C. L. HanonHanon: The Virtuoso Pianist In Sixty Exercises For The Piano, Vol. 925, Complete (Schirmer's Library Of Musical Classics)

Excellent choice. Was easy to articulate and used daily.

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).

This treatise has been around forever and is used by pianists the world over, beginners and professionals alike. The exercises are challenging but will, over time, develop accuracy with timing and STRENGTH in EVERY finger. I strongly recommend (and insist with my pupils) that you use a metronome whilst practicing the exercises. Such is the concentration required to perform these that if you do not use a metronome, I guarantee your timing WILL suffer. Also I recommend that you warm up with scales before doing these as after the first few exercises, they are tough enough to demand that fingers be flexible and 'ready'.The author claims that the whole book can be played through in an hour and a half. I think that's being slightly optimistic myself! Better to skip around by making a chart and ticking off those that you have done. You should easily cover the whole book in a week so in a year…..you will certainly have made major improvements in your technique!!There is also a 'Book 2' (Hanon "Revisited") which presents snippets of the original version, BUT with contrapuntal, canonic versions (played against each other) which are WAY more difficult than the 'unisons' presented here. I would say that Book 2 is for those wanting to progress toward virtuoso playing (and who have 'masochistic' tendencies!).This volume (Book 1) is the place to start and will literally last you a lifetime as there will always be 'room for improvement' in each and every one. Just remember - steady practice WITH a metronome and we might just see you at Carnegie Hall!!

Replaced decades old copy. Great for practice.

I bought the regular book but the pages would not stay open. So I returned it and got the spiral bound! It was worth it! I love this so much!! The pages stay open so easily! It was worth paying the extra for the spiral bound. The other regular book ( non spiral) didn't work at all. Some people said in the reviews they received a comb binding instead. I received the spiral like advertised. I bought it from RGSellers.

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.