Hanon Revisited – Old-School Piano Exercises in a New Light
In this blog series, our Practice Sleuths Graham Fitch and Adina Mornell investigate practising mysteries in detail and discuss ideas and insights on how to solve them! In the first episode, the duo unravelled the mysteries of piano fingering and the second episode tackled the age old debate of fast vs slow practice.
When it comes to piano technique, few names are as widely recognised as Hanon. Whether you swear by his exercises or dismiss them as outdated, there’s no denying their lasting impact. In this next episode, our sleuths explore the benefits, drawbacks and modern applications of Hanon’s exercises, looking at how they fit into today’s understanding of piano technique and pedagogy.
Works featured
- Charles-Louis Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist (click here for open domain scores)
Further resources & links
- The Hanon Debate – Click here to view a series of blog posts in which several pianists and pedagogues share their views on Hanon’s exercises.
- Jailbreaking Hanon – Click here to find out more about Graham Fitch’s video series showing Graham Fitch shows how Hanon’s exercises can be used as a blank canvas to experience and develop movements encountered in real music.
- Practice Clinic – Click here to view an index of our regular Practice Clinics in which Graham Fitch answers practising-related questions submitted by Online Academy subscribers.
- The Secrets of Experts – Click here to find out more about Adina Mornell’s course on creating your own recipe for enjoyable, successful performances.
Future Episodes
A full archive of Practice Sleuth episodes will be available here as further episodes are added and in the meantime, be sure to sign-up to our mailing list to be notified of new episodes!
Watch Our Sleuths in Action!
Saturday 17th May @ 13:45 – 14:30 BST
Watch our Practice Sleuths, aka Graham Fitch and Adina Mornell, at work solving mysteries and giving insights on practice-resistant pieces provided by a live in-person audience!
During this session, in person participants in the Art in Motion Symposium will bring compositions with sections that stymie them or seem practice-resistant. Together, the group will collect questions and embark on a voyage to find multiple answers in the form of practice methods – ways to work at the instrument that are inherently challenging, motivating and fun to employ.
Tickets cost only £15 (£9 for Online Academy subscribers) and can be purchased here. The session will also be recorded therefore if you are unable to watch live, you will also be able to view the recording at your convenience afterwards.