Hanon · The Virtuoso Pianist · Part II
Hanon Exercise No. 39 The 12 major and 12 minor scales
Exercise 39 of 60 from Hanon’s The Virtuoso Pianist, newly engraved from the 1900 Schirmer edition. Every major scale, each followed by its relative minor in both the harmonic and the melodic form, four octaves up and down with a closing cadence. Press Play to hear it on a real piano, set the speed anywhere from Hanon’s 60 up to his 120, 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
The 12 Major Scales, and the 12 Minor Scales.
M.M. ♩ = 60 to 120
Each major scale is followed by its relative minor.
There are two ways of playing the minor scale; we thought it best to give them here after each major scale, leaving it to the instructor to teach them as he sees fit. We mark by a figure 1 the first (modern) minor scale, also termed the “harmonic minor scale;” and by a figure 2 the second (ancient) minor scale, also termed the “melodic minor scale.”
We know, that the modern or harmonic minor scale has a minor sixth and the leading-note both ascending and descending; whereas the ancient or melodic minor scale has a major sixth and the leading note is ascending, and a minor seventh and minor sixth in descending.
1. A minor
2. A minor
F major
1. D minor
2. D minor
B♭ major
1. G minor
2. G minor
E♭ major
1. C minor
2. C minor
A♭ major
1. F minor
2. F minor
D♭ major
1. B♭ minor
2. B♭ minor
G♭ major
1. E♭ minor
2. E♭ minor
B major
1. G♯ minor
2. G♯ minor
E major
1. C♯ minor
2. C♯ minor
A major
1. F♯ minor
2. F♯ minor
D major
1. B minor
2. B minor
G major
1. E minor
2. E minor
Click any note to hear from there. Space plays and pauses.
Quick facts
- Book
- C. L. Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, Part II
- Trains
- Every major scale, each followed by its relative minor in both the harmonic and the melodic form, four octaves up and down with a closing cadence.
- Key
- all 24 major and minor keys
- Time signature
- 2/4
- Length
- 360 bars in 36 sections
- Hanon’s speed
- 60 to 120 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. 39 be played?
Hanon marks it 60 to 120, 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 120. The speed slider above the music covers that range.
What is Hanon exercise No. 39 for?
Every major scale, each followed by its relative minor in both the harmonic and the melodic form, four octaves up and down with a closing cadence. It is in Part II (transcendent exercises).
Can I print or download Hanon No. 39?
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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