|
Knowing how and when to use alternate fingerings on flute
Frequently requested alternative fingerings for flute Standard repertoire:
Update 2018: Nestor Herszbaum has written a pdf with all the Ibert Concerto Tremelo fingerings! It's FREE!
Jen's Ibert Concerto, Prokofiev works, & other common flute pieces requiring alternate fingerings
Classical Symphony by Prokofiev - rewritten flute parts for fourth movement (much easier - and you can use piccolo!) Free pdfs.
Voliere from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens - Fast tempo fingerings & preparation tips. Full flute part in pdf; practise mp3.
More alternative flute fingering resources
Alternate fingering charts online
For a full list Flute Fingering charts, books click here.
To start: be sure you have a good, up to date fingering chart giving the basic fingerings for the flute as well as the trill fingerings::
The following online charts are worth printing out, and keeping in your practice area bound and referenced for your music stand:
The Woodwind Fingering Guide
Online for quick download, includes both piccolo & flute, trills, alternates, altisssimo, tremolos.
Wayne Hedrick also has a chart online of useful alternate fingerings, and gives some indication of how each is most useful.
Other book sources are: Walfrid Kujala's book The Flutist's Vade Mecum which has a good trill chart on page 4 as well as many "stabilizing fingerings" which can be used for many useful purposes.
Also: Edwin Putnik's The Art of Flute Playing (can be found in public libraries) has great tremolo & trill charts.
For more Flute Fingering charts, books and online downloads click here.
Why do I need alternates?
When you take a look at the above fingering charts you'll see quite a number of fingerings for the same notes. This is due to the fact that not all fingerings work identically on all makes and types of flutes. You basically have to run down the list and try them all and put a mark next to the ones that work on your flute. Some only work on a B-foot flute, for example.
Some will make the note better in pitch at certain volumes, and others will make a note easier to finger during a prestissimo passage. Be sure and take notes on the ones that are immediately useful and mark them in pencil for future reference.
One of the flutenet members also asked if there was some help that could be had in understanding the complex language that some flutists use to describe their use of alternate fingerings.
So I'll try and bridge that gap too. See below for a standard
chart of "How to read email flute fingerings".
How to read email flute fingerings and how to know when alternate fingerings are going to be needed:
Reading Email fingerings:
If you have difficulty figuring out the numbering of fingerings as given in email, see chart below:
Names of notes:
B0 is low B.
C1 is low C.
B1 is middle staff line B. C2 is middle staff line C.
B2 is one ledger line B. C3 is two ledger lines C.
B3 is five ledger lines B. C4 is "high C".
Fingerings in emails and simple fingering charts are usually given as left hand (LH) followed by right hand (RH):
Example: LH T 1234| RH 1234 becomes: T 1234|1234
Trill keys for the right hand can be shown as [tr2] or [tr1]
Low right hand pinky keys are usually called by name:
D#/Eb is the usual pinky key for the RH.
Low C# or Low C levers will appear as C# or C
Or both C#/C if held down together as for D4.
Hope this makes helps when you're asking about fingerings in emails and in posts on the net. ::>).
Best, Jen Cluff 2001
Back to top
How to know when alternate fingerings are going to be needed:
For beginners and intermediate flutists, the topic of alternate fingerings must be approached gradually. Go to a flute teacher or performer for help and demonstrations, since the "sound" of the alternate fingerings are important to witness when deciding where and when to use them.
Also the teacher will immediately be able to tell you when your hopes are getting too high for a tough passage: that there *is* no alternate fingering for that tough bit that's driving you insane etc.
No point getting your hopes up too high, when practicing more is the only true solution.
However for truly tough repertoire that demands alternate fingerings here is some general information:
Firstly it's important to learn the passages of whichever tough piece you are working on with the *real* fingerings. 99% of the time you *will* be using real fingerings so don't let your hope of a "magical solution" get the better of you.
Real fingerings should include the recently discussed F# played with the RING finger of the righthand ( T123| 34 ), and whichever Bb/A# fingering {or combination of Bb fingerings} that is correct for the key of the piece.
(Choices to try: Bb thumb, Bb using the RH index finger on the F key, and/or Bb played with the Bb side-lever to the left of the F key.)
