Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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Last summer I brought news and an in-depth review of OUP Music’s updated Third Editions of Pauline Hall’s classic Piano Time series. Having long used the series, I was impressed by the refreshed editions, with superb new illustrations by Rosie Brooks, online audio demo tracks, and welcome tweaks to the progression.
I also welcomed the fantastic new pieces by Kristina Arakelyan, Reena Esmail, and William Chapman Nyaho, joining established favourites by Hall, Alan Bullard and David Blackwell from previous editions.
OUP Music have now launched matching new versions of their primer series for young children: Tunes For Ten Fingers, More Tunes For Ten Fingers, and Fun For Ten Fingers.
I am pleased to see that the changes here broadly follow those of Piano Time, giving the books a more diverse, contemporary relevance and appeal. Once again, new Rosie Brooks illustrations are a delight, and the audio tracks can be streamed or downloaded. Pedagogy and progression are streamlined, with Janet Bullard and Jeanette Gallant on board as consultants.
In this review, written for the benefit of others using this series, I will outline the changes in more detail.
Discovering ‘Ten Fingers’
How Pauline Hall’s Tunes For Ten Fingers compares to other method books and approaches is a topic for another day, and whether it is the ‘right’ method for you to teach with, or for your child to learn from, is of course a matter of opinion.
Personally, I first used the books some three decades ago, early in my teaching career, based on the recommendations of several successful teachers, and having found that some other primers included far too many finger numbers (so encouraging ‘playing by numbers’ rather than developing literacy).
My pupils have consistently warmed to Tunes For Ten Fingers ever since, and have often progressed through both books in a matter of a few months, before moving on to Piano Time. So (and in common with many other successful teachers using this series), I have often used these books, and am familiar with their strengths and weaknesses.
I certainly include other musical activities in early learning, which don’t require notation or a method book, but which explore the whole piano, and encourage creativity and fun. I highly recommend other teachers do the same.
And on that note, it is worth remembering that the playful emphasis of Fun For Ten Fingers very significantly adds to the creative content of the series, as we’ll see shortly.
Tunes For Ten Fingers
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, Pauline Hall found herself teaching in schools and privately in Harrogate. Sensing the need for a piano tutor which made learning more fun, and progressed at the pace of her slowest younger learners, she began composing small tunes in pupils’ notebooks. These became her Tunes For Ten Fingers.
At the start of the first book, Hall outlines her general pedagogic logic, which underpins the series (and goes on to inform Piano Time):
- One note is introduced at a time
- Words are used as a natural way of learning rhythm
- Clapping tunes before playing encourages rhythmic development
- Fingering is kept to a minimum, simply to establish hand position
- Importance is attached to the correct position of the hands, and basic technical foundations
The new edition maintains the pedagogic design, general organisation, and most of the tunes from before. A few more dated pieces have been replaced by new ones composed by Reena Esmail and Jonathan Brigg, and these changes are broadly very welcome.
Regarding Hall’s point about teaching rhythm and note values, a small innovation of the new edition is that terminology (crochet, minim, etc) is included as note values are introduced (reinforced, as before, in the second book). The new books include the US terminology (whole notes, etc) alongside the older English terms.
There are two major changes, the first of which is that the book has a wholly new, fresh appearance. Rosie Brooks has produced the new illustrations, which match the style of her work in the refreshed Piano Time books.
The page layouts are more spacious than before, and music notation is often given more room, presented in a clearer engraving font, and with tunes that previously had one line now given two. Headings are much clearer as well, making the pedagogic material easier to navigate, and overall I like the new look a lot better.
The second big change is that OUP Music have now produced audio recordings to accompany the book, available on their website here, and on popular music streaming services.
These are simple recordings, and sadly there are no backings or teacher duet tracks. Nevertheless, they could prove useful for parents of younger learners zooming through the material at home.
More Tunes For Ten Fingers
The changes to the second book continue as above with natural ease, including the fresh clean look with Rosie Brooks illustrations, and downloadable audio files. Direct comparison with the previous version reveals some interesting changes to the order in which some material is introduced, however.
My first surprise was to find Daisy, Daisy now appearing much earlier, and in its new placement it will usefully consolidate the concept of ties, in addition to offering a good performance duet earlier in the book. Nor will it prove too challenging in its new position.
Here are some of the other changes I have noted:
- flats are introduced sooner, and closer to the introduction of sharps and naturals, which makes better sense
- the introduction of new notes away from the C position is presented with more care
- chords are introduced more effectively, with added material
- Jonathan Brigg’s excellent new tune Musical Chairs introduces syncopation and silent counting, and is a great duet!
These are mostly small, subtle changes, and given the book’s popularity that’s undoubtedly for the best.
But I think that here, as in the Piano Time books, these tweaks will nicely improve the learning flow through the material. And once again, more importantly, the fresh, spacious design is easier to navigate.
Fun For Ten Fingers
As I mentioned above, Fun for Ten Fingers adds an extra layer of creative flair to the whole series, and is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve encountered for younger learners.
The book can (and I believe should) be used as a companion to More Tunes For Ten Fingers. From the outset, pieces use the black keys as well as white, although surprisingly, none use the lower LH range of notes or the RH hand position change to incorporate A, as introduced in More Tunes.
The publishers describe the book as:
“An exciting collection of easy pieces and puzzles for young learners, this is a useful repertoire resource, with opportunities to explore a range of keys and develop aural skills. The pieces feature accompaniment parts and entertaining lyrics, with stimulating games and puzzles, as well as attractive full-colour illustrations to keep pianists engaged on their learning journey.”
This certainly sums up the book well, although I would quickly add that Fun For Ten Fingers also encourages young players to improvise and compose. The page in which the learners is shown how to “Make up your own ghost tune”, is particularly inspiring, and presented with commendable clarity.
Also worth mentioning, “A magic trick for the piano” can prove to be a real eye-opener, especially for learners who don’t have a good acoustic piano or top-end digital (with sympathetic resonance) at home.
Fun For Ten Fingers is perhaps the most engaging of all three books in this series, but of course the enjoyment it offers is only made possible by the well designed, thorough, and effective learning supported by Tunes and More Tunes For Ten Fingers, which in itself subliminally highlights an important point!
Ten out of Ten?
The Tunes For Ten Fingers series remains one of the top-selling methods for young beginners, and there are good reasons that so many highly qualified and successful teachers continue to rely on these books as staples of their teaching.
With these new editions, OUP Music have given this evergreen resource a fresh contemporary look and feel. The audio files, occasional new pieces, and tweaks to the pedagogic details are all welcome, but it is the redesigned visuals that will likely prove the most striking change to long-term users.
The package as a whole will surely prove even more popular with today’s learners. And factoring in the very reasonable price, parents will be equally enthusiastic about their value. Each of the three full-colour books costs less than ten pounds at time of review, which is commendable, and puts to shame dull-looking material for beginners that costs much more.
I am very happy to see this update, and hope you will have a good look at the books for yourself. You may well find yourself as impressed as I am!
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