Dave's Tex - Mex, Tejano, Conjunto Site for the Diatonic Button Accordion - Ahora Bilingüe

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Trinos and Apoyaturas

click here to play apoyatura video

Apoyaturas
Apoyaturas are helping notes.  It would be the equivalent of sliding up to a note on a guitar.  This can be done with single notes but is also common when you play third intervals on the same row.  It can be done with sixes or intervals that span two rows too.  Find the note which is a semi-tone  below the note(s) you are going to and "slide" into the destination note or interval from the "apoyatura" note.
Example: F4 C67
Just quickly touch the F4 on your way to the C67.
Now you can add Trinos and Apoyaturas to any melody and it sounds very Tejano.
 

click here to play video

El Trino
El trino is a great technique that is basically a triplet, which gives a very Norteña or Tejano sound.  This can be done with sixes or thirds but is easier with the thirds. To start lets look at the scale of G in thirds. 
There are basically two shapes in any scale in thirds. The shape that spans two rows: F3C6 or two notes on the same row: G67. 
To explain the Trino, look at thirds on one row.  The trino is a quick triplet played using the third with a whole tone note added.
Example: G67 C6 G67
Practice this while counting four beats
  ****1                     2                  3                    4
G67 C6 G67  G67 C6 G67 G67 C6 G67  G67 C6 G67
Note:  Obviously this position can be transposed when using the C and G row.  You will not have the note you need when working with the F row.
Practice this until you have it fast and then try adding it to
a melody like "Las Mañanitas"
Note:  This is also great to combine with apoyaturas (grace notes).
Hope that works for everyone.
Stoney