Virtuosic trills

[BuyBuy]

In some pieces (like in the Lassan of Liszt 2nd hungarian rapsody, or in Rachmaninov 2nd conerto, I think), you have two notes to be repeated as a trill (let's say, for example, G and A).

When you hear it performed, it's played extremely fast (more than you can do with a 2nd and 3rd finger same hand trill), and usually, the score says to play the notes with two hands, alternating fingers (4-3-2-1 for G left hand, and 4-3-2-1 for A right hand).

I was never able to play that this way. I don't know if I'm suppose to have an excellent technique of repeated notes for both hands. It sounds extremely fast and difficult to me. Anyone does that OK ? How can practice it ?

[Beethoven87]

Well, at a point in the Rhadsodie, it's (I do, at least), left hand thumb and right hand thumb alternating, then left thumb and an octave in the right...  so, I basially use just like both thumbs or soemthing and alternate them... works pretty damn well, but difficult to do quietly...

[jlh]

For most long 2 note trills, like G and A, for example, you can play fingers 1 and 3 in one hand faster than fingers 2 and 3 because you can use the motion of the entire hand instead of just the fingers.  

[BuyBuy]

No, I don't think you guys understand what I mean. Maybe I didn't express myself right.

The score says to play G with alternate fingers (4-3-2-1-4-3-2-1...) and A too (4-3-2-1-4-3-2-1...), but A and G are not to be played together, but one after another. So it should sound as a trill, but very fast and staccato (because of the repeated action on the notes).

Anyone knows what I'm talking about ?

[willster]

In some pieces (like in the Lassan of Liszt 2nd hungarian rapsody, or in Rachmaninov 2nd conerto, I think),

I think you are talking about the Quasi cadenza section in the lassan - which is actually 3-2-1 in both hands. This is a technique you have to get to learn if you want to play this piece as it is riddled with note repitition.

As for the second concerto opus 18 this technique is not used once. Maybe you mean the last movement of the 3rd?...

Willster