Hanon exercise 29 — fingering and practice
- Part II
- 4/4
- 60–108 BPM
About this exercise
Hanon exercise 29 is in Part II of The Virtuoso Pianist, in 4/4. 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 F5 G5 E5 F5 E5 F5 D5 E5 D5 E5 C5 D5 E5 D5 E5 in the right hand.
Right-hand fingering in the first bar: 1 2 1 3 2 3 2 4 3 – 3 – 4 5 – –. Left hand: 5 4 5 3 4 3 4 2 3 – 3 – 2 1 – –. 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 29, 30: once each one is secure, play them one after another without stopping.
Fingering, first bar
| Note | C3 | D3 | C3 | E3 | D3 | E3 | D3 | F3 | E3 | F3 | E3 | G3 | F3 | G3 | F3 | G3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | – | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | – |
| Left hand | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | – | 3 | – | 2 | 1 | – | – |
What it trains
The bar climbs in small trills: C–D–C, then E–D–E–D, F–E–F–E and G–F–G–F–G, played by 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5. Every pair of neighbouring fingers trills in turn within one bar.
Common mistakes
- The trills on 3-4 and 4-5 are slower than the one on 1-2.
- The change from one pair to the next makes a hiccup.
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 each pair alone for a bar, then link them; the weak pairs need the extra time.
Questions and answers
What does Hanon exercise 29 train?
It trains a trill on each pair of neighbouring fingers in turn, from 1-2 to 4-5.
What is the fingering for Hanon exercise 29?
In the first bar the right hand plays 1 2 1 3 2 3 2 4 3 – 3 – 4 5 – – and the left hand 5 4 5 3 4 3 4 2 3 – 3 – 2 1 – –. The same fingers repeat in every bar of the climb.