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Hey, I'm new here and this site is quite nifty.

Anyway, I was concerned when I read that Hanon and Pischna were practically useless and a waste of time. This scared me because these books are the ones I'm studying. Hanon supposedly numbs your brain and doesn't help you develop finger independence. However, what I am looking for in studying these exercises, is to improve my finger agility, speed, strength, and performance. Independence is the least of my issues. So does Hanon and Pischna help you develop agility, speed, strength, and performance? If not, could you please recommend me some books that will help you develop these skills? I also have to add that I regularly study new pieces so I do have examples of "real" music

Thanks, hoping to stick a while around here

i have Hanon book and did only 2 exercises there since i got it, but haven't touched it for long time. i don't really miss anything technical, except perhaps scale technique, because except C major scale i don't remember any fingerings of other scales and have to work out fingerings everytime i play some scale passages in a piece i'm learning.

however, i find Bach (invention, prelude/fugues) and Clementi's music (sonatas) are really good for developing techniques. if you learn a lot of Bach or Clementi, you'd get enough basic techniques to move on to Beethoven, Chopin or Liszt, etc.

Hey, welcome!

I develop my technique trough pieces, compositions.. not from some technical books for excercise. Etudes are very useful. Depending on your level I recommend Liszt etudes which i am curently working on.

Best Regards.

I've developed my technique with repertoire, etudes, and exercises.

People that say Hanon is mind-numbing don't understand it.

I have met wonderful pianists who learned using Hanon. I have met wonderful pianists who learned without it.

Everyone is different.

I think it's pretty good but Czerny is better. Either way they work best if you transpose them to all twelve keys - don't just play them in C over and over

So it depends on every person then? I'll have to complete the books to see for myself. Just don't wanna waste my time :\

Doesn't Czerny have a lot of books though? Which one should I look into?

aec37 :

Hanon can be very useful, and will help develop finger independence and dexterity if used intelligently. It can be pretty mind-numbing if you just play through the exercises without thinking about what goals are to be achieved and how to achieve them with Hanon.

If you want to try Czerny, may I suggest the Op 337, "40 Daily Exercises" as a good place to start.

Regards,

I was raised on finger exercises, but now I'm in college studying piano and my teacher there is not an advocate of Hanon or Czerny. At first I didn't understand why, but now I think that I understand her perspective, although I'm not sure if I agree 100%. She says that those kind of exercises encourage "hitting" the keys and other incorrect techniques which can lead to injury. She also feels that they do not encourage musical playing.

I think that if used correctly, they can be a useful tool. Right now though, she's my teacher and my grades are in her hands, so I don't really use them. Plus, there is such a huge improvement in my playing and technique since I have started studying with her. I intend to figure all that out later. Just thought I'd share that view with you.

Oh, and welcome!

I do think Hannon can be useful if done with thought. I use just the first Hannon study in both my own warmups and in my students. There are so many different things you can focus on with it, and it allows you to focus on the technique, not learning notes like Czerny. With students I have them practice it both legato and staccato, shaping with the note direction, Playing one hand louder than the other (independence), and learning to increase speed by teaching students to use the first of each beat as a focus point and coast along on the other notes rather than pressing weight down on every note, which is a common problem for many and makes it a lot of work to play fast.

Exercises by themselves don't encourage any particular approach one way or the other.

And three of the most artistic pianists I know (two of whom won national competitions) were raised on Hanon.

Awesome. Thanks for the warm welcomes guys

Please note my message to aec37.. I need to edit my own writing...I said if you continue your correct trend ...and ...I meant current trend of wanting to advance without the classical piano teachers instruction could be a problem ...Hope I did not confuse anyone...Reminds me of a law professor who told us this...when he said all failed the last test...The entire class was stunned...He laughted and he told us he gave us the wrong advanced test we had not studied for...so all was forgiven...Sandy B.

Hanon practices most of the articulations required of both hands in classical repertoire. It is basically a workout for the hands. I've played all exercises in every key including scales. Playing the exercises in alternate rythyms and accents is a very good training. How to stay motivated? Well, don't just play Hanon but apply the training in your repertoire.

As for Czerny, please tell me what I'm missing? I've never played them. My teachers never prescribed them. My teacher only ever told me to play the first Hanon exercise as a warm-up and then work on repertoire. I play ALL Hanon anyway because it gives me confidence. If I've done all this in every key and rythym there is very little else I won't be able to accomplish technically. Like it says: "The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises".

People who don't like Hanon aren't playing correctly. They are not understanding the mechanical nature of pianism. You have to empty your mind of any emotion and just focus on accuracy of execution. Work at your level but in tempo. Just think factory. Nothing else.

Another important issue is if you already got the technique then you don't need to practice it. So you might play key exercises for weak areas and maintain this with whatever repertoire you're working on.