Vocalist.org archive


From:  Ian Belsey <Idbelsey@y...>
Date:  Sun Apr 2, 2000  1:46 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] Learning to Trill



Dear Rachel and all at the list. Thank goodness it's
appeared again. I've just returned from Great
Yarmouth where I have been giving my Rodgers &
Hammerstein, and it was very pleasing to return to the
computer and find you all still here!

Anyway, trills. Probably (in my humble opinion) the
hardest of all ornaments to learn. Indeed, you find
the best 'trillers' are the ones who have it more
naturally, but I suppose that's obvious!
The advice given about the top note of the trill being
the important one is very good so take heed of that.
Also, I impress on my students that the old word for
trill is of course the shake, and that can be quite a
useful picture. In order to do a good trill, the
larynx has to be in a state of almost complete
relaxation as it has to 'bounce' back and forth to do
this. It's like a bobbin on two elastic bands if you
like. You can take one end of the bands over your
fingers and twang them, and the bobbin bounces
perfectly in between them until the vibration of the
elastic bands has stopped. I hope you got that; it's
a bit convoluted!

Taking two notes and singing them slowly and then
faster is an old method (Jenny Lind writes about it in
her treatise on singing) and can be effective,
provided you don't jam your larynx and the sound just
turns into a natural vibrato. If, when practising you
think of a pulse in the trill which you can activate
using your abs with a slight flexing, you can end up
with a very pretty trill. Think of one of Dame Joan's
they're the best you can get and she often puts a
little 'kick' in them.

Anyway, happy trilling. It's one of my favourite
things do pop in on a pause (in the right sort of
music of course!) but I think that fabulous trillers
may well be born, not made!

Best wishes,

Ian Belsey. Vocal technician. Bromley, Kent, England



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