Hanon - The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises

[Det_Nosnip]

Does anyone else work out of the Hanon book? Being a drummer, a fellow drummer called it the "stick control of piano," and since getting it I've definitely noticed alot of improvement. It's a pretty grueling book, and the exercises aren't exactly easy (especially for one such as me, who is just beginning!), but I've found them to be extremely benefitial. For anyone who's serious about improving their technique, the Hanon book is the way to go. :cool:

Here's a sample exercise from the book. This might be kind of hard to describe (easier to just look at the sheet music and figure it out), but here goes...

Basically, line up both hands two octaves apart, starting on C for both hands, and go up in 3rds. Then, once you get to the last finger, go back down in 3rds again, but when you get back to the first finger, move everything up 1 key and start over. So, that looks like this:

C, E, G, B, D, B, G, E, D
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (Right hand)
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (left hand)


Once you get back down and start on the next key, you simply repeat the pattern again, going up in 3rds, but obvious on a new set of keys. Starting from your lowest 3 octaves (one in the middle seperating the hands, remember), go all the way across the keyboard, until you get to the end, where you then do basically the same thing, but backwards, and go back the other way.

The book has you start on this at 60 BPM 16ths, which I found pretty crazy (I started at 60 BPM 8ths!). Now I'm up to about 140 8ths, which is definitely an improvement! :)

[IAteMyFrettingHand]

Yeah I work out of the Hanon book. I also downloaded some Hanon exercises that are really amazing. Some of them are btchingly hard though, best do those ones really slow...

[Hells Bells]

That looks like it would be great ot improve your coordination, which is something I really need to do. Actually, technique in general is something I really need to work on...trying to learn it from a song where you have to learn a million other things along with that technique isn't fun. I'm starting with that book once it gets here.

[eviltwin]

It is a good book but there are VERY strong opinions about it be warned.

[Det_Nosnip]

Such as?

[Ned]

Such as "it's mostly a waste of time" and "the exaggerated claims it makes for itself are unfounded". I recommend my early intermediate students buy book two in the Schirmer edition simply because it's an inexpensive convenient way to have the standard fingerings for all the major and minor scales and major and minor triad arpeggios. I went through all three volumes in my youth, but the exercises in volume one and most of volume two are pretty interchangeable: you don't need to practice all of them; and you shouldn't be spending a huge chunk of your practice time on them.

[Det_Nosnip]

Well, that makes sense. The exercises are very mechanical and technically orientated; they may make you better coordinated and able to play quicker, but they aren't exactly going to make you more creative nor are they going to help with reading and comprehension skills. I just found the book useful because I had ALOT of catch-up to do on the physical/technical side of things, being that I started at such a late age.

[dodarmton]

I've been playing piano for a little over a year and i work out of the hanon book on and off. i can never play them how theyre written (sixteenth notes) thats just way way to fast. i try to do them as much as i can but i find them so mind numbingly boring and so frustrating that on a few of them i almost clawed my eyes out before i had to just walk away.

i dont know, im sure it improves speed, coordination, technique, but if you have a short temper or attention span (id say i have the latter) then be warned


did that have any relevance to the topic or am i just retarded.

[Diatonic Dissonance™]

Yeah I work out of the Hanon book. I also downloaded some Hanon exercises that are really amazing. Some of them are btchingly hard though, best do those ones really slow...
Where'd you download them from? Any chance of an upload?

Anyway, with that exercise, do you use diatonic thirds or major?

Like, will I go from that D to F# to A, or what? If that makes sense.

[Det_Nosnip]

All white keys.

[Det_Nosnip]

I've been playing piano for a little over a year and i work out of the hanon book on and off. i can never play them how theyre written (sixteenth notes) thats just way way to fast. i try to do them as much as i can but i find them so mind numbingly boring and so frustrating that on a few of them i almost clawed my eyes out before i had to just walk away.

i dont know, im sure it improves speed, coordination, technique, but if you have a short temper or attention span (id say i have the latter) then be warned


did that have any relevance to the topic or am i just retarded.

You just need to start slow, use a click, and stick with it! For some reason, I find technical exercises ridiculously addicting (being a drummer, if I open up "Stick Control," I'll sit there for hours), but I guess I'm weird.

[Diatonic Dissonance™]

All white keys.
Thanks dude.

Sorry if you said that in your inaugural post...

[Det_Nosnip]

Nope, I didn't...my bad. I guess my assumption would be that, barring a declared key signature, to rivert to C Major. ;)

[Rude Mihran]

Oh yeah. I'm starting hanon again. right... now.