what is the term for this on the piano?

Question

it's kinda like a trill, but you go down from a note to another note.

what is it?!
it has the trill mark!

Answer 1

If it has a trill mark it's a trill. However, your question is unclear and the answer could be one of several things:

1 There is a small note before the main one with the trill mark over it. This note can be at a pitch above or below (or sometimes even a pitch further away still) the main note. This note is an 'acciaccatura' (or a 'crush note') and is played very quickly before the note it precedes. Whether this acciaccatura is voiced just before or on the beat depends on the context and the type of music being played. This sign might also be editorial, indictating that, in music from a certain era (eg the Baroque), trills start on the note above the main one, rather than the note itself.

2 It might be a mordent as the others have said. This is a horizontal zig-zag sign above a note and indicates that you quickly play the main note, the note above and revert to the main note for the remainder of the value of that note.

3 It might be an inverted mordent (as above but with a line through it halfway along). In this case, you plan the main note, the note BELOW and then revert to the main note for the remainder of the value of that note.

4 It might be a 'turn'. At first glance, you might mistake this for a kind of trill sign. A 'turn' is like a 'S' on its side over a note. When you see one of these, you play very quickly the main note, the note above, the main note again and then the note below, finally reverting to the main note once more for the remainder of the value of the note.

5 It might be an inverted turn. As above but with a line through it halfway along. When you see an inverted turn, you play very quickly the main note, the note below, the main note again and then the note above, finally reverting to the main note for the remainder of the value of the note.

I hope you recognise your scenario as one of these possibilities.

The trick is to ask your question as clearly and unambiguously as you can. That way, you're more likely to get the right answer.

Answer 2

It's called a mordent.

Wikipedia has a good defintion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordent

The actual symbol for a mordent differs from a trill in that it has a vertical line going through it.

Answer 3

It seems to exist but can't remember....call a music teacher or a piano teacher at your local music store. Mordent has a different marking...from Bach era.

Answer 4

mordent