Continuous vibrato

March 12, 2009 at 5:04 AM

I'm getting very frustrated with vibrato. Something that I longed to do when I first started violin, yet I hate to do them now, because they are so hard. I'm very jealous of people where vibrato happened to them "overnight". I had the urge to do vibrato only a few months after I started, watched alot of video, read about, and felt dyslexic when adding the bow hand together. Now, I've officially been taught vibrato by my teacher, I'm much better than before, but the only decent vibrato that comes out are from 2nd and 3rd finger, 4th is weak, but at least it's vibrating, first finger is just pathetic.

What is more frustrating to me is that, my vibrato is not continuous. I'm practing vibrato using The Swan from The carnival of the animals (holding it like a violin, not like a cello!!), and my teacher told me to do wide vibrato on quarter notes and longer. I just can't do them. I can only do it when notes are longer than half note or the note is at the end of a phrase. :(

I want to cry!!

From Laurie Niles
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 5:40 AM

Don't cry, baby. Shake it. Your left hand, that is. Get your 10,000 in, and then see if it starts to feel natural!

From PM Rolf
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 5:45 AM

You mean after 10,000 times, it will become natural, Laurie!?!? LOL, i sure will practice, it's just very frustrating...

From Elizabeth Musil
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 8:58 AM

Rolf, looks like we're in the about the same boat.......my developing vibrato is horribly weak and inconsistent, and its very very very frustrating!!! And I also have trouble sustaining it for more than a half note or even getting a vibrato not at the end of a phrase. I've found though that the vibrato works a little bit better if I play from memory/sound instead of using music - I think I am listening more and hearing the note before I play it instead of analyzing and thinking "on this note I need to do vibrato," which makes me more tense. The most frustrating thing was that earlier in the week on a good practice day, I was suddenly able to do vibrato on all fingers, all strings first position - it just felt natural - and I thought, "yes, now I have it!" nope. next day - nada, nothing, zilch, back to ground zero. It's enough to make one scream, or kick off your slippers against the wall. :D Like Laurie said, keep shakin', and we will conquer!!

From al ku
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 2:10 PM

pm, one of your recent posts indicates that you are playing in a community orchestra. it feels like just yesterday that you first started learning the darn thing. while you made that giant leap in no time, many of us are wasting my lives away:). can i join you in the cry? :)

let's face it,,,vibrato takes time, no one can learn it that fast that good. well, may be you.

one suggestion: increase number of movement of the first joint daily while you are not on the violin. since there is really no reason to move that first joint like that in real life in your life up to now, it takes a little getting used to. it is odd,,,it is physically awkward. it is spastic and our reflex is to control it, to fight it.

you can do the motion on your leg or on the table while you scroll the mouse with your right hand, you can do it watching tv by pretending the back of your right hand is the fingerboard, you can do it at work here and there if it is ok,,,,whenever your left hand is free, do it!

the more you do it, the more relexed the entire hand will be, the better the chance you will get it on the violin soon.

ps, if you do cry, what is a good violin tune to cry to?

From PM Rolf
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 3:17 PM

Elizabeth, I know what you mean exactly, and we are definately in the same, if not, similiar boat! I remember during my sectional rehearsal, we were playing one of the movement of the Vivaldi Gloria and it has this long sustained 4 bars of F#, and i attempted to add vibrato as usual, and voila, it was continous and beautiful. I thought I got it but it's like russel roulette!!

Al, actually, I gotta admit that I watch your daughters youtube video alot, she is so cute and such a good player, I see her progress SO MUCH throughout these years and just thought, how could someone so young play so well!! It was her accolay performance when I saw those beautiful vibrato and said to myself, shake it just like her! Except that it doesn't work on my old wrist. I am very glad to play in the orchestra though, there are many many people in the orchestra that are helpful, willing to spend time to coach and teach us outside of rehearsal time, I am very very lucky!

From al ku
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 3:41 PM

sweet of you to say that. we all need some source of inspiration, even iffy one:) with time, she is moving away from just quivering to vibrato but it will take time to develop good control.

anyway, to reach your definition of "continuous" vibrato, you may need to do, say, 15 motions/rocking in one bow, but you can only do 5 comfortably and when you try to go on from 6, it becomes a physical struggle because basically, it is not happening. it gets tired and tight. but THAT IS OK!

work on that 5 to see if they are good quality 5. with any physical maneuver, when you are not ready, back off and don't push because it is counterproductive and often leads to bad form or injury.

work on going from 5 to 6 gradually. then 7, so on so on. from 6 to 15 sounds a lot, but not really if you take it slow, gauged it by progress, not by time or others' standards. (i can understand in an orchestra, the peer influence may prompt you to speed up the learning curve)

day after day after day before you know it:)

there are many sources of good teaching on youtube,,,here is one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZhnj3HFYOE

ps. often, watching clips like this makes intuitive sense. but it takes repeated watching to really sink it in...

From Elizabeth Musil
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 9:05 PM

Rolf, Im really glad you posted this blog. There are already some helpful tips here - anyone else have any advice?

From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 10:01 PM

I don't agree that doing it 10 000 times the same way will help. (not directed at all towards Laurie who was also trying to cheer you up!) To do faster vibratos on quarter notes, you need to practice what I call the (amorce or starting of vibratos). It's like a little electrical courant that comes from the (finger tip mostly) with all most no pression! You must be able to control these amorces at will and that is what is difficult! This "feel of the finger tip" can be taugh by rolling it back and fourth (never higher than the actual pitch you are on though) with almost no pression and doing the largest wave possibles (a wave is when the sound bends from ok, a little lower than the pitch, ok, a little lower than the pitch and so on) If the wave are not large ennough, the people will see that your hand shakes but we will not hear the vibrato! That is a common mistake especially amongst girls that have tiny finger tips like me! We have to pay special attention and if not, the vibrato is too narrow and ugly. It then sounds like a goat because there is too much tension in our hands! And this is torture but move the bow the slowest you can. It teaches to your hands to be independant. Because one goes quite fast (the one who vibrates) and the other one goes slow. This is not natural for the body but you have to teach it this because when you vibrate on long notes, your bow has to be really slow even if your other hand goes fast... So, no vibrato is not a shaking thing. I prefer to see it as a fast continual "bending" of the sound from on the pitch and a little lower. To learn this "electrical courant" that starts the vibrato, I do little short bow strokes fast ennough and keep a note pressed. Each time the bow changes direction, make a vibrato. It is efficient to learn reflexes in fast notes like quarter notes!

Hope it works! Also ask your teacher to be clear on what type of vibrato you are doing! (is it wrtist, arm, etc) Normally, the first one to be learn is wrist with emphasis on the rolling of the finger tip but it's hard to explain clearly on the net! One thing is sure, if you have big finger tips and a good teacher, you should get out with a beautiful vibrato one day!

good luck!

Anne-Marie

From PM Rolf
Posted on March 13, 2009 at 5:52 AM

Oh, I'm sorry, by continuous vibrato, I mean when the notes are slurred...sorry i wasn't clear

From Mendy Smith
Posted on March 14, 2009 at 6:30 AM

PM -

If it is any consolation, it took me over a year to learn the rudaments of vibrato, and like you it started with the 2nd & 3rd fingers. The 4th took more time, and I'm STILL struggling with 1st in lower position on lower strings. Continuous vibrato is FINALLY starting to happen, but that was only after I was laid off and was practicing several hours a day every day. Keep at it and don't get discouraged.

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Continuous vibrato

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