Hanon exercise 17 — fingering and practice
- Part I
- 2/4
- 60–108 BPM
About this exercise
Hanon exercise 17 is in Part I of The Virtuoso Pianist, in 2/4. The right hand starts on C3; in 14 bars the figure climbs a step at a time up to A5, and 13 bars bring it back down. The left hand plays the same notes an octave lower. The way down uses its own figure, not the climbing one in reverse: G5 D5 B4 C5 A4 B4 C5 A4 in the right hand.
Right-hand fingering in the first bar: 1 2 4 3 5 4 3 4. Left hand: 5 4 2 3 1 2 3 2. Keep the same fingers in every bar of the climb; the way down has its own fingering, written on its first bar.
Hanon groups exercises 15, 16, 17: once each one is secure, play them one after another without stopping.
Fingering, first bar
| Note | C3 | E3 | A3 | G3 | B3 | A3 | G3 | A3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Left hand | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
What it trains
The figure spans a seventh (C–E–A–G–B–A–G–A with 1-2-4-3-5-4-3-4). Fingers 4 and 3 play out of order twice, and the hand has to stay open from C to B for the whole bar.
Common mistakes
- The hand closes after the first notes and has to reach again for B.
- Finger 3 and 4 swap in the wrong order at speed.
Tempo plan
Hanon asks for the metronome at 60 to begin with, raised gradually to 108. The player starts at 60; set the speed to 180% to play at 108.
A tempo ladder for this exercise: 60 → 72 → 84 → 96 → 108 BPM, moving up a step only after two clean runs. Before playing, place the hand over C–E–G–A–B so it knows the shape, then start.
Questions and answers
What does Hanon exercise 17 train?
It trains the widest Part I position below the octave: C to B, with 4 and 3 crossing.
What is the fingering for Hanon exercise 17?
In the first bar the right hand plays 1 2 4 3 5 4 3 4 and the left hand 5 4 2 3 1 2 3 2. The same fingers repeat in every bar of the climb.