I normally avoid Hanon, it set me back several years because I practiced these exercises with my fingers. However, I noticed that you played them using arm weight and wrist rotation (and kept the fingers in their natural positions after every stretch). Anyone suggesting playing exercises like Hanon should make it clear that it's NOT about developing the "strength" or "power' of the fingers, but about improving the comfort and speed of the wrist movements, finger positioning and arm "panning". (I would still rather advise choosing passages from various pieces of music that you are learning and turning those into exercises instead. Many passages from Bach's preludes and fugues are good - and fun - exercises in their own right. And Chopin's pieces nearly always fit just right in the hand, with comfortable leaps for the arm movements.)
This is a great comment - I totally agree with your assessment. Hanon should be approached as an exercise for practicing wrist/forearm rotation. Thanks so much for leaving this!
![Don't play HANON before watching THIS [Piano Exercises Demystified]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/76gVBrwNx08/mqdefault.jpg)
I normally avoid Hanon, it set me back several years because I practiced these exercises with my fingers. However, I noticed that you played them using arm weight and wrist rotation (and kept the fingers in their natural positions after every stretch). Anyone suggesting playing exercises like Hanon should make it clear that it's NOT about developing the "strength" or "power' of the fingers, but about improving the comfort and speed of the wrist movements, finger positioning and arm "panning".
(I would still rather advise choosing passages from various pieces of music that you are learning and turning those into exercises instead. Many passages from Bach's preludes and fugues are good - and fun - exercises in their own right. And Chopin's pieces nearly always fit just right in the hand, with comfortable leaps for the arm movements.)
This is a great comment - I totally agree with your assessment. Hanon should be approached as an exercise for practicing wrist/forearm rotation. Thanks so much for leaving this!
You are an absolute brilliant teacher Mr. Hoffman.
Do you do 2 octaves
?????