Hanon exercise 3 — fingering and practice
- Part I
- 2/4
- 60–108 BPM
About this exercise
Hanon exercise 3 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 E5 D5 C5 in the right hand.
Right-hand fingering in the first bar: 1 2 5 4 3 2 3 4. Left hand: 5 3 1 2 3 4 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 3, 4, 5: once each one is secure, play them one after another without stopping.
Fingering, first bar
| Note | C3 | E3 | A3 | G3 | F3 | E3 | F3 | G3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Left hand | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
What it trains
It starts like exercise 2 (C–E–A with 1-2-5), comes down 4-3-2 and turns back up 3-4 to finish on finger 4. The next bar starts with the thumb one step higher, so the whole hand moves at every bar line without a break in the sound.
Common mistakes
- A small gap or accent at the bar line when the thumb takes over from finger 4.
- The turn 2-3-4 at the end of the bar is rushed.
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. Slow down only the last two notes and the next first note until the bar line is invisible to the ear.
Questions and answers
What does Hanon exercise 3 train?
It trains the 2-to-5 jump of exercise 2, ending 2-3-4 so the hand must shift at every bar line.
What is the fingering for Hanon exercise 3?
In the first bar the right hand plays 1 2 5 4 3 2 3 4 and the left hand 5 3 1 2 3 4 3 2. The same fingers repeat in every bar of the climb.