Beating Bachscholar to the Punch: Hanon 3-20 in Melodic Minor

[maxim3]

Beating Bachscholar to the punch: Hanon 1-20 in Melodic Minor

For those of you who haven't been following this thing, see the thread "I Cover the Hanonfront: Hanon in Minor." The only ESSENTIAL bit you need to read (or read again, as is clearly necessary for some of you slower understanders) is the 'reader filter' at the very beginning of the original post.

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=65715.0

Executive summary: Some time ago, Youtube piano pedagogue 'Bachscholar' announced a new textbook project, "The Well-Tempered Hanon: Hanon the way Bach would have done it." His plan is to put Hanon exercises 1 to 20 into parallel sixths and tenths, which has already been done by others of course, but also to put them into melodic minor, according to his best guess at how Bach would have done it. He demonstrates the first two Hanon exercises in major, plus his speculative melodic-minor Bach-like versions.

I was inspired by this to try creating my own melodic-minor versions after the plan Bachscholar seemed to be using. More details are in the "I Cover the Hanonfront" post mentioned above. I used my amateur, self-taught knowledge of Bach and Baroque music to make my best effort at creating melodic-minor versions of Hanon exercises 3 to 20, and I invite you to examine them. I have created PDF, MIDI, and uncompressed MusicXML versions of the whole lot.

Bachscholar plays (in his video) his versions of exercises 1 and 2 in C major, C minor, Db major, and C# minor. I have transposed everything into A minor for the sake of simplicity.

In order to avoid copyright-related squabbling, I have not included Bachscholar's versions of exercises 1 and 2, but only versions with no accidentals added. It will be a relatively simple matter for you to add his accidentals on your own, by listening to his playing. You will have to mentally (or otherwise) transpose from C and C# minor to A minor, but there is really not a lot of work to be done, as you will see.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Bachscholar, whatever you may think of him, is a fully trained pianist with a PhD to boot. I'm just a self-taught schmo who can barely plunk through Grade 2 repertoire. I fully expect that his versions, when they appear, will be superior to mine. Many of my own versions of the exercises strike me as very unsatisfactory, as I'm sure you will agree if you take the trouble to examine them.

I have provided PDF, MIDI, and MusicXML formats so that YOU can prove your superiority by creating better versions. Can you?
 
(Attached is a .jpg file which is in fact a .zip file. Rename from .jpg to .zip)

[georgey]

I have provided PDF, MIDI, and MusicXML formats so that YOU can prove your superiority by creating better versions. Can you?
 

No. I can't.

[maxim3]

Don't be so sure about that, until you've actually seen the junk I wrote = )

[georgey]

I know others pointed this out.  It takes about 22 minutes to play 1-20 at 108 Beats Per Minute in just C major.  Now play this in all 12 major and 12 minor keys and it takes (22*24)/60=almost 9 hours non-stop at this breakneck speed.  Play it all at a more realistic 60 BPM, it will take 18 hours non-stop.

Instead, why not do like Bach WTC: play #1 in C major, #2 in C minor, #3 in C# major, #4 in C# minor, etc and do the first 24 this way?  This is much more realistic.

If you don't like this, why not play each of the 15 2-part inventions in all keys - the major keyed ones play in all 12 major keys, the minor keyed ones play in all 12 minor keys for a total of 15*12=180 performances?  More practical: why not play just the 15 as written?  OR how about just the first 5 as written and go for quality?  More is not better.

[perfect_pitch]

If I can just get one answer - why are you obsessed with the Hanon exercises?

Have you looked at the Brahms exercises as well?

Also, do we need even MORE threads on bloody Hanon??? You've started at least 5 (by my last count)