And intermediates, please remember that F#3 (high register F#) is the only note on the flute that WON'T sound well if the Bb thumb is on. So make some of your decisions about Bb/A# fingerings with that in mind. :>)
Next, gradually bring the piece up to speed and be sure that all the pitches have the necessary intonation, articulation, dynamic level, and pay particular attention to correct rhythm. All the finesse of tone colour, air use, and musical phrasing are added before worrying about seeking alternate fingerings. These musical aspects must be applied first to determine all the characteristics of the piece, and to set it firmly and correctly in the player's EAR.. Use sufficient breath support and think about the pitch of the flute part as if you were singing the phrases.. Carefully tune intervals, listen to recordings if available, to set the harmony in mind, and seek to play the whole work with excellent tone long before expecting to speed up the tempo in practice.
If at this point in your preparation you've isolated a recurring problem, look for the simplest fingerings first.
For example:
An F# in the middle or low register that falls between two E naturals, in a very fast passage, can be fingered with the RH middle finger but only if the poor tone quality and flatness of pitch goes by so quickly that it is inaudible.
Also, for "high" F# {called F#3}, when played forte , can sound quite sharp with the regular fingering, try playing it with the common alternate: RH 2, or Right Hand-second finger: T 1 3| 2 4
F#3 can also be played as an overblown harmonic, and brought up to pitch by using a very fast airstream and a higher angle of blowing. Finger B2 (Thumb and index finger of LH) and overblow the B-natural to sound as the same pitch as an F#3. Experiment with adding a trill key and playing softly too.
Another F#3 trick is to make it speak more easily and softly, by depressing the low C# key instead of the Eb pinky key.
These are all tricks that one learns over time from their private teacher.
More common high register alternate fingerings:
Most high notes can be overblown using middle-register fingerings, if a very fast passage in band or orchestral music is impossible to play at tempo using high-register cross-fingerings. Here is a chart of typical notes for overblowing at the interval of a 5th higher:
Overblow G2 to play a fast high D3.
Overblow Ab2 to play a fast high Eb3.
Overblow A2 to play a fast high E3.
Overblow Bb2 (side lever RH is best) to play a fast high F3.
Overblow B2 to play a fast high F#3.
Overblow C2 to play a fast high G3.
Overblow C#2 to play a fast high G#3.
Another common alternate for high G# or G#3 is referred to as a "long G#". This is a high G# with the right hand fingers 3 and 4 added. Again, this brings down the pitch and adds reliability (ie: not so squeaky) at forte volumes.
234| 234
Finally, once the piece sounds well and in tune, and if the final tempo of the piece is *extremely* vivo or prestissimo, and you've worked for *weeks* using the real fingerings, then and only then should you have to start to look for finger-speed alternates.
Trill Fingerings in place of real fingerings:
Here are some EXAMPLES of typcial flute repertoire that relies heavily on the use of trill fingerings.:
The "Vivo" section of the Chaminade Concertino will require trill fingerings for some of the triplets..
Tartini's G major Concerto ~ First Movement; F#2s that are part of triplets in opening may require RH2 fingering: T 123| 2 4
Eldin Burton's Sonatina, Third Movement; trill fingerings in fast triplets recommended.
Hanson Serenade ~ ending; one or two trill fingerings may be needed for the triplet accelerando.
Back to top
Alternate fingerings tips:
_________________________________________
In Orchestral parts an example for a *necessary* alternate fingering would be an extremely fast 16th note 'tremolando' consisting of high G#'s going to high A's that has become physically impossible at quarter note = 144, or faster.
Work at it for tone and ask yourself as you speed it up with the metronome: Is it well and truly physically impossible? Or could I relax my hand and finger muscles more, and keep my fingers closer to the keys when they're up?
Is my embouchure supple enough to insure that both notes sound equally well?
Can the alternate (or trill) fingering be made to sound equally good?
If you decide to go with the trill fingering you may want to test the pitch (hold G# and trill one trill key then the other,) seeking the fingering that sounds most in tune and is unrecognizable as "fake" sounding. But whatever you do.....it
*can't* sound out of tune.
So the most important considerations when starting out with alternate investigations are these:
1) the alternate fingering must sound perfectly in tune, and/or
you must adjust it (with your airstream and lips) to be perfectly
in tune. Test it repeatedly against the real fingering and match
the tuning carefully.
2) the alternate fingering must have a full and rich tone, or be coaxed to have a full tone by adding open mouth, open throat, and open-chest resonance.
Ensemble vs. solo considerations:
If your flute tone during the passage is to be buried in an ensemble where the raspy or breathy sounding alternates are inaudible and blend right in, then fine. But if it's a solo, a tempo less than prestissimo, or a particularly exposed passage, the alternate you've chosen must NOT *sound* second-rate. It must
have glorious tone.
