How to Draw a Trill
In sheet music notation, a trill indicates that the musician should play a rapid alternation of the trilled note and the note either above or below it. The trill sits above the staff; the length of the note underneath the trill indicates the length of time for which the musician should play the trill. The composer generally leaves the other aspects of the trill, including its speed and dynamics, up to the musician's discretion. If you want to add a trill to a piece of music that you've composed, draw one of three symbols above the note that you want the musician to trill.
Instructions
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1
Draw a "tr." symbol above the note that you want the player to trill. Use lowercase letters, and include the period at the end.
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2
Indicate a trill by drawing a short wavy horizontal line above the note. The line usually has four to six "waves" in it and looks something like this: /\/\/\/
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3
Include both the "tr." symbol and the wavy line above the note. Using both symbols ensures that a musician who is accustomed to one symbol doesn't pause when encountering the other.