Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74770 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 116 pages

Customer Reviews

A mustn't have
I have posted this for various editions of Hanon. Hopefully this will catch people early!

Going against the grain here I would say DO NOT buy this book! I am a piano teacher and yes, I had to use this book in my younger days. Recent research, however, has shown that using this can potentially give you wrist problems such as RSI. Finger strength is not really a priority when learning the piano. Good technique and understanding of the music is.

Ask yourself: How many times do I repeat patterns such as those in Hanon over and over again when I am playing a piece of music? The answer is never! So why train your fingers to do that? The only thing playing Hanon makes you better at is playing Hanon!

If you want to improve the technique and musicality of your playing find a Mozart (or Haydn, Corelli, Kabalevsky or any other composer) piano piece that you enjoy and that is within your ability or will stretch you just a little and learn it. Practise it slowly and play each phrase with the correct notes and fingering every time. This gives you a piece of music you can perform as well.

In short, if you were an athlete would you train using physical techniques from the early 1900s? Our knowledge of physiology has moved on and even some elements of the piano action have been improved to make actions lighter and more responsive.

If you are looking to improve your piano technique I suggest you read:
Lhevinne: Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing
Gieseking & Leimer: Piano Technique (Paperback)
Sandor: On piano playing

They aren't necessarily the easiest books to read, but playing the piano isn't easy! I use other books as well (e.g. 20 Lessons in keyboard choreography), Czerny for certain things, but never Hanon!

Have used it for years
This book of piano exercises is excellent. We all have those days when our fingers don't glide over the keys the way we would like them to. Than't when Hanon comes in. We should of course use these exercises every day, but with the busy lives that we lead, that is not always possible.

Looking at the exercises at face value, they look easy. They seem to naturally fall under the fingers. However, if you are out of practice, you might just find yourself taking a little while to get your fingers working again.

Use these exercises and then play that Mozart Piano Sonata. All of a sudden you can do it again.

Better than fitness exercise
Maybe the best book for rehearsing piano. The book guide you through exercises finger by finger. Already after a couple of days, you feel the "power" in your fingers. If you want to advance piano playing past X-max songs, then this book is a must. A classic for more than 100 years.