3) And finally: the alternate fingering that you've chosen must not be more difficult than the real fingering, after all is said and done. Once I've practiced the alternate for awhile up to speed, sometimes the real fingering has mysteriously improved in the meantime, because I've relaxed my fingers in a "new" way. Don't be surprised if you end up returning to the real fingering after toying with an alternate for a time!
After all: The flute pieces that require such specialty knowledge as alternate fingerings usually only occur in the most difficult repertoire.
Best,
Jen Cluff 2002
Back to top
Ibert, Prokofiev works, & other common flute pieces requiring alternate fingerings
Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf:
Alternate flute fingerings
Dear Flutenetters (or nutters as we are humourously called :>),
Well, the fingering solutions are in for PATW, and I've just finished three 'edge of our seats' children's concerts (very short notice of how many repetitions must be bourn! D'oh!) of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, so I'm pretty sure I'm no longer scared of this piece. Note eyebrows: (( :>o
Let me start by saying that if you have not already learned the FAMOUS excerpts from this piece, that the passages I'm about to discuss are from the orchestral part only, and do not appear in most of the excerpt books that I've come across.
So these fingerings and alterations are for performances from the original parts, and not for Orchestral Excerpt tests or exams.
Overall, the standard excerpts extracted from this work are NOT the ones that need "assisted fingerings."
The standard excerpts are all played with standard fingerings…however, I will quote Jeanne Baxtresser's words on her Orch. Ex. CD and book by saying: Don't let the bird sound hysterical when you play the opening solo. ;>)
Remember that the narrator has just said: "All is quiet, chirped the little bird cheerfully." one second before you're heard. Don't suggest to the audience that animal psychiatric intervention is required in your interpretation.
It's the duck who gets hysterical, and pays for it in the end. :>)
That being said, let's get on to the demented bits that Prokofiev must have written for an open G# flute (still avid for corroboration on this point….neat historical fact, if true, and something to gently hurl at the Maestro if he questions the reductionistic versions suggested below. :>)
Let's start with the almost inconsequential twitterings that occur after rehearsal No. 4:
Bar 7 (after rehearsal No. 4):
Move your RH pinky to the low Db key for the next two bars. You'll need it for stabilization and also if you use Adrian Brett's suggested fingerings (see next post below.)
Bar 8: Reduce the first three 32nd note figures to only the first two notes of each group of four. This means that you'll be playing two 32nds, (Db and F3) and then will have a sixteenth rest.
To my ear this sixteenth rest is inaudible (and sounds like what you hear on the recordings due to the highest notes carrying, and the lower ones, Db and F2 being lost in the terror of it all anyway.)
Play the eighth note C3 as written. And play the arpeggio down to low Db as written.
Bar 10: Played normally, or since inaudible, eliminate the first three notes, and begin the triplet on Eb2 AS IF it is the rhythmically correct starting point of the arpeggio up to Eb3.
This eliminates further terrors, and sounds clear and attractive to boot.
Rehearsal No. 5:
Bar 3: For this undulation that includes A# there are only two solutions. Use the A# lever above the F key (the Bb side key) for smoothness, and practice the passage a great deal, remembering that it begins on an off-beat, and there's an accent on beat two.
(On my BBC recording, the flutist barely makes it in time, and actually nearly barges into bar 4.) Alternatively:
My total fake-out solution is just on the verge of being an unacceptable alteration. See for yourself:
Play harmonics based on the following fingerings:
A G F E , D#(top finger stays down) E F G, A G F E , D# E F G, A
(or use E3 for better tuning on the final eighth note.)
Overblow those fingerings to create these pitches:
E3 D C B A# B C D E3….etc.
At this incredibly fast speed (as much as quarter = 104), the conductor may or may not realize that this scale-like harmonic weirdness sounds oddly unlike what is written, but if his preference is for a neatly rhythmic time keeping and flashy run without tension, this is perfectly acceptable in my books.
The audience has NO idea what you're up to, and merely thinks: Wow. Scary little bird-brain tales. :>D
Rehearsal No. 8:
If you read Adrian Brett's post below, and if the story can believed, Geoffrey Gilbert and William Bennett both do not play this section as written, and instead reduce each of the four 32nd note groups to triplets, eliminating the bottom-most pitches.
So try this if you don't have an open G# or a funky Eb flute, which is what Brett says he uses.
