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A clearly-presented book about scales, chords and arpeggios. One of the two scale books I recommend to my students.
This is the other scale book I like to recommend. It includes fingering for scales, arpeggios and cadences.
This is similar to the “Complete Book of Scales” by Alfred, but aimed more toward elementary pianists.
As Beethoven’s student and Liszt’s teacher, Czerny played an important role in the piano pedagogy of the 18th and 19th centuries. Czerny was a prolific composer: he wrote many useful exercises and studies for pianists of all skill levels. It’s possible to download his music for free from the internet, but I like these Alfred editions that have good editorial fingering, suggested tempo markings, and historical and pedagogical notes.
These books are arranged in approximate order of difficulty.
Elementary. Contains 100 exercises in progressive order of difficulty.
Late Intermediate. Consists of four books of ten exercises. Each exercises is a stand-alone musical composition that focuses on developing the ability to play fluid passagework.
Advanced. A collection of Czerny studies selected from different opus numbers, arranged in progressive order of difficulty.
Advanced. Contains 30 exercises, focusing on finger independence, scale patterns, repeated notes, grace notes, arpeggios, alternating hands, and more.
A good edition of one of the most famous exercise books for piano ever written. Contains the Hanon exercises as well as scale fingering for all major and minor keys.
A valuable resource for upper intermediate students or advanced students who need review. The first part has exercises for scales, arpeggios, and chords. The second part uses exercises excerpted from technique books to focus on specific skills, such as speed and agility, trills, and double notes.
Early Intermediate. Friedrich Burgmüller (1806-1874) was a highly-regarded German pianist and composer. He composed many studies for piano; this is one of his most famous collections. It consists of piano pieces designed to teach specific technical and musical skills, arranged in order of difficulty.
This well-edited series of three books consists of exercises from Burgmüller, Czerny and Hanon. Each book is organized into four parts, each focusing on a group of skills.
Book 1: Balance, articulation, double thirds, clarity
Book 2: Triplets, double notes, repeated notes, crossing hands
Book 3: Finger independence, broken chords, voicing double notes, broken octaves
Josef Pischna (1826-1896) was a Czech pianist and composer. He composed this book of 60 studies when he was a professor of music in Moscow.
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor. He wrote this collection of finger exercises for advanced pianists. Click here to check out my playlist of tutorials I made on some of my favorite exercises from this book.
Fundamentals of Piano Technique – The Russian Method: Newly Revised by James & Susan McKeever
Leon Conus (1871-1944) was a Russian pianist, composer, and educator. He composed these exercises for his students, and they have become widely known.
Rafael Joseffy (1852-1915) was a Hungarian pianist, composer and educator. He wrote these highly-regarded exercises for his students.
51 Exercises for Piano (Brahms)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) composed these finger exercises to help pianists develop their technique and prepare to play more challenging works. Edited by Maurice Hinson, this is an excellent edition of this popular collection.
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