Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum HANON exercises is a waste of time...?

I have been told by some pianists that Hanon's "The Virtuoso Pianist, In Sixty Exercises" is a waste of time....it's stupid and nonsense. One pianist even asked me, "Do you think Tchaikovsky or Mozart played these? Throw the book away."

On the other hand, a piano student studying for her phd in piano performance told me that she plays them every day and that she believes it helps her playing?

What is the general consensus on this? I believe if it works for you then by all means play it. However if that's the case then should all teachers teach all their students Hanon?

I believe that they can be helpful. However, there are many other ways to help yourself too! I personally do them once in a while. I think they can be helpful if you are advanced and are able to do different approaches with them: different keys, rhythms, touches, and much more.

I have only been posting here for a short time but I used to read very much here. You should do a search. This is a topic that comes up very much and has different opinions on this board. There is, of course, no one right answer.

You should wait until you have a teacher however. Finger exercises can be very dangerous if done incorrectly and can be useless if not done correctly.

There is no consensus. Hanon is a tool. All tools can be used for the wrong job. Any tool may come in handy when no other tool works as well.

exercizes 40 to 60 are nothing to sneeze at.. my word they teach everything.

i love Hanon.

I wish my 10 year old would move past exercise 3.

Better she learn the Brahms. However, I concur with Gary.

Some exercises are very helpful, actually. I haven't used them in a few years with my students, but I think I should start soon, because a few of them sure could use the exercises to gain more fluency.

My only objection is that they are so terribly repetitive. You learn one measure, and the rest not only make NO demands on reading but also can turn off the ear entirely.

Also, they are not very effective unless they are tranposed, because there is a particular feel to playing only white keys that can shut off the sense of how to mold the hands to all the shapes that use black keys.

Regardless, I would stay away from them for weak readers, because they already have the habit of memorizing everything. More rote drill is just asking for them to shut down the development of reading.

For the love of god...Hanon is the last thing weak readers should touch. It's more for those kids who have poor fine-motor skills and play uneven 16th notes.

I don't know about transposed Hanon, though. That will throw a lot of people.

I use Hanon for very specific purposes. Imo, it's useful for teaching certain physical gestures and, if you transpose it, for developing a feel of key. Any technique work should not be about reading, it should be about feel, look and listen.

It has nothing to do with reading, so keep it separate. I would use it with any student who had the technical need for it. Their reading skill doesn't matter at all. I teach it by rote anyway.

These exercises are extremely repetetive and therefore I think they do not motivate at all to play musically. IMHO it's much better to recognise and work directly on problems that you have with real music that you like to play.

So there you have it.

People hate Hanon and will not go near it.

People love Hanon.

People use Hanon for specific weaknesses.

That's why it is a TOOL!!!

Right tool for the right job, tool is useful.

Same tool for the wrong job, the tool is still useful but not used for the right thing.

Rodrigo V,

How interesting that you specify the qualifications of a pianist who is in favour of Hanon
but not the one(s) who isn't/aren't. Who plays best? Your quotes of, "a waste of time,
stupid and nonsense", seem to be the opinions of people who are not particularly well aquainted
with the exercises.
How much did they play them before deciding these "facts"?

Perhaps Mozart or Tchaikowsky didn't play Hanon, they will have still practised some form
of improvement, I bet, but do your friends really consider themselves to have that level
of ability? This would seem to by more proof of error of judgement on behalf of your friends.

"It's more for those kids who have poor fine-motor skills and play uneven 16th notes."

Compared to Valentina Lisitsa or Andre Previn we are probably all, "kids with poor
fine-motor skills", the whole idea is to improve beyond your current level, whatever that
may be, and the only way to do it is practice, whether that be, increasingly difficult, faster,
smoother or whatever and through that, improve.

Repetative practice is the only way to do it. How do you learn any piece of music?

Of course, you read it, play it slowly and speed up as you remember it until you are content
(hopefully) with the performance. Same goes for fundamental improvement of ability.

Hanon is a corner-stone that will produce genuine results.

