Hi, I have certain question about thrills. I have problem with making nice quick one-hand thrill, when second hand are playing other voice(s). Can anybody give me advice of practice to arch over this problem ?

I can't help, really - that's just one of those things I just try to make happen (it's difficult - you're talking about playing a left hand trill while also playing other voices with the left hand, right? - but I don't have any specific technique practice for doing it).

my solution: choose another piece!!

Glad to hear that you two couldn't help



One word: ALIGNMENT

Practice them slowly at first, making sure the trill is aligned with the beat and the other notes. It also helps to think "exactly what is this trill?". If you know how the trill goes, you can then work to coordinate (BTW, coordination is EVERYTHING in technique). Does the trill consist of sixteen notes played in two groups of eight or is it a transient one of three? Whatever the trill, it must be accurately executed to be aligned with everything else.

This a case for Hanon, take a look at exercise 46, sometimes this one can "wake up" the fingers. Just don't overdo it!

. . .

An important thing not to overlook: Be absolutely sure that the other voices are played perfectly in time. If the accompaniment is out of whack, trilling accurately is virtually impossible. The accomp. is the framework to a sound musical structure. The trills are decorations.

One more point...write out the offending trill! I cannot stress that enough. This will quantify the task, and knowing is half the battle!

Pete

Thanks a lot for an advice! l will post some bach in here, then

Go for it!

one thing that has helped me with trills is forearm rotation. slowly at first, with exaggerated motions...

I'm with Pete on this one.

It is too easy to see the diminutive "tr" annotation, play a clumsy grouping of notes, and continue stumbling along. You need to slow down and focus on that one area where the trill occurs. For me, it is usually a matter of repeating a 3-5 bar segment starting one or two measures before where the trill occurs and ending one or two measures after it, as it is not only important that you perfect the technique for the trill itself, but also the musical approach into and departure out of it.

In certain editions of pieces you will find specific suggested formations of the trill, frequently as footnotes. However, when such instructions are absent (which is most often the case), part of using the "tr" marking as opposed to actually writing out the notes is leaving the interpretation of the trill execution up to the performer.

In either case, you need to be 100% certain of what notes you are playing. Is it two sixteenths to each eighth? Three sixteenths? Four? Remember that musicality, not speed in itself, is the ultimate goal. Decide on a phrasing that is both technically achievable and expressively appropriate in the context of the piece as a whole. Start very slowly, at half of the full tempo or less. Every time you practice the trill, make very sure that you know exactly how many notes you want to play. Play hands separately. Play hands together. For technical purposes, practice putting the stress (accent) on different notes within the trill, and playing it with various rhythms. Be mindful of the movements of your hands, wrists and arms, with the aim of finding a comfortable, natural motion. Ultimately, you are working towards being able to execute your desired phrasing perfectly every time without any difficulty.

The key to effectively learning and consistently executing trills or any other musical phrase on the piano is conscientious, focused repetition. Avoid mindless repetition at all costs, as it will only result in the mastery of bad habits. Even after you feel sufficiently satisfied that you have mastered the difficult segment, slow it down every now and again to make sure it retains its precision and phrasing.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

-joe

Pete and Joed - I wish you had posted this helpful information a month ago. The Bach piece I'm practicing has two or three trills that never go the same twice for me. Sometimes, I even use different fingers. Up until today, I thought the piece was all right, and that I would mentally cross my fingers when I get those places and hope the trills go ok. But now I think it's 'back to the drawing board'.