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In Chopin's Waltz Op 43 No. 2 in A minor are some trills in the left hand. How many trills should be played in this bar and where to stop the trill, on E or on F?

Also since the right hand starts while we are still trilling with the left hand, on which note of the trill should we start with the right hand? For me it seems natural to end the trill on E because the next tone will be a D#, but then we have an odd numbers of trills if we start on E which does not work rhythmically?

Thank you for your answers.

Chopin's Waltz in A minor Op 43 No 2

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You would start the trill on E, then end on the D# eighth note. For trills, you generally don't play them rhythmically like you are suggesting. They are not coupled or aligned with the other notes. Therefore, you don't need to consider what part of the trill you are on when the notes in the right hand come in.

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  • Hi, thanks for the answer. Why should the trill start on F? I thought trills in the romantic era started from the lower note unlike the baroque era.
    – Matriz
    Feb 26, 2018 at 17:38
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    @Matriz you are correct, I believe. It should start on E. I indeed was thinking of Baroque practice, but I just checked and it looks like things changed! I will edit the answer.
    – David Vogel
    Feb 26, 2018 at 17:59
  • I have another little question. Are the amount of notes in a trill in general odd (meaning you land on the note where you started) or are there sometimes trills which have an even number of notes?
    – Matriz
    Feb 27, 2018 at 19:38
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    It depends on the context: tempo, length of the trill, general stylistic traits of the composer/period, etc. You really just need to listen to some of the countless recordings there are on places like YouTube so you can get a sense of what the possibilities are. I've been playing for over 30 years, so it's not even something I am conscious of anymore. It has just become a matter of taste.
    – David Vogel
    Feb 27, 2018 at 20:17
  • My pleasure and good luck with the piece!
    – David Vogel
    Feb 27, 2018 at 20:20

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