Hanon exercise 2 — fingering and practice
- Part I
- 2/4
- 60–108 BPM
About this exercise
Hanon exercise 2 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 G5, and 14 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 D5 C5 D5 E5 in the right hand.
Right-hand fingering in the first bar: 1 2 5 4 3 4 3 2. Left hand: 5 3 1 2 3 – 3 4. 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 1, 2: once each one is secure, play them one after another without stopping.
Fingering, first bar
| Note | C3 | E3 | A3 | G3 | F3 | G3 | F3 | E3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Left hand | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | – | 3 | 4 |
What it trains
After C–E with fingers 1-2, the right hand opens a fourth from E to A (finger 2 to 5) and then rocks 4-3-4-3 between G and F. That rocking pair is the point of the exercise: the third and fourth fingers share a tendon and like to move together.
Common mistakes
- The 4-3-4-3 group goes uneven, with finger 4 late or quieter than 3.
- Finger 5 lands with an accent after the jump from 2.
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. Practise only G–F–G–F with 4-3-4-3 for a few seconds at a time, then put it back into the bar.
Questions and answers
What does Hanon exercise 2 train?
It trains a jump from finger 2 to 5, then 4-3-4-3 for the third and fourth fingers.
What is the fingering for Hanon exercise 2?
In the first bar the right hand plays 1 2 5 4 3 4 3 2 and the left hand 5 3 1 2 3 – 3 4. The same fingers repeat in every bar of the climb.