Change: Eb3-C-Ab-Eb2 / C2-Eb2-Ab2-C
To: Eb3-C-Ab (triplet) Eb2-Ab-C (triplet)
Do this in all repeats of this motive.When you get to second bar of Rehearsal 8:
Bar 2: Play rhythm as written using these fingerings:
Eb3: T1234|1234
F: T1_(3)4|1234 (more in tune if you lift both 2 and 3 LH)
Bb: T1___|1234
Fb: T12_4|1234
These are all basically trill fingerings for Eb to F and Eb to Fb.
The Bb with the RH left down makes the four 32nds fast and stable.
My final suggestions are for the high B3s and C4s that appear in various places later in the work, and are basically standard fingering-deviations for the sake of pitch and ease of emission.
At Rehearsal No. 30, in the second bar of the "Peter" theme, I found that the high B to C is easiest and most in tune if you merely finger the B3 and open the thumb key, adding a boost of air to obtain the C4. (this is the B3 to C4 trill fingering and comes in handy in all sorts of scales and pieces.)
I also use this fingering four bars before No. 30 for the diminuendo C4 to B3 but am still not entirely satisfied with the amount of air I have to bleat out for the C4 to speak at this quiet dynamic.
However, it is very much flatter, and can be played fairly convincingly.
For the high B3 that occurs on the last beat before Rehearsal No. 31, I use the ole' sneakster:
B3: T1_3| tr1 tr2 34
This gives ease of emission, is a simple switch for the fingers from F#3, and if blown high enough so that it's not flat, and is easy to emit at pianissimo. Keep the pitch up.
And that's it. I'm pooped now, but happy to think that Adrian Brett said that this was a flutey nightmare for most players. Not anymore! :>D
Read his post below, and tell me what you think about his fingerings for Bar 8 after Rehearsal No. 4. I believe they may work with a great deal of practice, but I was unable to incorperate them in the "less than 24 hrs." I had between receiving them over the net, and having my final dress rehearsal.
Good luck and write if you find more!!! Jen Cluff.
*************************************************
Adrian Brett on Peter and the Wolf:
For many orchestral principals PATW is the most difficult piece in the repertoire...not so IMHO.
Just analyse what the difficulties are...for you….and for everyone else.
There is one passage which is almost impossible….even for Geoffrey Gilbert, who had one of the finest techniques ever!! So much so that when he could not play the passage, after weeks of practice, he removed the keys from his flute, had them weighed at Imperial College of Science and Technology….only to be told that the weight of keys/speed of fingers/ etc meant that it was only possible at X bpm.
So what do you do on p2 with those Ab arpeggios if the tempo is too fast?
Simple....you change them!! This is what WIBB does.
Instead of groups of 8 play groups of 6..but retain the last two groups of 8 with the chord change from Ab maj to Ab minor which only involves one change of finger.
Or you do what I do and play it perfectly at any speed.................. by using an Eb flute where the chord is F major..keep your little finger on low C and Bob's your Uncle!!
The hardest bar for most people is the little birdy calls about two or three lines up before the first page turn..Db thingies....
Easy peasy!!
Keep your little finger/pinky on the Db key and play high F as a harmonic from the low Db....plus 1st trill key (Note: Jen says: I tried this and I think this is a typo. I think he meant the SECOND trill key. Trill key #1 doesn't give the correct pitch on my flute)
so:
1 2 3/1-tr/Db
TH
same for middle F... the same fingering.
Just change the upper note from Db to C when the chord changes and keep your little/pinky finger on Db all the time, including the Db arpeggio.
This has always been one of my very quick impression/confidence builders among flute players with technique emanating from all their available orifices, as I play it so fast that no one has ever discovered how I
do it. When they enquire how brilliant it sounds and what do I do..knowing that everyone finds this difficult..I answer..."Practice man....practice."<<GG>> The application of intelligence produces much quicker results than
practice!!
For me the hardest bit are the runs starting on high E with the A#...but you must use the little A# (side) key mentioned by me recently and keep it down.
If you have duff chops then the piano solo with the dim high B to C is the worst.....now that DOES require practice!!
Adrian Brett ~ Flutenet post 2000
Back to top
Ibert Concerto Tremolos
Update 2018: Nestor Herszbaum has written a pdf with all the Ibert Concerto Tremelo fingerings! It's FREE!