Try this, practice ONE Hanon study until you are good at it, could take a while. Then, when one
of your friends is around just play it, does your friend recognise it? I would bet not, is your
friend impressed with the speed, smoothness and dexterity, I bet he is.

Is your friend jealous? Of course!

"Throw the book away."

Personally I would keep the book and dump the "friend", but to each their own.

If you did take your friends advice though, don't worry, Hanon is now public domain for
anybody who makes a realistic assessment of their personal skills and finds themselves lacking.

http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=17471

Have fun, and if you can't just remember, it isn't Hanon's fault.

Ask the friend with real qualifications.

Sorry, but you are spreading so much nonsense that someone needs to step in.

Hanon, used unwisely, can produce repetitive stress injury. I said it is a tool. It is. Used wisely it can produce good results, but a lot of that will depend on CAREFUL directions from a good TEACHER.

More nonsense. Who cares what a friend recognizes? If the friend is a pianist, he will INSTANTLY recognize any of the Hanon exercises. If he is not a pianist, he will most likely be more "impressed" by something that does not sound like mindless repetition.

I don't teach Hanon, I don't like Hanon, and I insist that what Hanon teaches can be accomplished in other ways. That said, other teachers have a different view and use Hanon with success. I'm sure as heck not going to make any judgments based on whether a teacher is a Hanon-fan - or not. And I'm not going to make snap judgments about their qualifications.

What are your qualifications?

Hi, slipeerykeys:

I believe you were quoting me and replying to my quote, so I'll reply to your reply.

"Kids with poor fine-motor skills" are just that. Kids with poor fine-motor skills. It's an objective statement of fact, not meant to be a relative comparison. I wouldn't call Mr. Previn the pinnacle of piano technique, but I can understand your point of comparison.

Practice can make perfect if you know what you're doing, and I think Hanon can be part of a pianist's practice regimen. It is my opinion that Hanon may not be necessary for everyone.

GaryD

I have no intention of getting into an argument because it would appear you have nothing better to do today.

I have posted my opinion, a surprise for you now, I am entitled to it.

You missed out quoting where I said, "to each his own".

AZNpiano

I do see your point, I am only giving my opinion.

When I watch Valentina Lisitsa I realise just how poor I am compared with where I want to be, and poor motor skills sums me up perfectly.

I am hopefull that the day may come when I am so good I feel I don't need Hanon anymore.

I read recently of people who allow hope to triumph over experience.

I am probably one of them!!!

My Previn reference is because I saw him play Rhapsody in Blue in the mid-sixties and thought it was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard.

I would never think of Previn as an example of keyboard wizardry.

But he was an awesome musician. He lived in several worlds. I once had a couple recordings of his own group. It had a very mellow, sophisticated sound. I very much enjoyed his playing, which was as far away from Hanon repetitiveness as anything could be.

Which does not prove that he did not practice Hanon...

And I think his Rachmaninov symphony recordings are splendid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAxBAEb2pmE

See if that puts a smile on your face.

GaryD

"I would never think of Previn as an example of keyboard wizardry."

That's fine. But I would be ecstatic if I was that good.

"He lived in several worlds."

Totally. I so admire that ability as I admire Lisitsa's technichal ability.

(For you and ANZpiano)Ever seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7GeKLE0x3s

I am leaving the computer now, but I hope you laugh at the post.
PS Even Eric Morcambe is better than me!

Well, life is a waste of time... or not. That's a philosophical question.

Anyway, if I have an piano in front of me... I prefer to play Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and other well known composers than Hanon. Life is short, you know.

I don't understand how repeating exercises of Hanon can help me to play a Mozart sonata (my real goal). I think that playing the difficult sections of the sonata, will help more than repeating Hanon exercises to achieve this goal.
And I apply this simple logic to other compositions.

I was listening to that NPR afternoon interview program and the guest was a famous jazz pianist whose name of course escapes me.

He said he warms up with Hanon.

Then he demonstrated, playing Hanon at speed with the left hand, while improvising over it with the right.

It was VERY impressive.