CHAPTER 3 - Multiple Sounds

Multiphonic Trills and Tremolos

The subject of multiphonic trills and tremolos will be briefly broached here; the reader is referred to the book by Gerald Farmer as an excellent source of half-tone or larger trills and tremolos.25 Farmer's book includes detailed diagrams of each individual trill.

Trills between adjacent multiple sounds in the chart presented (different right-hand fingerings) in this chapter are possible, except where brackets or dotted lines intercede. In addition, they are possible between multiple sounds with the same right-hand fingering but different left-hand fingering between the following groups:

A2 and A3

B and B1

B and B3

E and E1

H2 and H

I1 and I

K and K1

K2 and K

Carlo Landini uses one particular trill in Konzertstuck which is periodically interrupted by melodic fragments. The phrase eventually builds to a fortissimo climax; these particular diads are effective loud as well as soft.

Example #72 (click on music to hear mp3)

Another example of diad trills can be found in Yuasa's Clarinet Solitude . These are only possible at very soft levels and are especially effective with "hard fingers" that emphasize the pitch pops of the tone holes being trilled.

Example #73 (click on music for mp3)

Joji Yuasa CLARINET SOLITUDE

Copyright 1983 by Schott Japan

All Rights Reserved

Used by permission of European American Music

Distributors Corporation, sole U.S. and Canadian agent

for Schott Japan

P.Q. Phan also writes a sequence of multiphonic trills ( My Language for clarinet and piano) where the register key is trilled. This rising line has been appended recently by Phan to include more multiphonics (Example #77a). The trills with open left hand thumb hole in this example are easier to control than any in the Smith example, since the left thumb does not have to simultaneously cover the tone hole and trill the register key.

Example #77 (click on music for mp3)

Example #77a

A spectrogram of the phrase above clearly demonstrates the increased tension of these multiphonics. The first trills (ex. #77) contain most of their energy in the fundamentals, with some 3 rd partial presence. Gradually, 2 nd and 4 th partials are added, and the final trills (ex. #77a) of the phrase contain very thick pitch bands.

#1

#2

#3

#4

There are other multiphonics that can be enhanced through a register key trill (Example #78).

Example #78 (CD3-Examples, Tracks 91-99)

A spectrogram for the eighth example above shows a tremolo that contains 3rd and 5th partials (gradually enter), along with a sustained pitch with a strong 2nd partial. As these voices and partials enter, the sound increases in complexity.

Bill Kleinsasser writes two multiple timbre trills (diads) in Smooth Wood, Flash Metal . These particular sounds are very difficult to play FF, but the hard finger/key sounds of the trill fingerings can help to create the necessary tension.

Example #83 (CD3-Music, Track 79)

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