Fifteen years ago I wrote:
Here are the Ibert Concerto fingerings that I find to be fastest and
have best tone. In the third mvmt, each tremolo starts with the
initial real fingering of the principal pitch before changing to the
indicated tremolo fingering for the remainder of the tremolo's
duration.
________________________
First Movement Ibert Concerto tremolos;
After rehearsal number 4:
C-Db: finger C and trill LH1
Db - Ebb: finger Db and trill the first trill key.
D-Eb: finger D and trill second trill key.
E-F: finger E and trill LH2
F-G: finger F and trill thumb
G-Ab: finger G and trill the first trill key.
_______________________
Third Movement Iber Concerto Tremolos:
After rehearsal number 43:
B-G: finger G and trill LH2
C-Ab: finger Ab and trill thumb.
C#-A: finger A and trill thumb and LH1
D-Bb: finger Bb and trill both trill keys.
Eb-Cb: finger Cb and trill both trill keys.
Eb-Db: finger Db and trill both trill keys.
Eb-D: finger D and trill second trill key.
____________________________
After rehearsal number 49:
B-G#: finger G# and trill LH2
C-A: finger A and trill thumb
C#-A#: finger A# and trill thumb and LH1
D-B: finger B and trill both trill keys.
E-D: finger D and trill LH3
E-D#: finger D# and trill LH3
For A3 to Bb3 trill in penultimate bar:
finger A3 and trill LH2.
Best,
Jen Cluff
_____________________
Back to top
Prokofiev's Classical Symphony flute fingerings
Question: I have to play excerpts (all the hard bits) of the Prokofiev
Classical Symphony for my orchestral studies exam on Wednesday... was
wondering what fingering you did for that horrible B A F# D passage
(you know the one I mean) and the scales up to High D??
****************
Jen Cluff replies:
These fingerings take more than a week to be "easy", but give them a try. For the nasty solo at letter 'K' I used the Jeanne Baxtresser fingerings given in her book of Orchestral Excerpts for Flute, pg. 23. The best bet is to use a really small and pure embouchure to avoid blasting or splitting the harmonics she describes. The B3 fingering stays the same, and the others are alternates.
Namely: at pick up to the 5th bar of K:
Pitches: D3-F#3-A3-B3-A3-F#3-D3
Fingerings:
D3 ~ [overblow] G2: T 123|___4
F#3 ~ [overblow] B2: T 1__|___4
A3 ~ T12_|1__4
B3 ~ T 1_3| (tr2) 4 ....regular B3 but with RH pinky stabilizing.
*****************************************************
For the runs up to high D4:
I use the same trick as above, overblowing G A and B to get D3, E3 and F#3 respectively.The only other alternate fingering is the "easy C#4" which is:
_2_|1___
Which leaves the RH pinky free to be ready for regular D4 fingering (RH pinky on low C keys.)
On the penultimate bar there's a B#3 chromatic bit.
For this, I just open up the thumb key, as you would for a B3 to C4 trill. Then I use the LH2, RH 1 for the C#4 again, and the regular D4.
The Gallois D4 [fingered using: Bb thumb plus the RH 3 on the F# key]
Learning of this fingering only recently, I wound up using it only for the first ending of the exposition, [which is something like 2 bars before 'H', when you're looking at the page].It's perfect for flattening the pitch of a fortissimo D4 but no use if you're unable to switch off the Bb thumb key fast enough.
Lately I've found it's really really useful for an in tune D4 (in Zgraja's 3 Virtuoso Flamenco Studies, for example) and other orchestral moments when a really loud, in tune D4 is called for. I believe it only works on B-foot flutes.
Jen Cluff. 2001
POINT OF INTEREST:
Recently in 2004, a question came up about using the above fingerings for Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, and John Wion responded as follows:
John Wion wrote (quoted with permission): My suggestion for the passage in question is
B - regular but right pinky down
A - regular but L1 down
F# - overblow B
D - overblow G
In other words L1 stays down for the whole passage.
If you can play one set up to tempo like this, practice holding the second B until you see clearly in your head that you can get to the next B (it could be a beat or more), then do so. Hold that B similarly and proceed. As you practice this way you will see that the length of time you have to hold each B gets shorter. Eventually you will be still thinking holding the Bs but the added length will be not heard by a listener.
