Seasoned piano educator Gail Smith offers this beginning-level piano method employing gospel, Christmas and sacred tunes. This volume begins with an introduction to elementary note reading on the piano. A brief dictionary of musical terms and basic piano chord encyclopedia are included. Carefully sequenced exercises and arrangements allow the student to progress gradually from simple arrangements to more elaborate settings, gradually incorporating right and left hand fills and patterns. In order to illustrate various arranging concepts, some tunes are shown in two settings-one simple, the other more complex. This is a great book to be used with or without lessons to learn the art of piano improvisation. On the 99-track CD (sold separate or in a book/cd set), the author talks and plays through the entire book. The author's goal is to encourage students to create their own gospel piano arrangements.