Today’s post is about increasing your speed, accuracy, independence, and coordination on the piano.

I took this clip straight from our “Hanon by Ear” course. What’s so different about this method is that it teaches you the century old Hanon techniques without having to read sheet music.

So here’s an 8-minute video that teaches you the first hanon exercise (he actually created 60 exercises way back in the 1800s… here’s the first one). Trust me, if you master this one right here, you’ll notice a rapid increase in speed and coordination.

What are Hanon Exercises?

They are exercises specifically designed to train the pianist in speed, precision, agility, independence, dexterity, and strength of all of the fingers (and wrist too!).

They were created in the late 1800s by Charles-Louis Hanon, thus the short name “Hanon exercises.”

They may come across as scales at first glance but are strategically designed to focus on certain fingers, depending on what exercise you’re on. Some focus on several fingers at once (like the pinky and ring finger, which are known to be the “weakest links”). And other exercises focus on other areas.

One thing is for sure… Once you’ve mastered each exercise at the maximum speed suggested, you’ll feel it and your piano playing will DEFINITELY show it!

Why they are so important to YOU…

Often times, when people practice, they are working on chords and progressions, and that is totally fine.

And outside of classical music, unless an “ear-musician” (someone who ONLY plays by ear) is exposed to exercises like this, they have no systematic way to get their fingers strong, independent and faster (…so they can play runs, licks, and scales with speed and precision).

Maybe they’ll practice scales but these can get boring and repetitive over time. The end result is that ear-musicians will usually warm up with a few scales but the bulk of the attention will be put elsewhere.

And this isn’t our fault!

1. Most ear-musicians have no idea what or who Hanon is… or his exercises!
2. Even if one is recommended Hanon by a friend (like I was several years ago), they must know how to read sheet music to play the exercises (or find a way to get them written out in letter format).
3. Then, if they find out how to play the exercises, they often times do them incorrectly and learn bad habits that have to be reversed later on (or worse, ignored).

By learning Hanon from a professional who is classically-trained but also understands the need for other types of musicians to be exposed to it, you get the best of both worlds!

Enjoy the clip and see ya next time!

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