The lang lang piano method: level 5

Very good

This is the final book in the Lang Lang Method book and follows on nicely from Level 4. There is a good balance of content between shorter exercises and studies and longer concert pieces, of which there is a welcome collection towards the back of the book. I’ve found that this provides great encouragement as pupils find that they feel they are progressing swiftly through the book, but also gives them some pieces they can get their teeth into. As with the previous books in the series, there is a good amount of theory information and prompts dotted throughout the pieces, which encourage pupils to explore the different elements of each piece rather than dive straight in. The scales and broken chords pages at the back are a handy reference point. The book includes a section where the pupil is encouraged to listen to a piece of piano music performed by Lang Lang, with some follow-up questions and improvisation exercises – I think this is a fantastic idea and something which my pupils really enjoy (note that there is no CD and the audio needs to be downloaded).

Great book!

This is the fifth and final book in the Lang Lang Piano Method for children, which leads on to his next series ‘Mastering the Piano’. As with Book 4 it is technically sound with lots of new repertoire, both fun original pieces (such as ‘A spooky ragtime’ and ‘Piano-time reel’) and well-known classical pieces. Phrasing, pedalling and broken chords are introduced as well as more scales and theory. It is a fairly traditional approach but the imaginative pieces and downloadable audio tracks (with Concert Pieces played by Lang Lang himself) really liven it up. I would recommend it as a useful repertoire book even if you are new to the series. Great price too!