Customer Reviews
Excellent Book 
2008-03-17
This book is great and is in great shape. Perfect for strengthening and training fingers.
Useless finger exercises 
2008-03-07
This book is written by Charles Louis Hanon, who lived through 19th century. Pianoforte was invented little before the beginning of 19th century. Piano has not developed much since 1880's. Charles Louis Hanon, who was born in 1819 and died in 1990, was at the time when piano's pedagogy was not developed well. Hanon was only thinking about using fingers to play the instrument, which was applyed in playing clavichord. However, for playing pianoforte, which has large range between piano and forte, the whole body must be used, not just fingers. If one plays the piano with trained fingers through Hanon's exercises, then he may feel good about his strong fingers. However, the shortage of playing just with strengthened fingers is that it will produce not a good quality of sound. Furthermore, using just fingers to play the instrument can cause serious injuries and tension. Some people recommend Hanon's Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises. But I wouldn't recommend this book for above reasons. You may like using this book for a short period of time. But after the short period of time, you will get bored and some of you will give up practicing this book. I strongly suggest that this book is not useful in practicing pianoforte playing.
Finger Techniques 
2008-02-28
This is a book for piano players to play techniques. It's a good pratice for all levels.
Invaluable if used correctly 2008-01-22
This is an essential book for pianists who are serious about improving their technique. Casual pianists may find the excercises repetitive and boring, but those who have the desire to improve will find them extremely rewarding. I find that these excercises have a pleasant sound and I do not get bored of them, but not everyone sees them so favorably in that respect.
One point of note: you will not derive much value from this book if you do not practice the excercises intently. I used to play the book incorrectly; I thought I had completed the majority of the first section when, in fact, I had not completed a single excercise to a satisfactory level. Some say that hanon can be played while the mind wanders; this is incorrect until you are VERY familiar with the excercise in question. Take special care that every note is played perfectly evenly, that every finger moves confidently and efficiently. Make sure that your weak fingers make the same mechanical motion as your strong fingers, and only then will the benefits become apparent.
Once I started focusing on these points, Hanon became truly valuable...and enjoyable!
Necessary Evil 2007-12-12
This book is B.O.R.I.N.G.
That said, practicing exercises in it has made me a much better pianist thus far. I've been playing them for about two weeks, and right now I can get through the first part in about an hour. I'm still not near where I need to be, but this book is helping me get their faster than I could have imagined.
Must have... 2008-07-25
Written before 1900 - still being printed. You need this book if you're at all interested in playing piano. While playing the exercises isn't going to endear you to your neighbours, family or friends, I felt it has already started to improve the strength and control of my 4/5 fingers. The exercises are easy to remember so you don't need to drag the book around with you when you travel. My only slight complaint is that it doesn't look as if it has been re-typeset since 1900...
Can't recommend it enough . . . 2008-07-19
I teach piano, in addition to having played for over twenty years, and this book is essential. For my beginning students ages 8-adult, it's a great way for them to get started sight-reading using the interval-reading method as opposed to the note-reading method. The exercises will build up finger strength and dexterity, and make the note-patterns second nature. The scales and arpeggios are presented in a such a way that even my first-year students can do them with very little difficulty, as long as all the exercises are played in order.
For more advanced students, there's a way to liven up the exercises 1-20 so that even the most advanced students are challenged--play one exercise in one hand, and simultaneously play a different one in the other hand, then when that exercise is complete, switch them. After five minutes of this, you'll be asking yourself, "Who needs caffeine?" because you'll definitely be wide-awake!
This book also enforces good technique because it hurts if your fingers/hands are not used properly. There shouldn't be pain, throbbing or burning--you have relaxed hands and be able to play this all day long. If you can't, you need to see a teacher for a few lessons at a minimum, to fix your technique.
If you have any aspirations of playing piano well, this book is the place to start, and you'll be playing from it all your life . . . so just jump in and buy it!
Building the fundamentals 2008-06-13
This book takes the budding pianist through exercise to strengthen fingers and build up agility and coordination. The exercises can be quite melodic themselves, especially as one builds up speed using increasingly fast settings on a metronome.
While repetitive and bound to drive your closest nuts, it is the best way to achieve a solid foundation as a piano player.
Good book 2008-05-27
I'm just learning play piano, this exercises are very good to develop agility and strength in both hands.
Done a 180 on this book 2008-04-11
I used this book in grade school when I took piano lessons and HATED it with a passion. Some decades later, I'm picking up the piano again, and my weak fingers made me think about these exercises. I acquired the book, and have been working through the exercises again, and over just the space of 6 weeks have noticed dramatic improvement. It's taken a while because I don't practice every day, or for the same length of time. Just for giggles I've tried playing the first exercise a couple times at the fast end of the recommended metronome speed (60-108). At first I just couldn't do it. Now I can get through about half of it at top speed, and I can play the first two exercises with quality at 80. I find that by practicing the exercises first without the metronome, then with at the low end, then slowly increasing the speed, that I get a real sense of accomplishment and progress in smaller doses, which is very satisfying and motivating to work on the longer term goals of learning whole pieces of music.
