One handed trills: Heidi Hernandez
Heidi Hernandez plays with the Phoenix Symphony, teaches, and also raises her family.

The best way to build the speed of trills (or most anything else for that matter) is comfort and consistency in technique. Salzedo technique allows for wrist oscillation, where Grandjany calls for a stationery wrist and only closing of the fingers. However, all techniques emphasize the crucial need to stay relaxed while executing the trill, so decide which method works best for you and stick to it.

Once you’ve decided how to play the trill, you must determine which fingers to use. Most often this is dictated by the passage, or even by what your hand is comfortable with at the tempo that is called for. Sometimes this differs between the two hands of players—one hand likes 4-3-2-1 and the other only 2-1, as is often the case with right and left hand, so do take the time to figure out the best possible way to finger the trill. Once you’ve settled on a fingering, it is most beneficial to make up an exercise for yourself based on that pattern, always practicing it for short times to prevent injury. Then practice various rhythms with those fingers until you learn the control and precision necessary to master a smooth, even trill.
—Heidi Hernandez, Phoenix, Ariz.

One handed trills: Carol McClure
Carol McClure is the artistic director of The Harp School, Inc., and the ABRSM National Summer Harp Academy, and is harp professor at the University of Louisville and Union University. Burns, Tenn.

The first step is to ensure that the following criteria for condition, position, and motion are met, because without this technical palette, the development of a facile trill is impossible. Your hand must be completely relaxed. Each finger and thumb must be positioned for necessary articulation, causing no impediments to the path of travel of another finger. The forearm (pronation and supination), wrist (retraction and extension), and fingers (articulation of every joint) must be capable of complete freedom of motion.

The second step is to employ a series of exercises to help you in your process of speeding up your trills. Play 2-3-1 on the third octave E-D-E, slowly, with full articulation, listening for equality of tone at mezzo forte. Then increase the speed of the trill (without increasing the tempo of the pulse) until you reach the desired speed for the first three notes of your trill. Repeat this exercise using 3-1-2. Continue the process using 1-2-1, then 2-3-1-2, 3-1-2-1, and 2-3-1-2-1. Continue to increase the length of your trill in the same manner, adding one or two more notes at a time. If you wish to work on left hand trills, simply move the exercises down one or two octaves.
—Carol McClure, Burns, Tenn.

One handed trills: Josh Layne
Josh Layne publishes a video series about playing the harp called Harp Tuesday, now in its fifth year and with over 100 episodes. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

There are several ways to play one-handed trills. I prefer 1-2-1-2-1-2 etc., with a pretty straight thumb and a tiny bit of oscillation, but there’s also 1-2-1-3-1-2-1-3, or 1-4-3-2, and variants thereof. Even if you feel comfortable with the fingering you currently use, it’s always interesting to experiment.
When you’re working on getting faster, let me offer two thoughts. First, relax. You want to be as relaxed and efficient as possible. When you’re trying to do the same motion over and over in a small amount of time, any unnecessary tension or movement can add up. As you practice, experiment to see what you can do to feel even more relaxed and efficient. Second, be patient. Think long term. When working on something like trills, it’s best to focus on the fact that in three or four months they will undoubtedly be faster rather than feeling frustrated if the trills are not where you’d like after a few days or a week of practice.
—Josh Layne, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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