Hanon: fingering development

Hello,


I would like to know if I should only move the fingers when I play the Hanon's exercices or if I may press the keys from the arms. Which muscles should I use to press the keys: the fingers muscles and keeping my wrist-elbows-shoulders steady or the arms shoulders and only resisting with my fingers to press the keys?

Hi! Watch Andrews Video. Lesson 34. Its all about Hanon!!
There is all the info you need.

Here:

I've watched it but as he says to use forearm too and not only fingers... I wonder what I should do. Should I use my fingers only for Hanon and forearms for staccato in the pieces that I'm learning? I guess it's what I'm suppose to do but I'm not so sure.

how come I couldn't find the PDF FILES for "Hanon," Andrew?

My opinion is, don't do( atleast not to much) Hanon.

Because I'm against practicing things you can't perform.

Read up on Alan Frasers blog on how to develop skeletal power instead. Or order his DVD, its worth it.

Christian wrote:My opinion is, don't do( atleast not to much) Hanon.

Because I'm against practicing things you can't perform.

Read up on Alan Frasers blog on how to develop skeletal power instead. Or order his DVD, its worth it.

What? Against practicing things you cant perform???
Why is that??

Have you listened to Hanon? It does not sound very good.

Honestly though, I think I bit my tongue abit there. Just a little.

When I have the time, I work on Alan Frasers DVD and skeletal technique. Some of the exercises is not supposed to be performed. Some of them are even passive exercises, and cant be performed. BUT he very importantly says that once you have learned the proper techique, forget all about it and focus on playing. The "end game" is of course to play using the technique you develop using those exercises

Bottom line is using exercises like Hanon to much will kill your ability to play musically and mess with your sense of rythm.

This is what I belive though, so you don't have to agree with me.

..and I hope it made sense.

Christian wrote:Have you listened to Hanon? It does not sound very good.

Honestly though, I think I bit my tongue abit there. Just a little.

When I have the time, I work on Alan Frasers DVD and skeletal technique. Some of the exercises is not supposed to be performed. Some of them are even passive exercises, and cant be performed. BUT he very importantly says that once you have learned the proper techique, forget all about it and focus on playing. The "end game" is of course to play using the technique you develop using those exercises

Bottom line is using exercises like Hanon to much will kill your ability to play musically and mess with your sense of rythm.

This is what I belive though, so you don't have to agree with me.

..and I hope it made sense.

I like your answer And I respect that you are open for the fact that we cant always agree on things
I see your point, but I actually don't agree he he - If I'm right or wrong, I don't know though

I feel that Many exercises out there, even though you ain't gonna perform them, is parallels to the pieces you one day are going to learn and one day will perform. Like the scale-part of Turkish March, after I started scales with metronome I had NO problems keeping a steady rhythm in that part any longer. Practicing that section alone didn't work 100% for me...

And there are of course lots of exercises you wont need, I am sure. But thats the players choice to find out where you want to put your focus, and find the exercises that feels similar to the types of pieces you want to play in the future. Cause if you do a good job in this selection, you actually are performing those exercises when you play pieces later one, just with some twists here and there

Well, thats basically what I had to say And Ill say the same as you, no need to agree

Christian wrote:Bottom line is using exercises like Hanon to much will kill your ability to play musically and mess with your sense of rythm.

This can definitely be true. However, it also really depends on how you're practicing these exercises. They're meant to be practiced for finger strength, flexibility, precision, etc. In the long run when you're finished the exercises thoroughly they can either break your technique or make you better depending practically on how you were practicing them in your repertoire. It really doesn't matter if it can't be performed or not. Hanon exercises are meant to be played for your the improvement of your fingers and wrist. And of course there are a lot of other finger exercises by composers that will help you, but Hanon has been used for more than 100 years in piano pedagogy and it's usually a great study for new pianists. I also agree with these exercises messing up your sense of rhythm, but again, it really depends on how you play perform them.

Play Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772-801, also known as the Two and Three Part Inventions. They are great for your fingers if you're not a fan of the Hanon exercises.

Aren't the hanon exercises designed to get the fingers working .
I hope andrew covers the lot of them --At the moment i'm starting the hanon book of exercises , i'm on to no 2 just terrific ...

Sigh. Hanon is a waste of time as I earlier mentioned. You need to learn to relax, not to do finger exercises like Hanon. Build fast muscles, not slow ones