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My teacher gives me new exercises by Hanon, Cramer, and Dohnanyi every week, and I practise them at least for half an hour a day. I am desperate to improve my technique, and I think that I have already begun to stamp out some bad habits since starting the exercises this year, but there are still small things that could be improved on.
Will these exercises really help me in the long run? I notice that when I'm focusing on the exercise, I usually play with 'correct' technique, but when I'm concentrating on a piece I'm working on (and not thinking about it technically) I tend to revert back to bad habits.
When I first started Hanon when I was 10, nothing really improved because I wasn't motivated to improve technically. Maybe this is why I'm only seeing little improvements now?
I practise scales (religiously!)everyday as well, but will all of this help me technically?
My teacher says that "You'll use Dohnanyi for life"...but will I REALLY REALLY benefit from it?

I don't see the point of teaching technique-building exercises unless you also constantly teach and develop the application of technique in playing - certainly until the student can do it as second nature. To answer your question, yes finger exercises are a great help. I would disagree with your teacher on the last point. Technique-building exercises like Dohnanyi do their job and that's it. It's sometimes useful to see if you can still do them, but once they have done their work it's done.


John

I feel that finger exercises help tremendously but it is HOW they are practised rather than strumming through them that provides the improvement that carries over to pieces. In addition, the method of practice should also be applied to the piece until assurance is gained so that the musical qualities can also be addressed. If you merely 'strum' through exercises instead of really applying the principles of technique they are to impart, then little will be gained. Your teacher should show you HOW to practise the particular exercise to gain the greatest benefit from it and that would depend on the teacher's training as well.

As for Dohnanyi exercises, I'm sure that many others equal them in results if practised properly. They, among the many, are excellent but not the end-all. One might consult an old issue of Clavier for Adele Marcus' 'Setting Up Exercises' (Sept.'72) which she prescribed for her students. Her students have been successful in careers so the technical methods of Safonoff via Lhevinne must have been productive. Included are exercises of Horowitz and Rachmaninoff as well as Lhevinne.

A famous Russian pianist (I think it was Goldenweiser) said that it is not more difficult to play a good scale than a bad one. It's just different. So I can only confirm what Varcon already told you: From the technical view it doesn't matter what you play but how you play.

The idea of a technical exercise is to reduce the variety of required movements in order to make the automation easier. So yes, exercises are important and helpful - if you play them in the right way. I sincerely hope your teacher can help you.

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http://www.pianistenschule.de

The first Hanon exercise seems good for the
4th and 5th fingers, but only in C maj.,
tranposed to other keys it seems to put
too much strain on the fingers. Other
than this first exercise, I'm skeptical
of the benefit of the rest of Hanon book,
which seems to be just a variation on
the first exercise, and not nearly as beneficial
as it.

The C maj. scale (and arpeggios) is the most
difficult to play of all the scales, since a
white key passage is the most difficult thing
to play on the piano--because the black
keys provide tactile reference and aid
playing. And since the finger movements
in all scales are similar, in my view one
could get by with only the C maj. scale
(and arpeggios--root position and
first and second inversions or the triad).

I'm skeptical of the benefit of Czerny,
Cramer, etc. They are difficult and
wear you out. One's time could be better
spent, in my view, on repertoire, which
gives you experience with real music.

If I get to something difficult, I create an exercise of my own out of the difficulty. Here's one I did on Schuman's Humming Song to practice trills for some CPE Bach:


I got the idea from a Cramer study. First you trill with 4 and 5, then 3 and 4, then 2 and 3. If you do more than a few minutes do some flat finger work to counter balance.

^ That's a good idea...yes, I think I prefer learning technique through actual pieces of music compared to dull exercises! Although I am trying to be more aware of how I practise them and what effects I am trying to get, to make them that much more worthwhile!

I would like to mention the exercises developed by the famous Peter Feuchtwanger who influenced Martha Argerich, Shura Cherkassky, Dinorah Varsi etc.

"Piano Exercises for Curing Playing Related Disorderns and for Acquiring a Functional and Natural Approach to Piano Playing"

http://www.peter-feuchtwanger.de/english/startenglish.html


schmickus

One of my friends uses Tankard. It's out of print but a great resouce.

I personally like Hanon. In the past year, I think it has improved on my finger independance dramatically.

Matt

Matt,

Are these the Tankard exercises your friend uses?

http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/023456/details.html

http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/023455/details.html

Thanks
Rich

Hanon certainly has a place, but probably best in small doses so as not to loose concentration, or waste time better spent elsewhere.

Try this, Matt: take one Hanon exercise, memorize it (#17 is a good one), start in C and work your way up chromatically or through the circle of keys. Then go back and play it in C again: you'll be surprised at how much easier it feels to you, not to mention the velocity you can achieve. Scales will feel easier also. (This method works great for a quick warm-up if I haven't practised in a few days.)

But then go on to something else. I second Gyro's skepticism of Czerny and Cramer, though Clementi has some value. I've always maintained -here I go again- that Czerny is a total waste of time except for practise in sightreading. Otherwise, there's nothing in Czerny that can't be covered with 5 finger exercises in a fraction of the time.

For a long time Tankard & Harrison was my primary source for exercises. But my current teacher encouraged me to start using Hanon (despite himself having studied with Harrison). So for the last year or so I've been using Hanon instead, with just a few selections from T&H to cover things Hanon doesn't, and I've found this a more productive regime.

Best wishes,
Matthew

EbonyIvory, I'd suggest asking your teacher what these exercises are meant to develop, and if they can't explain it to you, get another teacher - it seems like (apologies if this is incorrect, but I'm guessing from what you've posted) you've just been handed them in the hope they will magically improve you.

I may be completely wrong in your case, but this is exactly what my teachers did - just gave me slow practise, finger exercises, no attempt to explain why I was supposed to be doing what I was doing. Looking back, I think they just didn't understand piano technique and just used the traditional pedagogical methods because, well, that's what piano teachers do.

Nothing improves you very much if you don't understand what you're supposed to be improving!

I thought Dohnanyi does actually explain the
objective of each "category" of the exercise and
suggestions on how to practice them. I may have to
dig back into mine jsut have a look again.

Sorry, I meant to say that for my case, I only find
Dohnanyi more useful ... partly because this was
what I was taught when I had a teacher few yrs back.

Kisch, I have specific technical..hmm..'issues' (like my left hand little finger always popping up all the time) and I also need to work on the execution of trills using fingers 4 and 5. My teacher does try to pick exercises that will help strengthen these particular fingers. I try to practise them properly..which reminds me, i haven't practised them yet today! (runs off to the piano... )

Yes, he does, and these exercises -the most concise, yet comprehensive collection I've ever seen- should never be attempted without a careful reading of his well-written preface. If you're heeding Dohnanyi's instructions to the letter, there is little a teacher need add.

Varcon's reference can also be found if one can locate a leftover of Dean Elder's "Pianists at Play"--a large green book created by Dean Elder in the 1980s. I have these exercises down to a science, a few from this-n-that. I also teach Hanon with crossed-hands--over or under. It is difficult to assess how much and what one person needs, but generally, I prefer a diet of mixed exercises, and not so long on any one. Then sprinkle in a page of 'Feux follets', some of Chopin's 'Double Sixths and Thirds', some Clementi 'Gradus ad Parnassum', and you have variety.