Hanon · Part 1

Hanon, decoded

The 20 exercises of The Virtuoso Pianist, Part I, reduced to four moves you can see at a glance. Every exercise is told the same way, so once you know one, you can read them all.

Start with No. 1

Exercises 1 to 5 are open for everyone. One purchase ($29) unlocks the other 15 for 5 years.

The four moves

Everything in Hanon is built from these. Learn the signs once.

Extension

Fingers reach farther than natural. The hand opens.

1 on C, 2 on E: farther apart than 1-2 would be naturally (C-D).

Jump

Fingers skip over their neighbours. The hand keeps its position.

1 on C, then 3 on E: the hand stays, the fingers skip finger 2.

Fill

Step by step through the space, one finger per key.

5-4-3-2-3-4: one finger per key, step by step.

Contraction

Fingers come closer than natural. The hand closes.

1-3 on C-D instead of C-E: closer than natural, so the hand closes.

Every exercise, told the same way

Five steps, always in this order. Use the numbers at the top to step to the next exercise or jump to any one.

1
Score and pianoRead it: the notes and the keys, moves marked.
2
The movesSee it: the exercise reduced to its moves.
3
Four handsRight and left, up and down.
4
GlyphsName it: the exercise written as symbols.
5
RecapAll of it in 23 seconds.

Score data: Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist, Part I, Mutopia Project #2037 (CC BY-SA 4.0). The glyphs are a work in progress.