Bastien Piano Basics takes a multi-key, chordal approach. Reading begins in C Major position. Supplementary books are correlated page-by-page with each "Piano" lesson book. This carefully planned curriculum, with its gradual pacing, provides excellent reinforcement, ensuring the success of beginning students. The Primer Level starts with an orientation to the keyboard, specifically targeting groups of two and three black keys. Five 4-8 measure tunes on black keys only kick off this level, with simple rhythms of quarter, half and whole notes in prereading notation (letter names written in noteheads). Next comes an orientation to white keys and their letter names with eight tunes of 4-8 measures each. At this point, one hand plays in the first half of each tune and then the other in the second half, in C Major position. Each staff is then taught individually. The right hand learns to play the treble clef in 4 short tunes. The left hand learns the bass clef in the next 4 tunes. Playing from the grand staff comes next, still in C Major position. Middle C and G Major positions are presented towards the end of the book. Other concepts included in the Primer Level are melodic and harmonic intervals of 2nd, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths; slurs and ties; rests; two eighth notes together; sharps and flats; and staccato.

Students who have completed either the Primer Level or Bastien Piano Basics: Piano for the Young Beginner should move on to Level 1 of Bastien Piano Basics and continue their musical development with happy, effervescent pieces enriched by charming, colorful illustrations. Level 1 starts with review of what was covered in Primer Level and simple tunes in C Major position. The student is required to play single notes or parallel octaves between the hands at this point. There is also a review of sharps, flats, and the C Major chord . The two-note dominant seventh is presented. Later, five finger positions of F Major and both G Major positions are covered, as are their tonic (3 note) and dominant seventh (2 note) chords. Bass clef line notes and space notes are drilled and a few pages later the treble clef notes are drilled. Other concepts include damper pedal, single eighths, dotted quarter notes and natural signs.

Level 2 helps students explore a more challenging and rewarding musical terrain at the late elementary level. New concepts include half and whole steps; the C, G, and F Major scales; primary chords; triads and inversions; intervals of 6ths and 7ths; 6/8 time; and binary form. It also presents the concept of the order of sharps in a key signature.

Level 3 is carefully designed to boost student interest at a time when the appeal of piano lessons often diminishes. Attractive pieces, easily understood concepts, and colorful illustrations make a pedagogically sound combination. Concepts covered include A, C and D Minor keys and scales; order of flats in a key signature; Db, Ab, Eb Major keys and scales; the chromatic scale; major and minor triads; inversions; alberti bass and other broken chord patterns; octaves; and triplets.

Level 4 completes Bastien Piano Basics. Students play at the intermediate level throughout, and by the end have followed the gradual multi-key approach through all twelve keys. Parallel major and minor scales and the keys and scales of Gb, Bb, B and E Minor are covered. New technical and theoretical concepts are presented including overlapping pedal technique, dotted eighth and sixteenth notes, augmented and diminished triads, syncopation, and sonatina form. The final pages offer important resources including one page devoted to the circle of fifths, another offering a chord dictionary of all triads and dominant seventh chords on all 12 tones, and several pages of the major and harmonic minor scales in one octave with cadences.