1. Change texture without changing the pulse
This original eight-bar study in G major alternates short lines in thirds with a single-note trill figure. The thirds make a compact melodic statement; the quicker alternation answers it. The aim is to keep the same gentle character when the fingers suddenly have more to do.
Preparation: comfortable pairs of thirds and an even 2–3 alternation. Begin around quarter note = 40–48, or slower. The trill is written out in sixteenths so its exact length and ending are clear; it is not an instruction to play as fast as possible.
Hear two lines, then one ornament
Play only the upper notes of the thirds in measures 1 and 3. Shape B–C–D as a little rising line. Add the lower notes more quietly, using 1–3, 2–4, 3–5. Release between pairs if that is more comfortable than finger legato; preserve the phrase through the sound and timing.
In measure 2, alternate C5 and D5 with 2–3 for exactly two quarter-note beats. Then play B4–A4 as the two eighth notes of beat 3. Practice that ending on its own: a fluent alternation is useful only if you can leave it on time.
Add a quiet foundation
The LH has one note per beat. Keep those notes even while the RH changes from quarters to sixteenths. Try counting the LH beats aloud; if the count hesitates during the trill, slow down before repeating.
Watch out · This is a measured trill figure
The written pattern starts on its lower note and has a fixed number of attacks. It is an original exercise, not a rule for interpreting every historical trill sign. Return to the ornaments chapter for period and contextual conventions.
First checkpoint: the thirds begin together, the upper line remains clear, and the trill ends on beat 3 without borrowing time from the next bar.
2. Keep the ending as easy as the beginning
The answering phrase starts higher, then comes down toward G. Its second trill figure alternates B4–C5. These are a semitone apart, unlike the whole-tone C–D pair in the first phrase; notice how the spacing changes without changing your pulse.
Prepare the handoffs
- Play measure 5’s upper line E–D–C alone, then restore the lower notes. Use the descending pairs 3–5, 2–4, 1–3 as a comfortable starting pattern.
- Play the last third of measure 5 followed by the first two notes of measure 6. Release the pair into the single-note alternation; do not keep an unused finger pressing or stretched away.
- Practice the end of measure 6 into measure 7. The A–G eighth notes finish the trill figure; the following A–C third begins a new bar.
- Shape measure 7’s upper C–B–A toward the final B in the tonic third. Keep the last chord at p and hold it for the full dotted half note.
Change the listening task
On one repetition, attend to the upper voice in the thirds. On the next, listen for steady LH quarters beneath the alternations. Finally hear the whole eight-bar phrase, with the rest in measure 4 as its breath. A good technical repetition should still have a beginning, an answer, and an ending.
Listen closer · Quicker notes need not sound more urgent
The trill has four attacks per beat, but the harmony and LH continue at their original pace. Let that slower layer keep the music calm.
Checkpoint: you can play both phrases without a tempo change at either trill, and without making the lower notes of the thirds dominant. Stop and release between repetitions rather than drilling the alternation to fatigue. Once dependable, try the entire study a little quieter before making it faster. All notes, fingerings and dynamics here are original editorial material.