Become a piano virtuoso with Charles-Louis Hanon

The Virtuoso Pianist 

Born in 1819 in Renescure, a small village in northern France, Charles-Louis Hanon was a French composer and piano pedagogue, world-renowned by pianists of all levels for his work that helped to transform piano practice, and still remains influential to this day. Hanon’s own musical journey began with learning to play the organ and working as an organist. As a young man, Hanon’s experience in the music community of Boulogne-sur-Mer helped shape who he'd become as both a musician and composer.As a piano teacher in 19th-century France, Charles-Louis Hanon wanted to create a practical method that could help students build strong technical foundations at the piano. His most famous and enduring works are his collection of piano exercises, The Virtuoso Pianist, published in 1873. 

The 60 exercises in this collection were designed to improve finger strength, coordination, agility, and control through simple repeating patterns. The Virtuoso Pianist is split into three sections, each progressing in difficulty, moving from beginner-friendly foundational technique to more advanced challenges. The split is as follows:

1. Foundational exercises for finger independence and strength

2. Advanced technical studies for scales, arpeggios, and velocity

3. Virtuoso-level exercises for endurance and complexity

Of the exercises themselves, the first five remain especially popular with piano beginners as they introduce essential piano playing skills in a clear and easily understandable way. You can play those first five exercises yourself in the ROLI Learn app.

Combining classical practice with modern methods

Hanon first developed exercises more than 150 years ago, each exercise used to hone in on a pianist's technical skill. In that time, while his methods and exercises have still been used in practice regimes all over the world, their efficacy has been called into question, with some criticising the Hanon exercises for focusing solely on the mechanical movement of the hands as opposed to the musicality of piano playing.

Times have changed, and so have the options we as modern piano players have to learn and play piano, much more than students in 19th-century France. Following less traditional routes, many of us are self-taught through piano learning apps or video tutorials rather than conservatories. Yet the core principles behind Hanon’s exercises continue to resonate because they are built around foundational physical skills that remain relevant within piano playing. 

With the ROLI Piano System, using Airwave’s high-precision cameras that track each joint in each finger, as well as a library of 1,100+ songs, you can take Hanon’s exercises to new heights by practicing piano in five dimensions aimed at perfecting your rhythmic, postural, precision, dynamic, and harmonic capabilities, but keeping things fun and musical by learning along to the songs you love. So while Hanon’s exercises may provide a great starting point, learners can take this one step further with light-guided practice and real-time feedback from ROLI Piano and Airwave, making what could be a tedious technical practice feel more fun and interactive. 

Plus, with AI Music Coach, you’re not left playing through these exercises on your own either. Just like having a personal practice partner by your side, Music Coach can give you a hand with Hanon’s pieces, giving you real-time feedback and letting you get the most out of the exercises in a much more engaging way for real, meaningful progress.

Learn more about the ROLI Piano System