Both books can take an adult from the first keys into reading, chords and simple pieces. The useful difference is the order in which they introduce those jobs, and the help available when a page does not make sense. Comparing the correct editions matters: each publisher sells several books with very similar names.
For an adult studying mostly alone, Faber is our starting recommendation because the book includes a clearly organised route to online demonstrations and audio. Alfred is a strong fit for a teacher-led course, especially when you want chord changes introduced early. If your teacher already works confidently with one, that support can matter more than the differences below.
You need regular access to a piano or suitable keyboard, a comfortable support and seat, and a pencil. Faber's online resources also need an internet-capable phone, tablet or computer. The comparison below uses the publishers' contents and sample pages, rather than a trial with beginner students.
The two editions being compared
These are the English-language first all-in-one volumes, with lesson, theory and technique material together. Match the ISBN when ordering, particularly through used-book listings.
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Faber: Adult Piano Adventures, Book 1
ISBN 9781616773021 · publisher code FF1302 · 184 pages
The publisher’s print edition includes online audio and video support. Its opening work includes off-staff playing before the grand staff, and its sixteen-unit organisation regularly returns to technique and theory.
Alfred: Basic Adult All-in-One Course, Book 1
ISBN 9780882848181 · publisher code 00-5753 · 160 pages
Alfred’s listing describes this as a course designed for use with an instructor. This is the Wire-O book edition, not the separate lesson-only volume or the Book & DVD bundle. Do not assume every listing includes the same media.
Book-only budget: on 27 September 2026 both publishers listed these print volumes at US$19.99 each, before tax and shipping. With an existing instrument and basic stationery, one book is the required purchase for the comparison here. There is no compulsory subscription to work through its printed pages. Lessons, companion repertoire, optional app purchases and a piano setup are separate costs; do not add them unless you need them. Amazon prices above are supplied separately and can differ.
Where reading and chords arrive
This map follows selected landmarks in Alfred’s sample PDF and Faber’s sample-page gallery. Page numbers help you inspect the sequence; they do not measure how quickly a learner will progress.
- Grand staffp. 19
- C chord, then G7pp. 32–39
- G hand positionp. 50
- C major scalep. 100
- Off-staff introductionpp. 8–27
- Staff orientationp. 28
- C major scalep. 128
- Dedicated G7 unitp. 134
Alfred introduces right- and left-hand C positions before bringing them onto the grand staff. Its preview then connects written rhythm work with playing: page 22 asks the learner to complete bars with appropriate note values. That will appeal to someone who likes to check a concept on paper before carrying it back to the keys.
Faber spends more of its opening on keyboard patterns before formal staff orientation. In the preview of page 25, the learner is asked to move a melody to a different five-note position. That makes moving the same shape around the keyboard part of the early work. It also means the first few pages are not a direct sample of the book's later notation.
Neither approach removes the need to connect a written note with a place on the keyboard. If that connection is your main obstacle, our adult beginner's reading guide gives you a way to work on it without racing through new pieces.
Alfred brings the chord-change problem forward
The contrast is particularly clear around G7. Alfred's page 39 works on moving between C and a compact G7 shape, including identifying the chord symbols. Faber's dedicated G7 unit arrives much later in its contents. That does not mean Faber avoids harmony early: its opening includes triads, and a C-chord warm-up appears in Unit 4.
Early chord changes can be satisfying when you want to understand how a familiar tune is supported. They also add a coordination problem: several fingers move while the other hand keeps going. A learner who can read the melody may still need a much smaller task for the accompaniment. The useful teacher intervention is to isolate that movement and find a comfortable fingering, rather than treating a slower chord change as failure to understand the page.
Page totals cannot settle which book is “easier.” A book with more explanation, larger examples or more repertoire may use more pages for the same stage. Nor does reaching the last page establish readiness for a particular examination grade.
What happens when you get stuck between lessons?
Faber's Book 1 support page organises resources by unit and printed page, and offers audio downloads. That is a practical advantage when you need to find the demonstration belonging to today's assignment. You do not need the optional Piano Adventures Player app to reach the browser-based support.
A recording can help with rhythm and the overall sound of a piece. A demonstration can make a movement easier to understand. Neither can see your own hand, notice a seat that is too low or respond when your movement becomes uncomfortable. Stop if playing hurts and seek appropriate help rather than repeating a painful action to match a video.
Alfred's combination of explanation, playing and written tasks gives a teacher material to assign and check. The page 98 sample, for example, connects half and whole steps with a keyboard diagram and scale construction. If you work alone, make an explicit plan for checking written answers and misunderstandings; buying a comprehensive book does not supply that feedback by itself.
Try a preview before buying both
Use a few minutes at the instrument to compare the instructions, rather than trying to play the most impressive piece in each preview. Start with an explanation close to what you already understand.
A small comparison task
Read one instruction, explain it aloud in your own words, then carry it out on the keyboard or paper. Can you tell what counts as finishing the task? If you get stuck, can you locate the relevant diagram, earlier explanation or online demonstration?
For a complete beginner, that may be identifying a key or counting a simple rhythm. A returning player can inspect the chord or reading examples. There is no need to force a later page just to compare the books.
Choose one main sequence and keep your place in it. Two parallel beginner courses can leave you doing familiar material twice while avoiding the passage that actually needs attention. A teacher can borrow a useful exercise from another method without making you restart.
Before paying, check the ISBN, binding, whether a used copy's written exercises are already filled in, and what media the seller actually includes. Then make the first assignment small enough to fit your week; a simple beginner practice routine can help you divide that time between reading, the new movement and a piece you already enjoy.
