TrillsTrills are a device used in flute music for effects or to spice up the music. Trills are rapid fluttering between two notes, most often one note to the note just higher, E to F, F to G, etc. The fingerings are usually quite easy, but some are a little trickier. You can consult a flute fingering chart--every good method book should have one. Easy trills are...E to F - rapidly move the right middle finger up and downF to G - rapidly move the right index finger up and down etc. - you get the idea Harder trills are D to E, for example. In this case, just move the right ring finger up and down, and keep the left index finger down. When played quickly, the listener doesn't notice the slight variation in the sound of the D. It's much smooth and picking up both these two fingers. As I mentioned earlier, every good method book should have a trill chart. Speed of trillsNot every trill should be played as fast as the flutist can wiggle their fingers. Nothing is worse than a bleating nanny goat in the middle of a cantabile passage.Take into account the style of the music. In slow pieces, particularly at the end of a phrase, just one or two trills are needed. Trills are frequently written in band music, sometimes measure after measure of trilling. Faster trilling is most often called for in this case. Which note to trillTrill notes should remain within the key of the piece. If the piece is in D Major, an E to F trill would actually be E to F-sharp.Trills are the most common of the ornaments written in music. Music written in the 17th and 18th centuries is full of baroque ornamentation and includes trills, mordents, appoggiaturas, and several more. Baroque performance practice is a study unto itself.
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