Hanon · The Virtuoso Pianist · Part II
Hanon Exercise No. 37 Thumb under while other fingers hold notes
Exercise 37 of 60 from Hanon’s The Virtuoso Pianist, newly engraved from the 1900 Schirmer edition. Each hand holds three keys down without sounding them while the thumbs alone play, passing under the held 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
Special exercise for turning the thumb under.
Play this whole exercise with the two thumbs only.
Click any note to hear from there. Space plays and pauses.
Hanon’s footnote
Hold down these three notes with each hand without striking them, while executing these 12 measures.
Quick facts
- Book
- C. L. Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, Part II
- Trains
- Each hand holds three keys down without sounding them while the thumbs alone play, passing under the held fingers.
- Key
- C major
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Length
- 12 bars
- Hanon’s speed
- 60 to 108 crotchet beats a minute (the rule for this part of the book)
- 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. 37 be played?
No. 37 has no metronome mark of its own. Hanon’s rule for this part of the book applies: begin at 60 crotchet beats a minute and work up gradually to 108. The speed slider above the music covers that range.
What is Hanon exercise No. 37 for?
Each hand holds three keys down without sounding them while the thumbs alone play, passing under the held fingers. It is in Part II (transcendent exercises).
Can I print or download Hanon No. 37?
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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