Trills 101

Hi Alan and friends, Which chapters in alan's books will help me most with trills? Also, what is the most efficient finger motion for trilling? Is this the same for all fingers (eg the tricky ones like 3-4)? I read elsewhere on the site that rotation is only usable in slower trills as at faster tempi it inhibits movement. Presumably it is better then to avoid it altogether in slow trills too, so as to keep it out of our habitual movements... Thoughts? Some basic exercises to get me started would be much appreciated

Hi Alan and friends, Which chapters in alan's books will help me most with trills? Also, what is the most efficient finger motion for trilling? Is this the same for all fingers (eg the tricky ones like 3-4)? On the occasions I've seen Alan teach lessons involving trills he's tailored the approach both to the individual and the musical situation. It's difficult to say without knowing how you trill at the moment. I'll try to convey some generalities, though. One of the foci of the lessons I've seen is the involvement of the arms - not in a rotational sense, but in how they support the work of the fingers. I've seen Alan have a person move their arm forwards and up or backwards and down through the notes of the trill - starting with two notes (e.g. C, D, then the reverse D, C), then moving onto three notes and increasing the number once each previous amount is comfortable to execute. This practise stops the arm from crushing down on to the fingers, which are then able to operate as free levers. Presumably it is better then to avoid it altogether in slow trills too, so as to keep it out of our habitual movements... Thoughts? I used to think this for another aspect of playing (swivelling the wrist). I took it to such an extreme that I effectively killed off that motion and replaced it completely with rotation. Of course, that made certain parts of music impossible to execute because the choice of movement was not there - there could be no balance of different movements. So I would be very cautious about excluding one type of movement completely. With regards to finger action, it's worth considering how efficiently you can move the key - does it feel easy. I'm sure a whole range of movements can achieve this as long as the balance of work between different parts is there. I found it much easier to move the key after working with Andrew's idea of finger extension for a few weeks. This post explains it well:

Hi Alan and friends, Which chapters in alan's books will help me most with trills? Also, what is the most efficient finger motion for trilling? Is this the same for all fingers (eg the tricky ones like 3-4)? I read elsewhere on the site that rotation is only usable in slower trills as at faster tempi it inhibits movement. Presumably it is better then to avoid it altogether in slow trills too, so as to keep it out of our habitual movements... Thoughts? Some basic exercises to get me started would be much appreciated Personally, I'd say that rotation does not inhbit movement (unless your mindset is to rotate INSTEAD of moving the fingers). It's more the case that inhibiting rotation will inhibit free finger movement. Even the most finger based approaches require freedoms, which are most easily acquired by involving a gentle rocking- that complements rather than replaces finger movements. From there, the fingers can take over- but it's almost always a bad thing to intend to avoid rotation . Just let it begin to fall to the wayside. As soon as you start trying to prevent it, the efforts involved in doing so will hinder the finger movements. The most common mistake is to think that rotation can replace finger motions, but it's as big a mistake to think that rotation should be consciously be prevented from playing any role whatsoever.

For effective trills the finger and key needs to become one, joined as Siamese twins and the finger as weightless as the key. It's got nothing to do with rotation. AFF

... well, nothing...

Great image - but how do I do it? Thanks Tom

You know, I don't even know if I've ever written about that... But you'll find something about it in "Feather Touch" from the first book, and something about following the key back up from my third book... I think... maybe... and if you try "playing on the escapements" from Book II that might get you closer to it... Good luck! AFF