Czerny and Hanon was big/popular as studies until Chopin composed his Etudes which pretty much revolutionized the concept of a piano study. Who would bother with boring finger exercises anymore? Everything you could possibly learn in Hanon you will work and way way way more working on Chopin's etudes. Also the concept of what a virtuoso on the piano has changed dramatically since Czerny's time. Pieces have gotten a lot more difficult. So the title "The Virtuoso Pianist" became inappropriate after Chopin came along. Mozart doesn't have very many virtuosic passages when you compare to liszt, chopin, rachmaninoff, ect. You might think it's "going back to basics" like an athlete that goes back to very fundamental things but it don't think it really translates over to piano playing, scales and arpeggios would be those fundamentals to technique not Hanon.
Well Hanon was actualy written after Chopin's death I believe.Plus I think even Chopin himself was not against the idea of exercises. For instance he is known to have made students study Clementi's Gradus ad parnassum, one of the earliest exercise books for piano.I think Chopin etudes are a bit of a struggle for newcomers to the piano, which is why we have things like tehnical exercises. They're only boring imo if you don't play them with any musical thought.
My first teacher actually did make me do these exercises, around 1 per week. I didn't complete all the exercises but probably got to around #20. Did they help? Probably a bit. But I don't think they are going to make anyone a virtuoso. Do they have their place? Probably. But you have 500 posts on here, I haven't heard or seen your playing but I thought based on the way the question was worded that the OP (you) had enough experience where maybe there would be better places to spend your time.
For my students I wouldn't want to bore them with these. Kids these days got school and all these activities, and I'm already having them learn scales and arpeggios and basic theory ect along with repertoire. I think adding Hanon exercises to the mix is going to bore the average American student into quitting (ie if I was teaching a child in a strict Chinese family in China where there is a lot more devotion to music education, I might throw in the Hanon exercises) . They could have their place in improving technique and finger dexterity but for the typical student I think they have enough on their plate with time better spent elsewhere.
I don't really think these exercises could be considered "rudimentaries" like j_tour is calling them because there are phenomenal pianists who have never touched these particular exercises while I imagine a serious drummer however would need to have good grasp over drum rudiments https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_rudiment
Topic: Has anyone here actually COMPLETED all 3 of Hanon's exercise volumes? 