Hanon exercise 24 — fingering and practice
- Part II
- 4/4
- 60–108 BPM
About this exercise
Hanon exercise 24 is in Part II of The Virtuoso Pianist, in 4/4. The right hand starts on E3; 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: E5 G5 F5 G5 E5 G5 F5 G5 E5 G5 F5 G5 B4 D5 C5 E5 in the right hand.
Right-hand fingering in the first bar: 3 2 3 1 3 – – – 3 – – – 5 3 4 2. Left hand: 3 4 3 5 3 – – – 3 – – – 1 3 2 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 23, 24: once each one is secure, play them one after another without stopping.
Fingering, first bar
| Note | E3 | D3 | E3 | C3 | E3 | D3 | E3 | C3 | E3 | D3 | E3 | C3 | A3 | F3 | G3 | E3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Left hand | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
What it trains
The right hand starts with finger 3 on C and plays C–B–C–A three times (3-2-3-1): the third finger keeps coming back to C while 2 and 1 take the notes below. The bar ends F–D–E–C with 5-3-4-2. The way down is a different figure.
Common mistakes
- The thumb on A is accented every time.
- Finger 3 tires and the repeated C gets uneven.
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. Feel the repeated C as the centre of the hand; the other fingers lean around it.
Questions and answers
What does Hanon exercise 24 train?
It trains the third finger as a pivot on C, with fingers 2 and 1 below it.
What is the fingering for Hanon exercise 24?
In the first bar the right hand plays 3 2 3 1 3 – – – 3 – – – 5 3 4 2 and the left hand 3 4 3 5 3 – – – 3 – – – 1 3 2 4. The same fingers repeat in every bar of the climb.