

In the case of semibreves ( whole notes), which lack stems, the strokes or slashes are drawn above or below the note, where the stem would be if there were one.īecause there is ambiguity as to whether an unmeasured tremolo or regular repeated demisemiquavers ( thirty-second notes) should be played, the word tremolo or the abbreviation trem., is sometimes added. Generally, there are three strokes, except on notes which already have beams or flags: quavers ( eighth notes) then take two additional slashes, and semiquavers ( sixteenth notes) take one. In musical notation, tremolo is usually notated as regular repeated demisemiquavers ( thirty-second notes), using strokes through the stems of the notes. There is some speculation that tremolo was employed in medieval Welsh harp music, as indicated in the transcription by Robert ap Huw.
Musescore tremolo series#
But it must be said that, unless violinists have wholly lost the art of this particular stroke, the result is disappointing and futile in the extreme," though it has been suggested that rather than as a legato stroke it was done as a series of jetés. The undulating tremolo was produced through the fingers of the right hand alternately exerting and relaxing pressure upon the bow to create a "very uncertain–undulating effect. Four other types of historical tremolos include the obsolete undulating tremolo, the bowed tremolo, the fingered tremolo (or slurred tremolo), and the bowed-and-fingered tremolo. However, it was not till the time of Gluck that the real tremolo became an accepted method of tone production. The measured tremolo, presumably played with rhythmic regularity, was invented to add dramatic intensity to string accompaniment and contrast with regular tenuto strokes. Tremolo effects pedals are also widely used to achieve this effect.Īlthough it had already been employed as early as 1617 by Biagio Marini and again in 1621 by Giovanni Battista Riccio, the bowed tremolo was invented in 1624 by the early 17th-century composer Claudio Monteverdi, and, written as repeated semiquavers ( sixteenth notes), used for the stile concitato effects in Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda.

Electronic tremolo effects were available on many early guitar amplifiers. True tremolo for an electric guitar, electronic organ, or any electronic signal would normally be produced by a simple amplitude modulation electronic circuit.

However, the term "trem" or "tremolo" is still used to refer to a bridge system built for a whammy bar, or the bar itself. This non-standard use of the term "tremolo" refers to pitch rather than amplitude. Some electric guitars use a (misnamed) lever called a "tremolo arm" or " whammy bar" that allows a performer to lower or (usually, to some extent) raise the pitch of a note or chord, an effect properly termed vibrato or "pitch bend". A vocal technique involving a wide or slow vibrato, not to be confused with the trillo or "Monteverdi trill".An imitation of the same by strings in which pulsations are taken in the same bow direction.Using electronic effects in guitar amplifiers and effects pedals which rapidly turn the volume of a signal up and down, creating a "shuddering" effect.A roll on any percussion instrument, whether tuned or untuned.Ī second type of tremolo is a variation in amplitude:.Mallet instruments such as the marimba are capable of either method. Between two notes or chords in alternation, an imitation (not to be confused with a trill) of the preceding that is more common on keyboard instruments.Tremolo playing sustains notes that would otherwise rapidly decay (fade to silence). Tremolo picking, on traditionally plucked string instruments including guitar and mandolin, is the rapid articulation of single notes or a group of notes with a plectrum (pick) or with fingers. Of a single note, particularly used on bowed string instruments, by rapidly moving the bow back and forth plucked strings such as on a harp, where it is called bisbigliando ( Italian pronunciation: ) or "whispering".In music, tremolo ( Italian pronunciation: ), or tremolando ( ), is a trembling effect. Video of a tremolo effect pedal, producing a cycling variation of volume, played with an electric guitar
