Hanon · The Virtuoso Pianist · Part III
Hanon Exercise No. 46 The trill for all five fingers
Exercise 46 of 60 from Hanon’s The Virtuoso Pianist, newly engraved from the 1900 Schirmer edition. A long trill study that hands the trill from one pair of fingers to the next, ending with Thalberg’s trill, which shares its two notes among three 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
The Trill
for all five fingers.
(M.M. ♩ = 60 to 108)
Practise the first 6 measures until they can be executed in quite a rapid tempo; then practise the rest of the trill. Where the fingering is changed (1), be careful that not the slightest unevenness is apparent.
It is of interest to note that Mozart used this exercise for the study of the trill.
Editor’s note: Schirmer prints the remark about Mozart further on, above bar 55, where the fingering starts to change on the two notes C and D.
Thalberg's trill
Click any note to hear from there. Space plays and pauses.
Quick facts
- Book
- C. L. Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, Part III
- Trains
- A long trill study that hands the trill from one pair of fingers to the next, ending with Thalberg’s trill, which shares its two notes among three fingers.
- Key
- C major
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Length
- 62 bars in 2 sections
- 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. 46 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. 46 for?
A long trill study that hands the trill from one pair of fingers to the next, ending with Thalberg’s trill, which shares its two notes among three fingers. It is in Part III (virtuoso exercises).
Can I print or download Hanon No. 46?
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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