I once saw a telecast of this symphony by a famous European orchestra. I eagerly awaited this solo and was astonished that the camera didn't pan to the flutist. Off camera one heard the sound of piccolo. I don't think you could get away with that now :-)
John Wion
johnwion.com
Jen adds:
See my rewritten Prokofiev piccolo parts free PDF for fourth mvmt of the Classical Symphony here. I advise flutists to play piccolo for the fourth movement!! :>)
Back to top
Trill fingerings G3 to A3
& A3 to B3 in Rutter's Suite Antique Rondeau
Question:
> In John Rutter's Suite Antique, movement 6, Rondeau, at measure 87 there is a G3 trill (to an A). Is it okay to use the first trill key, even though that would make it high G3 to Ab?
___________________
No, unfortunately, it's not acceptable to trill to Ab if there's no indication (no Ab in key signature; no b sign above the trill marking. )
The only flute work I've ever seen where G to Ab is alright, even though the trill has been printed as G to A-natural is Trudy Kane's arrangement of Carmen for Four for flute quartet.
Otherwise all printed G3 to A3 trills do not allow "cheating" to Ab. Sounds awful. Trust me; we've all tried it. ha ha!
So try some of these:
High G to high A trill fingerings:
_____________________________
1. Easiest for novice:
Easier if forte or fortissmo, keep airstream angled high:
123| lowC#
Play a normal G3 but move RH4 to low C#
Trill RH 1 and trill key 1 together:
* *
123|1[tr1] lowC#
_______________________________
2. Fairly easy:
Play G3 and trill both trill keys at the same time as the G# lever.
123| 4 becomes: 1234| [tr1tr2] 4
_______________________________
3. Need good co-ordination to play trill with three fingers up to tempo:
123| 4
Trill LH4 on G# key at same time as RH1 & RH2 on "F" key & trill key
one
* * *
123 4 | 1[tr2] 4
_______________________________
4. Walfrid Kujala's "Vade Mecum" suggested G3-A3 trill
Start with: 123| 4
Switch to fingering below, trilling LH3
*
T 23| 234
Do you have split E?
Then the above trill is the only trill that does not work if your flute has "split E".
This is unfortunate for split-E flutes (which are great, in my opinion) as many flutists believe the above G to A trill speaks best and is most in tune.
_______________________
5. Flattest pitched G3 to A3 trills (good for beginners):
Start with regular fingering for G3 then:
overblow G2 to A2 (adding thumb): T123| 4
Note: Sounds unclear and slightly flat in soft solo passages due to harmonics, but good in tuttis.
__________________
6 Jan Gippo-Morgan Williams fingering chart article source:
The preferred fingering: slightly flat in pitch (good for very
advanced players who can master finger placement quickly):
* *
T1 3| [tr1]23
Trill thumb and LH1 together.
____________________
Hope this helps. I tried about 20 fingerings to find these that work
on my flute, given that it has a low B (which may differ from yours.)
__________________
More from Rutter's Rondeau:
Q: in measure 129, there is an A3 trill (to B-natural). Any fingering
suggestions? or is it okay to trill to Bb?
______________
Trilling A3 to B3 & fast ending of Rutter's Rondeau:
A: Several possible fingerings for this trill of high A to high B. None of them is a GREAT solution, and this is a particularly poor trill in general.
But try these anyway:
The easiest for me personally is Jeanne Baxtresser's suggested fingering of A3 to B3, overblown at the octave. To make them speak easily, add the G# key with LH4 staying down for the whole trill.
A3: T 12 4| 4 overblown
B3: T 1 4 | 4 overblown
For high G in the fast fingery last few bars of this Rondeau, simple leave the Ab or G# key down (open) and play A, B, C. The C overblows at the fifth to play G3. Simple solution.
More high A to high B trill fingerings to try:
Walfrid Kujala suggests:
(start with real A3 then move to:)
T123| 1 3
trill RH 1&3 together
This is somewhat muffled in tone, but well covered by accompaniment at
this point in the Rondeau.
____________________
Easier/clearer:
For a student who can control sharpness, Robert Ford's trill fingering:
A3 to B3:
Trilling LH2:
T12 | [tr1] 4
Note: You can add LH4 when practicing the trill to make it easier to
find angle and airspeed. Flatter in pitch without LH4, however.
_______________
Two more possibilities (Shulman's & Galway's) that are also useful
for tuning purposes, and for the A3 to B3 trill in the Prokofiev
Sonata, final movement:
T123|1[tr1] 4 ............trill LH2 & RH1 together.
T12 4|12 4..................trill LH2 & RH1 together.
Hope this helps :>)
Jen Cluff
Back to top
Back to Jen's homepage
2018© Jennifer Cluff
|