Octave Trill?

[RachOn]

Do you think anyone could trill two octaves (say a c octave to a b octave)? They'd have to use 4 and 5 in the top but I think they'd just have to move their thumb really quick in the bottom.... I wonder if its possible. Does anyone know of any pieces that demand that?

[Tash]

i'm thinking that'd be rather uncomfortable and i'd probably suck at it if there was a piece that had that

[ahmedito]

The original edition of the Brahms D minor piano concerto has double octave trills (in both hands).... of course, the only pianist I have ever seen that actually does them without cheating is Zimmerman.

[in_love_with_liszt]

Are you sure that it's a double octave trill? I thought it was an octave to the note above it trill (right hand ex. : C octave on 1&4 and the Db above the higher C on 5). I Practice these type of trills every day, I don't think a full double octave trill is practical. It might work if the first octave was on black keys and the second octave was on the whites because then you could slide you thumb somewhat....although then you run into a problem getting your thumb back up to the black octave....I just don't think it's practical.

[ahmedito]

It is a double octave trill, its completely impractical and near impossible to do (I dont imagine myself ever doing them except really slowly).... check the original 19th century editions of this concerto (or a reliable urtext source). Damn that Brahms... Damn that Zimmerman for actually being able to play them.

[in_love_with_liszt]

Ok I just tried it, and I think if you're hands are big enough and you really work at it you could get it going pretty fast. Although I have to say that pretty foolish of Brahms.

[ahmedito]

The first concerto was composed when he and Liszt were still close, so that might explain it.