Whats the difference between vibrato and trill?
"…vibrato works in the semitone range" is a completely incorrect way to characterize vibrato. "Semitone" means half-step (adjacent chromatic interval). While a trill has discrete pitches intended to sound and can thus be quantized, vibrato is timbral and rarely notated in pre-20thC music other than using indications of "vib" and "non vib." Vibrato breadth and "speed" is essentially a coloristic choice made by the performer and does involve microtones (NOT semitones, unless the vibrato is as wide as a half-step, mon dieu!). The "direction" of vibrato, like that of a trill, can vary, although certain performance practices preclude one of the possibilities. Many cultures do not use vibrato in their vocal music; vibrato as we come to understand it is a bel canto invention. Whereas for singers and wind player vibrato involves the movement air, for strings it is achieved through physical finger motion.
The easiest way to distinguish between the two is to realize that vibrato works in the semitone range (that is to say… “vibrato” does not change the note, per se.. it merely enhances it). Proper vibrato involves a small fluctuation down from and back to the note. Vibrato is never supposed to be applied in the reverse direction (never up and back down.. never!) It’s small fluctuation down and back to the note. The speed of the vibrato will vary based on the notes and the performer’s taste. Remember, semitones are tones that are closer together than the distance between two chromatic notes. They are between the notes – as there are actually an infinite number of notes in existence. Now, a trill is, of course a rapid playing of two adjacent, real notes that you can play on the piano. Maybe one way that I could make this more clear is by stating the following: You can’t do vibrato on a piano. You can only play the notes that the piano keys let you play. Vibrato is a complex expression th
