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The voiced uvular fricative [ʁ] is nowadays the common pronunciation of "r" in High German. The uvular trill [R] is used if you want to emphasize the "r", or if you want to achieve a clear pronunciation in a more formal speech or conversation. In most contexts it is harder to speak and thus avoided. Both originated from a weakening of the alveolar thrill ...

Hochdeutsch is the description for the contemporary standard version of German, they way the language is usually written and spoken. Therefore, it is also the easiest variation to learn, because if you look for exercise books, they will cover most probably Hochdeutsch instead of a dialect.

According to german wikipedia] uvular trill [R] is used as the standard pronounciation in Schweiz, Siebenbürgen, Bayern, Österreich, Südtirol and part of Norddeutschlands. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stimmhafter_alveolarer_Vibrant I'm from austria myself and only use it in classical singing or in very formal public speech: its used in "stage german" ...