Beethoven's Emperor Concerto

[mcgillcomposer]

Hey everyone,

I need some advice on how to convincingly play the trill in the opening theme of the third movement. It always comes across as a sort of smudge when I play it. In all honesty, I never really worked very hard on the opening, so I learned it quite superficially. Do you think some intense practice would be enough, or is there a specific techincal issue I should be aware of?

Thanks very much.

- Drew

[prongated]

I use 3-5 and I don't hold down the F after I play it with my 2nd finger

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,24050.msg289063.html#msg289063

...can you distinguish but?

[pianistimo]

i've never played the emperor - so maybe prongated knows why he would use 535 instead of 5232323.  i cannot trill very well between 3 and 5.  some people can.  my pinky is short.   it would be unbearably awkward for me - and 523 23 23 much more even. 

trills can be practiced in groups of 2, 3, 4  and so on.  some prefer to stick with three so the trill is even.  not sure what this one calls for -but i'd imagine some evenness with maybe a thrill on the main down beat so that you don't forget how many you've done.

[amelialw]

I've never played it before..my teacher almost gave me this concerto but I picked Schumann instead. I would use the fingering 5232323...

[prongated]

...I still hold down the D with my thumb...you are meant to hold down both D and F while trilling...in any case I don't want to cheat too much

...and I think I do 4 notes per quaver.

[jlh]

I don't have the score handy, but I would guess the difference might be similar to the 2nd piano in prongated's video... lol

Seems it would be hard to keep the D down when doing 232323...

[mcgillcomposer]

Wow, thanks for the answers. I should have made a post indicating that I'd already solved the problem. It's all about the initial impulse...the fingers seem to automatically do the rest (for me at least). Thanks again!

[ramseytheii]

Hey everyone,

I need some advice on how to convincingly play the trill in the opening theme of the third movement. It always comes across as a sort of smudge when I play it. In all honesty, I never really worked very hard on the opening, so I learned it quite superficially. Do you think some intense practice would be enough, or is there a specific techincal issue I should be aware of?

Thanks very much.

- Drew

I think it is not necessary to hold on to the chord with your fingers.  But if you wish too, and many do, and I think that is a noble pursuit, you have to make sure to place a well-timed caesura before the trill.  The hand action has to start over, put an accent on the first note, and play the other notes lighter.

Walter Ramsey