Trill intervals

Trill intervals tell performers which notes to play and also affect the pitches used in playback in Dorico Pro. For example, a trill with a sharp accidental on an E indicates that the performer trills between E and F, rather than between E and F.

Figure 1. The different accidentals on these trills indicate changes in the trilled-to note.

If you do not specify an interval when inputting a trill, Dorico Pro calculates an appropriate interval based on the top note in the voice to which the trill belongs, the current key signature, and any accidentals earlier in the bar. For example, inputting a trill on an E in C major produces a half-step/minor second trill interval to F. If there were a sharp accidental on the F earlier in the bar, the trill interval produced is a whole step/major second between the E and F.

In open/atonal key signatures, Dorico Pro produces whole step/major second trill intervals by default.

You can specify trill intervals when inputting them with the popover, including at different noteheads in the same trill, and you can change individual trill intervals after they have been input.

When trill intervals do not require a trill interval indicator, they are indicated by signposts. However, trill interval signposts are hidden by default.

Trills and accidentals

If required, Dorico Pro shows accidentals to clarify trill intervals. Dorico Pro also automatically shows accidentals on other notes in the bar if they have different accidentals to any upper notes of trills.

By default, trill marks themselves show intervals, unless the upper note is modified by an accidental in the key signature. If the upper note has been modified by an accidental earlier in the bar, trills always show the interval. If trills modify pitches modified by an accidental in the key signature, any subsequent notes of that pitch show the appropriate accidental automatically. Any cautionary accidentals required in the current and following bars are also shown automatically.

Microtonal trill intervals

When using other tonality systems than 12-EDO, you can specify trill intervals based on diatonic steps and the total number of divisions from the written note. In 24-EDO, you can describe trill intervals based on their quality, such as major or minor. In tonality systems with a greater number of divisions or an unequal number of divisions between each diatonic step, you must specify trill intervals based on their octave divisions, as specifying only the interval quality is insufficient in such cases.