Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist In Sixty Workouts For The Piano, Vol. 925, Full (Schirmer’s Library Of Musical Classics)

Well Worth The Time & Effort
Regardless of the skill level you’re hoping to attain, these exercises will be a great help. Although the book is titled, “The Virtuoso Pianist,” you don’t have to be a virtuoso to benefit from it. Some of the drills are designed to increase the strength in the 4th & 5th fingers which are naturally weaker than the 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Others are designed to stretch the fingers – which is necessary, even for playing popular tunes where the bass involves broken chords with notes that are far apart. The metronome numbers are provided from slow to fast so speed & dexterity can be built up gradually. Also included are useful suggestions – like lifting the fingers as high as possible & playing each note with distinction.I recently started playing again after 42 years. When I started, I couldn’t play anything-not even two or three notes together; I had lost all the coordination & dexterity. This was the first music I purchased, having remembered it as a child “prodigy.” Within a couple of weeks of completing only half of this book, I was able to resume playing my favorite Bach Preludes & Fugues & Inventions at full tempo.I stopped playing the Hanon Exercises to spend more time learning new compositions but I noted I lacked the dexterity for the more difficult pieces. After resuming the Hanon Exercises, I was able to play one of my favorite pieces at tempo: “Flight of the Bumblebee.” I’ve learned that even if you want to play Nocturnes, Mendelsohn’s “Songs Without Words” & other quieter pieces that don’t require much dexterity, you need finger strength to control the dynamics & bring out the main themes of the music. In many compositions, the main theme involves the weakest fingers (3rd, 4th & 5th) & many of these exercises are designed to strengthen those fingers. Try playing the middle section of Rachmaninoff’s C-Sharp Minor Prelude with a weak pinkie. Impossible…that’s the finger that carries most of the melody. I couldn’t bring out the melody until I practiced the Hanon Exercises for several weeks. I learned how important stretching the fingers was when I started learning Liszt’s “Liebestraum” & Rachmaninoff’s Prelude. Both composers had huge hands & they wrote music for THEIR hands, not normal-sized ones. Before resuming the Hanon Exercises, my hands would be too tired & painful halfway through a piece & the second half wouldn’t be well played. And, I’d need to rest my hands before trying to play another piece. Not any more!These exercises reminded me of “The Karate Kid” when the kid was bored & tired because his teacher had him wax cars & paint fences (“Wax on…Wax Off…Wax On…Wax Off.”) He was benefitting a great deal & not realizing it.

Nice to play every page
Havin the book lay flat is very helpful!!

Great Piano Skills Workbook
This book is specific for teaching fingering skills utilizing a variety of chords and tempos. The book starts reasonably simple, but quickly advances and moves the student forward. It has pages of activities and growth. We chose the spiral bound version of this book, despite the increased cost because of the long term value of this book. Being able to fold back pages, easily turn, and keep this book in good condition is valuable as this book has long term value.Overall, good book and I would recommend the spiral bound version for longevity of the book.

You need these practice exercises to improve technique!!
Pianist must use this book to improve their technique in playing more difficult music pieces. Excellent source to strengthen finger movement up and down piano, you will need a metronome!

Bastante recomendable gastar un poco por conseguirlo en físico en vez de digital temas de comodidad.Llegó en buen estado y antes de lo que indicaba su fecha de entrega 5/5.Sobre el método, es muy recomendable para principiantes en el mundo del piano ya que los ejercicios te ayudarán demasiado!

Pianist must use this book to improve their technique in playing more difficult music pieces. Excellent source to strengthen finger movement up and down piano, you will need a metronome!