Approaching Trills

[tac-tics]

I'm having troubles learning the trills in the Bach 2part inventions. They completely throw off my timing and I tend to get hung up on making them sound right. Would it be obscene to ignore the trills entirely until I master the song hangs together first? I tried this with Invetion 15, and it made learning it much easier, but I have the feeling I will never bother to go back and learn the trills.

What is everyone's opinion on this?

[kony]

personally, if i found a trill threw my timing, then i'd just ignore it till ive really got the pulse and feel of the piece, which is usually after learning all the notes to a short piece like the invention.

[pianochild]

I dont see a pooblem with missing out trills. they are just decoration ( but do add charactor) In a piece like a chopin waltz, say minute op 64, you cannot really miss the trills, as its part of the piece. But a perfect example is the inventions. Miss them i say if it is going to affect the timing then miss it. most of them are quaver or seniquaver trills, which wont make much effect missing them! Have you done no 1, my favourite!

[tac-tics]

I dont see a pooblem with missing out trills. they are just decoration ( but do add charactor) In a piece like a chopin waltz, say minute op 64, you cannot really miss the trills, as its part of the piece. But a perfect example is the inventions. Miss them i say if it is going to affect the timing then miss it. most of them are quaver or seniquaver trills, which wont make much effect missing them! Have you done no 1, my favourite!

Thanks. I have done 1, 4, 8, 10, and 15 (in that order). However, I neglected #6 and have since forgotten it (I really don't care for that one), and I find I am starting to forget parts of #1.

However, despite having learned a third of the inventions, I still have no idea on how to go about learning them However, I plan to take lessons at school (hopefully) next semester.

[bernhard]

Thanks. I have done 1, 4, 8, 6, and 15 (in that order). However, I neglected #6 and have since forgotten it (I really don't care for that one), and I find I am starting to forget parts of #1.

However, despite having learned a third of the inventions, I still have no idea on how to go about learning them However, I plan to take lessons at school (hopefully) next semester.

I will join the chorus and say yes, forget about the ornaments. Add them later once you have the piece firmly under your belt.


To add the ornaments later, donīt think of them as ornaments to start with: consider them as part of the melodic line. Learn the ornament separately, then add one note before and after the ornament, then add tow notes before and after the ornament and so on until you have the whole passage where the ornament occurs nicely streamlined. Then you can start to think of it as an ornament.

In my experience, most students do not have a problem with the ornament, but with the notes right after the ornament, so this is what you really want to practise: the joints.

As for learning inventions, have a look here for a possibility:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2714.msg23310.html#msg23310
(how to teach invention no. 1)

And these threads may interest you as well:

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7857.msg78912.html#msg78912
(ornamentation and inventions – general discussion on ornamentation)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,8015.msg81149.html#msg81149
(ornamentation of invention no. 1)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.