Essential Finger Exercises by Ernst von Dohnányi: How Essential Are They?

Ernst von Dohnányi in 1905 (Donwloaded from http://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02185/html/539.html)

Many pianists have their warm up routine composed of scales and arpeggios and a handful of exercises like those from Hanon, Czerny, and Clementi. These exercises help develop and maintain technique so as to keep one’s piano playing on point. On the concert stage, the etudes of Moszkowski and Chopin provide great musical and pedagogical value all at once. Along the way however comes a set of exercises that claims to provide every possible technical exercise in the book as to fully develop technique and save time so as to focus more on learning and reviewing repertoire; this set is known as the Essential Finger Exercises by Hungarian composer, pianist, and pedagogue, Ernst von Dohnányi.

Two years ago, my professor decided to give me a new set of exercises to help keep my technique in order as I was starting my masters. She gave me some of Clementi’s Gradus ad Parnassum and the first exercises from the Essential Finger Exercises. While Clementi focuses on a clear and crisp way of playing, Dohnányi focused on power and independence of the fingers. The first exercise alone —considered to be among the easiest— was NOT easy. It required pressing and holding certain fingers while performing trills on the weakest fingers. It scared me off for the meantime until I decided to grab my own copy of the exercises and fully devote myself to learning all of them. Dohnányi organizes his forty exercises into three parts:

1. Exercises for the independence and the strengthening of the fingers

2. Scales and chords

3. Double notes

The rationale in these exercises is to be able to warm up quickly and simplify all known technical difficulties as to be able to spend more time to learn and review pieces. He believed that so much time was wasted practicing exercises that were redundant or unnecessary —even going far in saying that save for the exercises of Clementi, Cramer, or Bertini, everything else is superfluous. Another thing he emphasizes is the importance of practicing through the fingers with the brain (The words in italics come from the preface of the exercises.). Mindless practicing is by no means acceptable —especially when the exercises are so shortened and concise. A warning is given to do these exercises hands separately with a strong attack before doing them together; the forty exercises must be also done piano in a faster tempo for contrast. When fatigue steps in, rest must come into place as these exercises are also dangerous when not done correctly. The most important thing in doing these is to learn to relax and release tension. Overall observance of body posture is important as well in maximizing the benefits of these exercises.

To make things clear, I do not suggest doing all forty in one warm up session out of practicality and consideration to stamina. My warm up regimen usually lasts 30 minutes, devoting 10 minutes per part and choosing selected exercises necessary to what the pianist needs when learning or reviewing repertoire. Listed below is how I would warm up using these exercises —these can change every day as to add variety:

1. Exercises for the independence and the strengthening of the fingers

   1. No. 9 and 11 focusing on diminished chords and playing certain notes while holding others.

   2. No. 14 focuses on finger crossings both diatonically and chromatically.

   3. No. 17 focuses on repeated chords and 17a focuses on the broken chord tremolos.

2. Scales and Chords

   1. No. 21 focuses on scales and arpegggios in contrary motion played in one continuous sweep.

   2. No. 23 focuses on scales with hands crossed above or below.

   3. No. 24 focuses on chords and its variants do broken chords and alberti bass —both descending and ascending.

3. Double notes

   1. No. 26 focuses on turns in thirds which can also be broken.

   2. No. 30 focuses on playing fourths chromatically with one hand playing perfect fourths and another in diminished fourths.

   3. No. 32 focuses on trills in sixths which can also be broken

After doing this regimen religiously, I can say my technique has improved tremendously and my approach to learning new pieces has taken a much more cerebral approach as I become more aware of how my hands, wrists, and arms are positioned when playing. Do I believe that all my other exercise books are worthless? Certainly not. Exercises like Hanon still provide great value to pianists —especially for those who cannot do Dohnányi’s exercises just yet. He notes that his exercises are not for beginners but for advanced pianists in order to maintain their technique. Under no circumstances must I treat these exercises like they are the best ones out there —they were made for practical reasons yet challenging and rewarding overall. Dohnányi knew what he was doing with these and one can hear the product of this by going through his recordings and listening to the sound he was able to produce.