The Virtuoso Pianist: Piano Studies

Hanon's exercises remain the gold standard for building finger strength and evenness because they isolate exactly what needs fixing without distracting musical content. Teachers return to these sixty exercises across decades of student progress because they work, predictably, efficiently, and with measurable results that students can feel in real time.

These exercises feel mechanical at first, almost clinical in their repetitive patterns, yet they gradually transform into flowing finger work that feels effortless. What begins as conscious struggle becomes unconscious facility, exactly what Hanon designed them to accomplish.

Piano students at the early-intermediate through advanced levels who need systematic work on finger independence, evenness, and agility. Teachers seeking a time-tested, efficient tool for addressing technical gaps without abandoning musical development will find this Edition Peters version, with its supplementary exercises, both comprehensive and practical.

• Start slowly enough that every note speaks with equal weight and tone. Speed comes naturally once the fingers move independently; rushing destroys the entire pedagogical purpose.
• Cycle through different exercises in a single practice session rather than drilling one study to completion. This prevents fatigue and keeps the mind engaged across various technical patterns.
• Rotate between hands-separate and hands-together work. Many students benefit from isolating the right hand first, then the left, before combining them at tempo.
• Alternate between these exercises and repertoire the student is learning concurrently. Hanon studies strengthen the foundation while pieces apply those skills to actual music.

Assign these as a complement to the core repertoire a student is preparing for recital or examination. The supplementary exercises in this Peters edition allow you to scaffold difficulty across a term, introducing new technical challenges that support what students are learning in pieces simultaneously.

• Independent finger articulation and control
• Evenness and consistency across all five fingers
• Wrist flexibility and rotation
• Building speed and agility without tension
• Hand strength and endurance
• Sight-reading fluency through systematic patterns