Klarinet Archive - Posting 001390.txt from 1998/07

From: <Maestro645@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Trills, above or below?
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 01:01:16 -0400

In a message dated 7/30/98 8:58:29 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
LoriLovato@-----.com writes:

<< Don't mean to open a can of worms, but does anyone have a
relatively easy way of explaining to students when to begin a
trill on the note and when to begin above? I'm at a loss for
words, and that doesn't happen very often!
TIA! >>

Well, sometimes, if a grace note preceding the main note is shown, you know to
start on that note.
Then for baroque and classical music, (check the composer to find the period),
the trill is started from the note above. Most of the time, it's a whole step
above, unless the note is one in the key signature (for example, if you have
the key of F major, and you have a trilled A, you play Bb to A, instead of B
-A. Also, sometimes if you are to do to the contrary, an accidental will
appear above the trill sign, so you know what to do.).
In Late Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary, the trills start on the written
note, and go to the note above, the whole step or half step to be determined
by the rules above. But they can also go down a note too. Sometimes the
composer or editors will mark it, but you can also tell based on the shape of
the melody line.
Hope this helps!
Chris Hoffman

-------------------------------------------------------------------------