Charles-Louis Hanon

The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises

With this newly-edited, complete edition of the essential book of practice exercises, The Virtuoso Pianist In Sixty Exercises is intended to help pianists acquire essential technical and practical skills. The music and text have been updated with a sleek, modern design and the Download Card features audio demonstrations of every exercise.

When Charles Hanon first published these sixty exercises in 1873, he intended for the common problems of young pianists to be remedied by the practising of these pieces. Problems like crossing the thumb, the strength of the fourth and fifth fingers, and the difference in right and left hand skill were all common, and still are today. The book itself, however, became dated, making this new and revised edition necessary. Updated with a beautiful and modern new design, these practice pieces are a joy to play, and the included Download Card lets you hear them first, so that you can play them exactly as they should be played.

The method involves scales, broken chords and other exercises, split into three sections, 'Preparatory', 'Transcendent' and 'Virtuoso'. Throughout, descriptions help the student to better prepare themselves, while recommended metronome ranges suggest tempos that the student can steadily increase.

The Hanon Exercises have been praised and criticised over the years, but with a sensible practice regime and their incorporation into a more musical and fun schedule, some fantastic results can be gained very quickly. For over a century, these Hanon Exercises have been testing amateur and professional pianists, helping them to work on common problems faced by all. With this updated version of the complete Virtuoso Pianist In Sixty Exercises, you can aim to acquire the agility, strength and suppleness that Hanon intended, but with a clean and modern looking design and the innovative, easy-to-use Download Card.