Skip to content
← Notation reference

Ornaments

Trill

Alternate the written pitch rapidly with its upper neighbour.

See it in the score

Trill on F in Mozart K. 545

The ornament energises a cadential note within a clear Classical phrase.

Open measure 4 in the piece
Trill on F in Mozart K. 545 From Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545 — 1st Movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, source measure 4.

Passage playback follows the literal encoded notes, rhythm, tempo, and written directions in this excerpt. It is a study aid, not a model of a pianist's touch, phrasing, ornament realization, or pedal technique.

In a sentence

Alternate the written pitch rapidly with its upper neighbour.

The trill animates a sustained note by alternating it with the scale step above. Its speed and starting pitch depend on style, period, and context.

The engraved sign identifies the ornament but does not spell out every performed note. Literal passage playback therefore does not claim to realise it automatically.