Hanon exercise 27 — fingering and practice
- Part II
- 4/4
- 60–108 BPM
About this exercise
Hanon exercise 27 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: G5 F5 G5 E5 F5 E5 D5 C5 B4 C5 B4 C5 B4 C5 D5 E5 in the right hand.
Right-hand fingering in the first bar: 3 4 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 – – 5 4 3 2. Left hand: 3 2 4 3 5 4 3 2 1 2 – – 1 2 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 27, 28: once each one is secure, play them one after another without stopping.
Fingering, first bar
| Note | E3 | F3 | D3 | E3 | C3 | E3 | F3 | G3 | A3 | G3 | A3 | G3 | A3 | G3 | F3 | E3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | – | – | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Left hand | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | – | – | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
What it trains
After C–D–B–C–A (3-4-2-3-1), the hand runs up C–D–E–F with 2-3-4-5, then trills F–E–F–E–F–E with 5-4 before ending D–C with 3-2. The 4-5 trill is longer than in any earlier exercise.
Common mistakes
- The trill speeds up or slows down instead of keeping the sixteenths.
- The hand tightens during the trill and the following notes come out late.
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. Count the trill notes (six) so it stays in time instead of becoming a free trill.
Questions and answers
What does Hanon exercise 27 train?
It trains a long 4-5 trill in the middle of a 16-note bar.
What is the fingering for Hanon exercise 27?
In the first bar the right hand plays 3 4 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 – – 5 4 3 2 and the left hand 3 2 4 3 5 4 3 2 1 2 – – 1 2 3 4. The same fingers repeat in every bar of the climb.