Hanon - Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises - Complete: Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics Kindle Edition

I made the mistake of buying the Kindle addition. It's a pdf so you have no way of enlarging the display. You can't make out the fingering, which means that this edition is worthless, since these exercises are predicated on getting the correct fingering.

Chances are if you've taken piano lessons, you've come across this book at some point. Just to be different, I'll explain this book to you by age:Under 10: So many notes. So boring. Very chance of wrist injury.This book is premature for a little kid unless they want a reference for scales. If you practice daily or even a few times a week, with a few scales here and there, chances are your hands are in good enough shape that you don't really need this book.10-14: Time to separate the wheat from the chaff! Now that you can read music really well, you can focus on the techniques in the book. You should be able to understand what each exercise is trying to improve, instead of fixating on getting the notes right. This will help you get to a higher level if you can read music well and want your playing to sound better.14-18: You should get this book if you're looking to take music exams or study music in university, OR you want to spite your piano teacher's stupid jerky student that plays sonatinas really well or shows great agility in his or her technique. Or if you want to date someone that's really impressed by arpeggios. Otherwise, don't torment yourself and go play something enjoyable instead. You will eventually learn to love some of the genres (jazz, baroque, contemporary) that your teachers made you learn, but you will never come to love this book.18+: If you've been out of lessons for a few years and are getting back into piano, it's worth picking this up to speed up your transition back into playing regularly. It will help if you can tell that you don't sound as good as you used to.

I know this is a book of just repetitive highly technical exercises, but somehow I'm really enjoying it. Something about the repetition feels incredibly relaxing, and I often practice this while watching netflix. I forgot which of the pianists (Liszt?) but there was a guy who used to practice these types of technical exercises while reading a book - that's basically me, but with youtube/netflix. I'm one of those people who don't feel satisfied doing just one thing at a time - it feels wasteful, especially if it's stuff like "watching" something, or only doing something with my hand. If my hands are busy, my brain/eyes need to be busy too, and vice versa.For that reason, Hanon exercises are awesome. The patterns are (so far, only on exercise 6) relatively simple, and it's just a pattern that you play up and down the piano. Once your fingers "get" the pattern, your brain basically goes into this like, floaty place where i just feel really chillaxed. To keep my brain occupied (and stop staring at my hands/keys), i put youtube or netflix/prime video on, and watch/half watch stuff.the book itself is really nice as well for so cheap. the notes ARE small - actually they're pretty much standard, but i think what makes it feel even smaller/so much more cramped is that there are just sooooooo many notes on a single page. The printing seems fine to me though, i don't find it as if it's been photocopied way too many times. I mean seriously, for $6.xx for such a thorough book is an awesome price. And i like that it'll basically last me forever - i expect to be using this for a long long time, regardless of my piano skills.this book is helping me feel motivated to actually practice. the idea of doing the exercises (and being able to just switch off my brain for a while), is such a nice thought that i'd be super willing to get cracking on my practice. As much as I love learning new songs (videogame music!), what's more daunting is having to read music sheets and trying to learn a new piece, as that can be so frustrating. Being able to start with Hanon exercises first kinda downplay the nerves and irritation of not being able to play the actual music right (and i know for real music sheets, it is SUPPOSED to take a while to learn, which i understand, but that frustration is hard to handle. Hanon, since it's not actually hard in a musical-sheet-reading type of way, lets me feel accomplished first).

There has been some argument regarding the value of Hanon exercises. I don't belong to either of the extreme camps, but use Hanon to address weaknesses in technique, not to become a Hanon expert (for example, I don't agree with the advice that the entire 60 exercises be played every day -- sheesh!). I recommend playing Nos. 1-10 as warmups and Nos. 42, 43 regularly, then picking and choosing other exercises to suit whatever difficulties crop up along the way. Might as well buy the complete edition rather than separate Vols. I, II, III, as it's quite inexpensive. Take it to Kinko's or Staples to have it spiral-bound for ease of use.

Yee-gads! The print looks like it's been copied over 1,000 times and is very difficult for me as I wear bifocals. The print looks pretty small and causes eye strain. The cover and binding is good quality so it appears to be relatively durable. The open type spine is essential for practing the scores, and remaining open Trust me...you don't want a regular book style. I wish I would have bought something from local music store so I could have inspected it better. I am keeping it and may replace it at a later time. I have heard there is a Hanon book you can download and print out that is very nice and larger more readable notes.

I had been playing piano since age 5 and never had the privilege of being classically trained or ever having been given any technical or mechanical exercises. At age 24 I severely sprained my right wrist due to poor technique after already progressing through every grade 1-8, as my little fingers were still too weak to handle leading the Maple Leaf Rag. I was unable to play for over 10 years, and only following an X ray showing no damage to my bones, I started to relearn using Hanon. After completing exercises 1-31 as written with my hands held high and playing from the fingertips, not only can I now play far better than I ever could before, but somehow my wrist sprain got fully rehabilitated and I now have the endurance to play almost all day long without anymore pain or fatigue.Do not believe the anti Hanon hate that says that these exercises will somehow damage your wrists or that they won't do anything to help, if you want to believe such nonsense then you may as well never even look at a piano score or you might go blind!

If possible, go for the ring-bound version of this publication. This edition refuses to stay open on the piano and will close up in front of you, no matter how hard you bash it open. You are them left playing from memory - which could be an unlooked for benefit, I suppose.

Was recommended to get this version by a friend. Can feel the burn in my left hand and wrist. Definitely helping. I am returning to piano after over 15years and along side relearning how to read music this helping me build the strength back.

I noticed some reviews saying that it's hard to keep this book open on the music rest but I feel just a small clipper solves the problem.

If you want the technical ability to play properly, this book is for you. Like a gym for your fingers.