bastien Piano Basics Level 1, up close

Bastien Piano Basics runs from a primer through Levels 1 to 4. About three keys appear in each level, so students meet all twelve keys by the end of Level 4. Level 1 is the main lesson book after any primer, not the first book.

Piano Level 1, catalog WP201, is for ages 7 to 10 after a primer. It opens in C position, then F and G positions. Students are not sent across the whole keyboard. They read, keep a pulse, and hear harmony inside a familiar hand shape.

WP201 lines up page by page with Level 1 Theory, Performance, and Technic. The lesson book alone works for a few weeks. The week is stronger with the matching theory page, a performance piece, and a short technic warm-up.

What is on the page

Illustrations are full color. The music mixes original Bastien pieces with folk, classical, pop, and contemporary styles. Families tend to recognize Floating Clouds, Fiesta, Swingin' Beat, Ode to Joy, and When the Saints Go Marching In. Pedal Study means the damper pedal is taught on purpose.

Teachers often note that the tunes feel like real songs and that the book does not linger the way early Faber does. Use that speed for a child who flew through a primer. Do not use it when home practice is thin. Near the end of Level 1, triads, the damper pedal, and eighth notes arrive close together. Plan an extra lesson there.

A week that studios actually repeat

1. Review last week's position, or the primer skill on the opening pages.
2. Teach the new reading point before you chase speed.
3. Learn a new rhythm hands separately, then together.
4. Add the matching Performance piece for phrase shape, not for new theory.
5. Assign Technic and Theory for that same idea.

Parents get one list. A group can share a page. A homeschool parent who is not a pianist can still say "this position, this chord, this page."

For the first month, follow the book. Stay in C until the chord is audible. Do not skip to the third key because a child is excited. If the hand never leaves the five-finger shape, add a few measures just outside it before Level 2, and keep WP201 as the spine.

When it is the default, and when to add something

Choose Level 1 for one concept at a time, left-hand chords while pieces are still easy, and an order a group or a non-playing parent can follow. It is a weaker default when practice at home is thin.

Positions are a problem only if they become the only way the student can play. Teachers who have taught both often say Bastien and older Alfred park the hand, while Faber starts the same note on more than one finger. Borrow one duet if you want more improvisation. Do not switch series for a single gap. Some studios use Bastien's newer line, New Traditions, mainly for updated art. Piano Basics is the book to open when you want this chord-forward order. Cartoons are a split opinion: ignore them, or keep them. The sequence does not depend on the drawing. By later levels, some teachers feel I, IV, and V7 crowds out other textures. Supplement after Level 1. Do not skip the early chords.

Ready for the main lesson book? See current pricing, reviews, and contents for Bastien Piano Basics Piano Level 1 (WP201). Add Theory, Performance, and Technic when you want the full correlated week.

Faber Piano Adventures

Faber Piano Adventures, by Nancy and Randall Faber, is the series people mean by Piano Adventures. Lesson books use original music, optional teacher duets, and prompts for writing or improvisation. Students usually move around the keyboard earlier than in Bastien Level 1 or Alfred's Basic, including one starting note under different fingers. That is the best case for Faber if reading is stuck in one hand shape.

Studios that have taught both often find Faber lingers longer on each idea than Bastien. Careful readers benefit. Quick learners stall unless you shorten the review. Many teachers and students like the pieces. Others are lukewarm on Level 1 and warmer later in the series, and a few prefer Premier's accompaniments. Familiar folk titles are thinner here. Faber's own pieces do the motivating, and for many children that is enough.

It shines when a student quit from boredom, when you will play the duets, and when you want creativity on the page. It is a weaker default if you need early left-hand chords, or a week a non-playing parent can run with little extra talk.

Alfred: Premier, Basic, and the adult book

"Alfred" is not one method. The wrong cover wastes a month.

Alfred Premier Piano Course is the newer children's method. It puts the hand in more than one place early, using landmark notes instead of a long stay in C position. Theory is written to line up with the lesson. Pace is disputed. Some teachers say it moves more slowly than Faber and use it after a rushed start. Others find it faster than Faber and add extra music for a young child. The pieces split the same way: some children like the accompaniments, and some teachers find fewer songs worth repeating than in Faber. Premier fits a student who needs the why on the page and who should not live in one hand shape.

Alfred's Basic Piano Library is the older course. It teaches intervals and stays in a hand position until the pattern sticks. Basic ties notes to fingers. Premier was built to undo that habit. The security helps, and it can delay movement, the same risk as a year of Bastien with no extra shifts. Some teachers use Basic for early intervals, then move on. People who call Alfred boring usually mean this older course, not Premier.

Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-One is a separate book for older beginners, in one volume. It is not Premier, and it is not for a child of 7 to 10. Self-learners often find it easier to follow than the Faber adult book and like the familiar tunes, even though the hand sits still early on. Many teachers prefer the Faber adult book because the hand moves sooner. Both assume a teacher.

Pace, reading, and harmony side by side

Do not trust a single speed ranking. Bastien Level 1 usually covers more than early Faber and can feel too fast when practice is thin. Faber takes more weeks per idea for many students. Premier is reported both as a slower repair and as a faster course than Faber. Basic stays in one position longer.

Faber moves the eye sooner. Bastien Level 1 secures C, then F and G. Basic is the most position-faithful Alfred path. Premier puts landmark reading and more theory on the page. The harmony difference is Bastien's: a usable left-hand chord while the pieces are still short.

