Trill - tremolo

[drkilroy]

Hello,

next question about G. G.'s Rhapsody in Blue: how do you play something like that?



Thank you in advance.

Best regards, Dr

[49410enrique]

i'll take a gander at it /closer inspection when i get to the piano later, but upon my first look i'd handle it like a two handed trill so RH hits the Ab octave (Ab4 ->Ab 5) w fingers (1-5), then let the LH hit the A natural octave (A [nat]3->A[nat]4) w fingers (5-1), then just rapid fire between the two, give the a natural a bit more that seems like the more expressive tone so this will crate your harmonic tension at least that's what it looks like but i'd need to see the harmonies before and after and possibly a key siggy.

what we have here is your basic half step trill beefed up to the octaves and spaced out over an octave

where we are in the music (I dont' know the tempo here and I am not sure if you are working off the piano and orchestra original, the difficult original solo version that was transcribed mostly by a staff arranger w the original publisher at the time or the much better layed out Herman Wasserman version who was Gershwins piano teacher, which I am expecting soon and will try to learn this summer).

[drkilroy]

I am learning the piano and orchestra version (using the score for two pianos). This is the moment at the very end of the rhapsody; the third measure in the Molto allargando section.

So, it is just a tremolo involving Ab4-Ab5 octave in the right hand and A natural in the left hand? I thought that it might be a trill between Ab5 and B5 and tremolo between the aforementioned trill and A natural in the left hand, but it seemed a bit odd.

Thank you, I will try to look what people on videos play in this moment. I looked at my favourite video with Bernstein, but in this moment the camera is focused on the cymbal player.

Best regards, Dr