Hanon not symmetric

On some of the Hanon exercises, the left hand ascending is different from the right hand descending, and vice versa. For example, on #2: the right starts 1, then skips one to 2, then skips two to 5; on the way down the left hand starts 1, then skips two to 3, then skips one to 5. Is there a reason for this? Is Hanon trying to strengthen different muscles on the left and right hands? Dan in Philly

Dan, I was initially confused by this as well. I believe the point is to strengthen the fingers equally with these exercises. When you are going up in #2 you notice how your middle finger has a short distance to go, going down you need to strecth a bit and vice versa. The first few times that I did this exercise I was all over the map coming down, but once you study it a bit and play it over and over it becomes automatic. Now I try to do it with my eyes closed and try to hear and feel what I am doing.

My fingers are so week right now I can barely type! I did exercise #1 and #2 five times at various clicks from 77 - 120. Then I also praticed double handed F scales.

I think I am going to be able to lift major weights after a few weeks of these exercises.

Good Luck!

No, the Hanon exercises are indeed asymmetric.

For example, the left hand in Exercise #2 ascends with fingers 5-3-1; the right hand descends with 5-2-1. In #13, the ascending right hand ends the measure with a rising 3-4-5 but the descending left hand ends with a rising 5-3-2 when it _should_ end with a falling 3-4-5; the left 4-finger, typically the weakest finger of all and in need of the most conditioning, plays only once in each measure