At first glance, a piano may seem like an intimidating instrument that would be very difficult to learn how to play, but despite what your seventh-grade piano teacher may say, playing piano isn't brain surgery. It just takes time, practice, and patience. Piano For Dummies starts at the very beginning and walks you through everything you need to know to turn that oversized hunk of furniture into an instrument that can make beautiful music. If you don't know how to read music, this book explains in friendly, uncomplicated language all the basics of music theory and applying it to playing the piano. And if you've been playing piano for a while -- or took piano lessons when you were a child but haven't played since -- you can pick up some valuable tips to improve your playing or use the book as a refresher course. Here are some of the topics you'll find in Piano For Dummies: * Buying a piano: Acoustic versus electronic * How a piano works, and how to care for one * Left- and right-hand piano techniques * Examining keys, scales, melodies, harmonies, and chords * Plenty of musical examples to play * The history of piano musical styles * Advice for piano teachers * A Top Ten list of pianists you should know about Piano For Dummies also includes a glossary and a free CD, which includes audio of all of the examples in the book so that you can play along. So if you've always wanted to learn to play piano, but you don't have the time to take piano lessons, you can pick up the basics in Piano For Dummies; you'll be tickling the ivories with ease in no time!