Trills!

[flyinfingers]

I have been wanting to get a leg up on my trills for future pieces.  My new teacher (yes, No. 4) and she's awesome!  Finally, I found a teacher where we're on the same page and she is so passionate about music and so excited about our lessons as I am now.  I no longer dread pulling up to the house, but this time, I'm excited to go in!  No more negativity!

We're studying all of the important details that I've been looking for. I told her week one that I wanted to master trills.  She gave me a book that has been so helpful!  Just in three weeks my trills have improved.  The book is called "Thinking Fingers" by Guy Maier and Herbert Bradshaw.  It was copyrighted in 1948 and it's a great exercise book, for me at least.  Just wanted to share it for what its worth.  Happy trilling!

[piano_vs_science]

lucky... for some reason I can't do trills properly... how do you do them???

[j_menz]

lucky... for some reason I can't do trills properly... how do you do them???

You practice. 

[iratior]

If you really want trills, try the 8th fugue in Bach's Art of the Fugue.

[piano_vs_science]

what??? everything in piano is practice practice practice!!!
i give up!!!
i'm not saying anyone can become a virtuoso by PURE practice... maybe piano playing just isn't me ...


BUT I LOVE LISTENING TO PIANO MUSIC SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

[j_menz]

what??? everything in piano is practice practice practice!!!
i give up!!!

No, not everything in piano playing is practice. The very best bits aren't practice at all.

Of course, you can only get to do that by (yep, you guessed it) practice.

[ajspiano]

You practice. 

For me personally it was the concious desicion to stop over using my extensors..  but I only figured that out by playing a boatload of trills.

..*you practice with thought.

[stephenv]

one of the most effective ways I know to develop your ability to play trills well.....is using the exercises written by Guy Maier in which you use "impluse" practice.   

for example:  positon thumb and second finger of right hand on middle C and D  (1/2) 

at first do very slow and strong repetition:

c/d c/d   counts as ONE and UP...(notation is 4 sixteenth notes)   c,d c,d  counted as ONE impulse:

next  ( c/d c/d) (c/d c/d)    8 sixteenth notes.... this counts as two impluses.

next 
(c/d c/d) (c/d c/d) (c/d c/d)     12 sixteen notes....three impulses

next (c/d c/d)  (c/d c/d)  (c/d c/d)  (c/d c/d)  16 sixteenth notes....four impuses

Keep doing these additively.   First do the repetitions slowly, then followed by fast practice.

You will be amazed at the facility you can gain thru this approach.

[pjaul]

Often students are willing to practice, but they don't know what or how to practice.  So j-menz, what is effective practice in this case?

[j_menz]

Often students are willing to practice, but they don't know what or how to practice.  So j-menz, what is effective practice in this case?

The Maier approach mentioned by the OP and by stephenv looks about right, though I would add that different finger combinations should be included.  Most people will have a natural or preferred combination that will come without too much trouble. Use the feel of that to guide how the remaining combinations should feel.

My comment to piano_v_science reflected various posts by that person indicating they simply didn't spend time practicing anything but were still surprised by their lack of progress.