I have always wanted to play piano/keyboard and I finally got a keyboard but am quite defecient on how to read music and do not know much about specific keys and so on. I can't afford lessons but was wondering if anyone could recommend any good books to guide me along my way.

I work at a piano store, so maybe that will establish my credibility.

I suggest, since you are probably over 17, at least, Alfred's "All-in-One" piano course for adults. It is available for around $15 for just the book, but it is also available with a cd accompaniment for about $25. That's our best-selling, and tons of piano teachers prefer it to any other method book.

Thank you for the suggestion. A couple of questions though. Is it imperative to have the cd with the book?

And what about those "Dummy Series"? I saw a PIANO FOR DUMMIES; Is this book better than something like that?

Thanks again.

Alfred is one of the best for adults. There are other method books but many of them contain songs for children rather than adults.

Sorry I waited till so late to respond. I just saw this. The cd is by no means imperative. Some people just learn better when they play along with accompaniment, and I think it probably makes it more fun.

I don't know anything about the Dummy series. We don't have them at the store.

I have the Alfred Adult series and it is solid stuff. It does a good job balancing sight reading, dexterity and some basic theory. It's very accessible too.