Table of Contents
Notation reference
Trills
Trills are fast alternations between two notes, similar to a tremolo, that were a common decoration in Baroque, Classical, and Romantic music. Trill marks are usually added to a single note, to indicate the performed notes are the notated pitch and the note either a half-step or whole step above, and can have extension lines to show the duration of the trill.
Trills in playback
Dorico Pro plays back trills by using a combination of sampled trills, when available, and triggering multiple notes.
Changing the starting pitch of trills
By default in Dorico Pro, trills start on the lower note, which is usually the written note. However, the accepted practice in Baroque and Classical music is to start trills on the upper note. You can change the starting pitch of trills individually.

Changing the starting pitch of trills

By default in Dorico Pro, trills start on the lower note, which is usually the written note. However, the accepted practice in Baroque and Classical music is to start trills on the upper note. You can change the starting pitch of trills individually.

Prerequisite

The lower zone is shown.
Properties is selected in the lower zone toolbar.
If you are in Engrave mode, Graphic Editing is selected in the Engrave toolbox.

Procedure

Select the trills whose starting note you want to change. You can do this in Write mode and Engrave mode.
In the Properties panel, activate Start on upper note in the Trills group.
Activate/Deactivate the corresponding checkbox.

Result

The selected trills start on the upper note when the checkbox is activated, and on the lower note when the checkbox is deactivated.

When the property is deactivated, trills follow your project-wide setting for the starting pitch of trills.

Tip

You can change the default starting pitch of all trills project-wide on the Trills page in Playback Options.