Hanon exercise 30 — fingering and practice
- Part II
- 4/4
- 60–108 BPM
About this exercise
Hanon exercise 30 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 13 bars bring it back down. The left hand plays the same notes an octave lower. The way down is the climbing figure turned upside down.
Right-hand fingering in the first bar: 1 2 – – – – 1 2 5 4 – – – – 5 3. Left hand: 5 4 – – – – 5 3 1 2 – – – – 1 3. 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 | D3 | C3 | D3 | C3 | E3 | A3 | G3 | A3 | G3 | A3 | G3 | A3 | F3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 5 | 3 |
| Left hand | 5 | 4 | – | – | – | – | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 3 |
What it trains
The bar opens with C–D–C–D–C–D–C (1-2), the strongest pair, steps to E with finger 2, jumps up to A and trills A–G–A–G–A–G–A with 5-4, the weakest pair, before ending on F with finger 3.
Common mistakes
- The 5-4 trill is slower or quieter than the 1-2 trill.
- The jump from E to A breaks the pulse.
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. Match the 5-4 trill to the 1-2 trill: play them one after the other and compare.
Questions and answers
What does Hanon exercise 30 train?
It trains a 1-2 trill and a 5-4 trill in the same bar.
What is the fingering for Hanon exercise 30?
In the first bar the right hand plays 1 2 – – – – 1 2 5 4 – – – – 5 3 and the left hand 5 4 – – – – 5 3 1 2 – – – – 1 3. The same fingers repeat in every bar of the climb.