Eleonor Bindman

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To Help Your Trill Linger, Skip a Finger!

Published 09/15/20
           

Trills can be daunting to some of us since it takes years of practice to develop enough finger strength/independence necessary for sustaining a fast trill. I could write pages on the subject but it’s more practical to focus on one helpful tip: using non-consecutive fingers. My students are often surprised at the idea of skipping a finger when playing trills or any neighboring notes yet professional pianists do that quite often. 

If you watch this YouTube video of Nikolai Lugansky and his teacher, the legendary Tatiana Nikolayeva, playing the first movement of J.S. Bach’s double keyboard concerto in C minor, BWV 1060 you will see that around 40 seconds into the video Luganov expertly executes an Ab-Bb trill using the 2nd and 4th fingers:

To put this choice in perspective, let’s keep in mind that this is a conservatory-age pianist in excellent shape who could manage any fingering he wanted. Using fingers 2 and 4 in the context of 2 black notes makes the most sense: they are of similar length and naturally give his hand the needed rotation to loosen up the muscles for stamina. 

The 3rd and 5th fingers work well between a lower black key and a white key to the right: this may seem awkward at first but if you adjust your hand position to a different angle and a higher wrist it will feel much better. The thumb is often used with the 3rd finger for white-key trills and the 13231323 combination is also very common. All examples above are intended to illustrate fingerings in the right hand where the trills mostly occur but the principle works even better for the left hand which is normally less dexterous. 

So the next time you are faced with a trill, take a few minutes to try different finger combinations and don’t shy away from seeing how it feels to skip a finger. Happy practicing!

Categories: Technique
Tags: trill
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Quite simply (and irrespective of the particular novelty factor here) this is Bach playing of the highest order. … Listening to Bindman’s recording, I was immediately struck by the mellifluous beauty and sensitivity of her renditions of these iconic cello works; that she has transcribed them so well and plays them with such assurance, grace and finesse makes this 2CD set an easy choice for my Recording of the Month.

Andrew Eales
Pianodao

“Prepare to be surprised when you listen to the new 2-CD release of Eleonor Bindman playing her piano arrangements of Bach’s Cello Suites. Ms. Bindman’s arrangements faithfully include the notes you will find in the original Bach, but have become works that are new, unique, and completely satisfying on their own terms.”

Barry Lenson
Classical Archive

“Her skillfully wrought arrangements… [treat] the solo cello lines straight, and… you get Bach’s text served up with sensitivity and taste… Bindman’s well-considered tempos address the music’s dance origins. …her Preludes and Sarabandes sing out well”

Jed Distler
ClassicsToday

The Six Solo Cello Suites are some of the most celebrated and much-loved works in the classical repertoire, and they continue to fascinate and inspire performers and audiences alike. In this brand new transcription for solo piano, Eleonor Bindman pays tribute to this music’s enduring allure. … The transcription offers scope for some adventurous interpretation, particularly in the wonderfully playful pairs of Minuets, Bourrées and Gavottes. … Like the works included in her ‘Stepping Stones to Bach’, Eleonor has provided pianists with yet more repertoire to explore, and her elegantly, meticulous transcriptions shine a new light on this wonderful music while also remaining true to the original.

Frances Wilson
The Cross-Eyed Pianist

Given her experience in both playing and transcribing Bach, these [Stepping Stones to Bach] arrangements are excellent, retaining a clear sense of the original while offering early to intermediate pianists the opportunity to play interesting and imaginative stand-alone pieces.”

Frances Wilson
A Piano Teacher Writes
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