Teachers who stay with Bastien often cite Theory, Performance, and Technic matched to the lesson page. Faber and Premier users say similar things about their theory books, though some find Faber theory more like activities than homework. Faber pays off if you play the duets. Premier pays off if you do the discovery steps. For motivation, Faber often wins "I like this song," Bastien often wins "this sounds finished," and Alfred often wins "I understand the symbol."

Which method fits your student

Bastien Piano Basics Level 1 fits a finished primer, a student about 7 to 10 (or an older beginner who still needs Level 1), obvious pages, and early chords, including a group or homeschool week. Skip it when practice at home is thin.

Faber fits duets, reading stuck in one position, or a child who found the last book dull. Shorten the review if they learn fast.

Alfred Premier fits landmark reading and theory on the page, not a promise of a slow book. Alfred's Basic fits interval drill in a stable position. Check the cover so you do not buy Adult All-in-One by mistake.

If the teaching parent does not play fluently, Bastien's printed order is easier to run than a week of duets or improvisation prompts. That is a practical fit, not a claim that every homeschool family prefers it. A parent who plays can make Faber duets feel shared. A parent who likes explaining will like Premier. Finish the level you chose. Switching every month hurts reading more than a slightly imperfect book.

If Bastien is the fit, start here: Bastien Piano Basics Piano Level 1.

Other beginner paths, briefly

WunderKeys suits younger beginners who need stories and games. Teachers who use it like that tone around ages 4 to 7, and they also note a long stay in one hand position. It is often too young, and too slow, for a child ready for WP201.

Piano Safari is what teachers describe when they want interval reading, a little rote work, and the whole keyboard, not a five-finger island. Rote is meant to thin out as reading grows. It asks more from the teacher than Bastien or Faber, and it is a weak week for a non-playing parent alone.

Suzuki is a different philosophy, not a missing column in this table. Listening and a parent in the room come before fluent reading. Transfer teachers often find reading is the gap when the books were used as rote only. Choose a Suzuki teacher on purpose. It is not a substitute for a note-reading method book.

After Level 1, not during it

Finish Level 1 before you collect extra books. Five-finger patterns are not full scales. When a student is early intermediate and needs all twelve major scales, use a scales book. That later step is covered in best piano scales books for intermediate students. Do not start a Level 1 child there.

FAQ

Which is better for beginners, Faber or Alfred?

Neither wins for every child. Faber fits earlier keyboard movement, duets, and pieces many students want to repeat. Alfred Premier fits landmark reading and theory in the lesson. Teachers disagree on whether it is slower or faster than Faber. Alfred's Basic fits interval reading inside hand positions. If you also want early chords, and the child will practice, include Bastien.

Where does Bastien fit between Faber and Alfred?

Many teachers find Level 1 more chord-forward, and fuller, than early Faber. It stays in C, F, and G positions, with Theory, Performance, and Technic matched to the lesson book. Choose it when practice at home is real. Choose Faber if a fixed position has become a rut, or if the child needs more review. Choose Premier for landmarks and on-page theory, not because it is always the gentler slope.

Are Faber and Piano Adventures different methods?

No. Piano Adventures is Faber. "Piano Adventures vs Faber vs Alfred" is Faber vs Alfred, with Bastien as the usual third book. You do not need both names unless you mean two levels of one series.

What age is Bastien Piano Level 1 for?

Typically ages 7 to 10 after any primer. It is not the first book for a child with no primer experience, and it is not a scales book.

Do I need the Theory, Performance, and Technic books?

WP201 is the right first purchase. The other three line up with it. If you can buy only one book this month, start with Piano Level 1 and add the companions before theory falls behind.

Which method is easiest for homeschool?

For a parent who is not a pianist, Bastien Level 1 is often the easiest week to run: one position, one new idea, a piece that sounds finished, and a matching page. That is a teaching fit, not a survey of homeschool families. Faber is friendlier if someone at home can play a simple duet. Premier is friendlier if the parent likes explaining theory. Stay with one series. If practice is sporadic, Bastien's fuller pages will stall.

Is Alfred Adult All-in-One included here?

Only so you do not confuse it with the children's courses. It is for older beginners in one volume. Self-learners often like how direct it is. Many teachers still prefer a Faber adult book for hand movement. The children's choice is Piano Adventures, Premier or Basic, and Bastien Piano Basics.

Is Bastien too old-fashioned to start now?

The design is classic, not abandoned. Level 1 is still full color, still mixes originals with tunes families know, and teachers disagree about the cartoons more than about the sequence. Update a lyric if you need to. Add a little movement outside the position before you leave the book.

Start the book that matches the student

Faber, Alfred, and Bastien can all raise good readers. They fail when the book fights the child: too much review, too many new ideas for the practice that happens, or too vague for the adult teaching the week. Faber when the music, the duet, and keyboard exploration come first. Alfred Premier when landmarks and on-page theory come first. Alfred's Basic when you want the classic position course and you have checked the cover. Bastien Piano Basics Level 1 when you want early chords, a clear order, and pages you can assign without rewriting them, for a student who will practice.

For that last path, order the main lesson book and add Theory, Performance, and Technic around it. Current details are on Bastien Piano Basics Piano Level 1.