trills

[bronxpiper]

Does anyone know of a source--print, video, whatever--for learning trills? Any leads would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Billy

[galbayman]

What do you mean by trills? I haven't heard any bagpipe embellishments referred to as trills, but I can think of a few that resemble them. Are you referring to edres, perhaps?

[bronxpiper]

Eddie, I've never heard of edres before. My best description of trills would be moving one or more of the low hand fingers while playing an E or an F. I also think that ther is a way to play "trills" on the low hand, but not sure how.

[Shawn Husk]

bronxpiper, I simply do as you stated, move the fingers below whatever note you are playing fast or slow depending on the effect you are looking for.

All the other bagpipers of the world use this kind of a technique as well.

I don't think there is any standardized way of doing this with the highland pipes, just a figure it out on your own thing.

Shawn

[WileyBagpipes]

I have to agree with what Shawn said above. The key is to just experiment to get the effect you desire as some fingers "trilling" may sound different on a particular note.

You're in uncharted waters now Boyo!

[bronxpiper]

Thanks lads. I know "purists" don't really approve of trills, but in some slow airs they do add a great effect.

[Shawn Husk]

Another thing about using trills is that each chanter/reed combo will react differently.

Sometimes for example when doing trills on E I may use my D finger but with a different chanter I have to use my B finger because the other two (the D and C fingers) are too overpowering and the B is lighter, sweeter sounding.

It's almost like choosing which D throw to use in a tune, some just sound right light and others heavy.

Shawn

[stevie nicks]

Don't worry about the "purists." Play what you like and develop your own style. Be a musician. not a technician.

[Trailing Drones]

I wouldn't call the technique "trills," I would call it "vibrato."

[bob864]

There's a trill on high A.

[thebluebeetroot]

The only thing I've heard being called trills are triple high A strikes.
This other technique mentioned I call Vibrato also. It's good fun and always gets a good reaction from a non piping audience.

Be a musician. not a technician.
For sure, but if you get the technique correct and then bring in the individual flare, it will be even better.
Take Gordon Duncan as an example, technically excellent and then his individual flare put him in a league of his own.

[Miniracer]

"The Ballachulish Walkabout" by John D. Burgess has both E-F and C-D trills. There are some tunes that have a trill made by moving the thumb rapidly over the High A hole. I think there is a Youtube somewhereof Jack Lee playing Ballachulish. Us mere mortals probably shouldn't even try this stuff in public.

[Miniracer]

Try this for Ballachulish Walkabout, at about 1:50.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HFMKV0YKO6Y

[Charlie Rutan]

TRILL: shake, cadence, tremblement, triller, trillo
A musical ornament consisting of the rapid alternation of a given pitch with the diatonic second above it.
(source: The Harvard concise dictionary of music)

VIBRATO- In wind instruments: a slight, rapid fluctuation of pitch produced by variations in wind pressure created by the diaphragm, jaw, lips, reed, or oscillating motion of the hand.

TREMOLO- usually, the quick and continuous reiteration of a single pitch.

[weejimmy]

Yo Charlie,
I get a trill every time I play!! ;-)


Cheers,
wj

[pancelticpiper]

There's a trill on high A.

Only if you have high B available. I can do a High A trill on my Lowland chanter, due to its having a high B key.

I can remember the Prince Charles pipe band from San Francisco playing a hornpipe with trills in competition around 1980. One of the judges scoffed, calling it "circus music".

[Charlie Rutan]

Yo Charlie,
I get a trill every time I play!! ;-)


Cheers,
wj
hahahaha!

yo?

do I mail your tastykake, pretzel & hoagie now? or are ya pickin up? :lol:
:thumb:


panceltic's right: technically the hi -A thing's a tremolando, a rapidly reiterated tone,
(however 'tremolando' is what my old-school profs called a trill between 2 notes greater than a 2nd apart.)


trills are no big deal in most other piping trad's. just not part + parcel with the ghb.



.

[pancelticpiper]

Yes the tune Jack Lee is playing is the same one Prince Charles played back then. I never knew the title.

[Frank W]

Don't worry about the "purists." Play what you like and develop your own style. Be a musician. not a technician.
Ditto :thumb:

[Brian Berlin]

just throwing out some ideas from trilling on other instruments.
if the melody note FOLLOWING the note you're trilling on is higher, then I would trill down. If the melody note FOLLOWING the note you're trilling on is lower, then I'd trill up.

Trill on F followed by an E. (trilling up, destination below)
Fgfgfgfgfgf(gfE)

Trill on C follwed by a D
Cbcbcbcbcbc(bcD)

In my mind, I try to group the last 3 or 4 notes as a phrase coming out of a trill back into the melody (denoted by the parentheses)

Might make sure to trill to neighbor notes and not heavy strikes. So if you were trilling down on an E (ededed) (to be followed by a higher note - F,G,A), lift your low hand index finger so that you're playing a false D and not striking to low A.

I've also seen/heard some neat vibrato effects by trilling fingers one hole distal from the open hole sounding the note. So to get a subtle vibrato effect - on E for instance - Finger the E properly, then trill your low hand index finger. It won't change notes but may alter the pitch enough to give you a nice vibrato effect.

Have fun trying new things!

[Heatherbelle]

Have fun trying new things!

I just did and went trill mad!

<a href="http://bagpipinglady.googlepages.com/JamesTempletonofAuchendaff.mid" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
Tune with lots of trills</a>

[Ailigean]

:thumb:

I like it!! If only someone could play it on real bagpipes. About half the tune would make a great intro for a jig set or the like. Imagine The Blue Cloud or so after this.

...music?

[piper pat]

Thanks lads. I know "purists" don't really approve of trills, but in some slow airs they do add a great effect.


Remember what has been written
Thou shall not trill or thou will be slain and thy ashes will be scattered to the four winds and thy name will be stricken from the book of bagpipers
Hey,that being said,i trill myself in some slow airs.Just don't get caught
Before anyone ask,the book of bagpipers is kept in a monastery on a hill overlooking Edinburgh

[Robin Beck]

Are not 'trlls' what self taught border pipers call their 'home mage' embelishments?

[pancelticpiper]

Trills are a standard technique on the uilleann pipes.
Usually, only the lower-hand index finger is used, both for trills on F# and E.
To see exactly how trills are used in Irish reels, go on YouTube and watch the 1977 video of Matt Molloy playing Bucks Of Oranmore (acc. by Donal Lunny). At 1:07 there's the classic lower-hand index finger trill on F#, so common in piping. Though Matt is playing flute it's very much a piping version of a classic piping tune complete with the "cranning" on bottom D.
Note who's watching: James Galway.