Tremolo is a musical effect that refers to the rapid repetition or change of notes. It can also refer to a change in pitch volume. When it comes to pitch, the first step is to repeatedly play a single note or chord. Tremolo is achieved on members of the violin family rapidly moving the bow back and forth across the string; they play the note or chord without changing fingerings. Replucking a string on an instrument like a guitar or mandolin is usually done with a pick. Rolls on percussion instruments are another example of this type of tremolo.
Fingered tremolos are tremolos that are not single-note or chord tremolos and are very similar to trills. A trill, on the other hand, is a quick switch between pitches that are half or whole steps apart. Intervals of at least a minor third or more are used in a fingered tremolo. These tremolos are most commonly found on keyboard instruments, but they can also be found on other instruments. Because the pitch on a brass instrument is defined the formation of the lips and mouth cavity — that is, the player’s embouchure — in addition to the valves used, brass players often have the most difficulty performing these tremolos well.
Composers must be able to tell musicians when to use tremolo in terms of music notation. Composers can do this simply writing “tremolo” or the abbreviation “trem.” above the staff. Composers in modern notation, on the other hand, use slashes to further clarify their desire for the effect. For 16th notes, the composer draws one slash through the note stem or stem area, two slashes for eighth notes, and three slashes for greater values on a single-note or chord tremolo.
The notation for fingered tremolos is a little more complicated. The composer must write both pitches involved, which can give the impression that the measure has more beats than it actually does. For example, if the effect was to last two beats, the composer would have to write a half note for the first pitch and another half note for the second pitch. Then he joins the two pitches with bars that work similarly to the strokes in single-note or chord tremolos. The bars are between the notes but do not touch them, distinguishing them from the musical beams that define the note’s duration.
Tremolo, on the other hand, is a technique for making a pitch louder or softer quickly rather than repeating the same pitches or pitches. To achieve this effect, musicians frequently use electronic systems. These amplitude tremolos can also be made with amplifiers.
Tremolo is frequently confused with vibrato. One or more constant frequencies are involved in the first term. The second entails very small frequency shifts, or pitch shifts. The use of special effects arms on guitars contributes to the confusion. Despite the fact that they change volume, or amplitude, rather than frequency, these are referred to as “vibrato arms.”