Hanon · The Virtuoso Pianist · Part I
Hanon Exercise No. 1 The first pattern
Exercise 1 of 60 from Hanon’s The Virtuoso Pianist, newly engraved from the 1900 Schirmer edition. The famous opening figure: a skip of a third, then steps up and back, stretching between the fourth and fifth fingers. Press Play to hear it on a real piano, set the speed anywhere from Hanon’s 60 up to his 108, hear one hand at a time or switch on the metronome, and click any note to start from there.
As printed in Hanon’s book
Part I. Preparatory Exercises for the Acquirement of Agility, Independence, Strength and Perfect Evenness in the Fingers.
M.M. ♩ = 60 to 108
Stretch between the fifth and fourth fingers of the left hand in ascending, and the fifth and fourth fingers of the right hand in descending.
For studying the 20 exercises in this First Part, begin with the metronome set at 60, gradually increasing the speed up to 108; this is the meaning of the double metronome-mark at the head of each exercise.
Lift the fingers high and with precision, playing each note very distinctly.
As soon as Ex. 1 is mastered, go on to Ex. 2 without stopping on this note.
Editor’s note: Hanon prints the last remark beside the final note of the exercise: “this note” is that last C.
Click any note to hear from there. Space plays and pauses.
Hanon’s footnotes
For brevity, we shall henceforward indicate only by their figures those fingers which are to be specially trained in each exercise; e. g., 3-4 in No. 2; 2-3-4 in No. 3, etc.
Observe that, throughout the book, both hands are continually executing the same difficulties; in this way the left hand becomes as skilful as the right. Besides, the difficulties executed by the left hand in ascending, are exactly copied by the same fingers of the right hand in descending; this new style of exercise will cause the hands to acquire perfect equality.
Quick facts
- Book
- C. L. Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, Part I
- Trains
- The famous opening figure: a skip of a third, then steps up and back, stretching between the fourth and fifth fingers.
- Key
- C major
- Time signature
- 2/4
- Length
- 30 bars
- Hanon’s speed
- 60 to 108 crotchet beats a minute
- Source
- G. Schirmer edition, 1900; English text by Theodore Baker
- Copyright
- Public domain. This engraving is free to print, copy and share.
Questions and answers
How fast should Hanon No. 1 be played?
Hanon marks it 60 to 108, in crotchet beats a minute: start at 60 and raise the speed a little at a time, only once every note is even, until you reach 108. The speed slider above the music covers that range.
What is Hanon exercise No. 1 for?
The famous opening figure: a skip of a third, then steps up and back, stretching between the fourth and fifth fingers. It is in Part I (preparatory exercises).
Can I print or download Hanon No. 1?
Yes. Use Download the PDF at the top of this page for a print-ready A4 copy of this exercise; it also prints well on US Letter with fit to page. The whole book, all 60 exercises, is one PDF on the Hanon page. Both are free and out of copyright.
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