Further Vibrato Myths

January 29, 2015 at 05:31 PM · No one person can claim to know everything about vibrato. Vibrato has fascinated the most famous musicians for centuries. It is a profoundly personal ability, and is what gives the player the same distinction as the voice does to the speaker.

I disagree with the idea expressed elsewhere, that there is no 'wrist' vibrato. Too many eminent teachers have contradicted this in the past, by teaching and writing about 'finger', 'wrist', and 'arm' vibrato.

I also disagree with the idea that purely natural vibrato is never any good; that it must be taught.

The number of times I have personally been congratulated on my "beautiful" vibrato outnumbers all other favourable comments regarding my playing (whether a good or bad thing!), and I can safely say, that my vibrato was entirely self-taught, albeit it with the help of the writings of many famous teachers. Six months after starting violin lessons I achieved ABRSM GRADE IV (WITH MERIT). Written on the examiner's report are the words "Franck possesses the most delightful vibrato".

Later, I learned from my teacher, the eminent Hungarian violinist Nicholas Roth, how to teach vibrato to a pupil within 15 minutes, and always guarantee success. I shall not disclose this method here, but pupils of mine have all managed to develop an almost instant vibrato technique as a result, which remains with them always. Furthermore, this seems to be easier to grasp than most aspects of technique, provided the pupil is able to relax (that seems to be the main hurdle!). Too many methods actually teach, without realizing that vibrato is that most elusive of skills, instead of focussing on other

obvious considerations.

Whether or not players choose to play with 'continuous' vibrato, or not, depends on their own personal ways of expressing their music, unless they have been directed to play without vibrato. While vibrato definitely can be an aid to excellent intonation, I agree that this should be achievable without vibrato. Vibrato is meant to enhance one's sound, and not correct errors. Adjustment of pitch using vibrato doesn't fool many listeners into thinking that you have a fabulous sense of pitch.

About three years before his retirement, I listened to the virtuoso Aaron Rosand talk about vibrato during a radio broadcast BBC Radio 4. I have always admired Rosand's particular sound, and fascinated by what he had to say. He was of the opinion that the use of the shoulder rest is injurious to one's vibrato, because it causes the player to approach the strings with fingers set almost at a right angle to them. When playing without a shoulder rest, the fingers tend to point down the fingerboard towards the bridge. The resulting sound after his advice is quite different, and much improved. Try it for yourself! Unfortunately, I will never get used to playing without a shoulder rest. I cannot position the instrument securely, and without severe pain unless I use a shoulder rest. However, I have experimented and found to my astonishment, that when I recorded what I played onto mini disc, my sound (without shoulder rest) proved remarkably similar to that of Rosand's (even if my instrument's tone was different from his Guarneri's). The quality of one's vibrato varies according to one's health. It doesn't matter how satisfied you may be with your own vibrato, there are times when, however well you think you played, you may be dismayed by what you hear if it is played back to you.

Throughout my full-time playing career, I have never received unfavourable comments about my vibrato. The only time I did, was while I was studying violin at college. The pupil who expressed that she "...hate the sound of your[= my] vibrato", as it turned out, had always wanted to be able to produce a good vibrato, but never could. In her mid-twenties, she gave up playing altogether. Some pupils from my college days now play with a completely different style of vibrato from that taught to them, and today play beautifully, even though I would not necessarily advocate their methods myself.

To insist on one style of vibrato over all others is rather like insisting on a particular fingering. What suits one person may not suit another. A good teacher will bear such things in mind.

By 'health' I also mean 'well-being' in the sense that one's playing is influenced by one's mood, as well as by other musicians who happen to be present at the time. If they are difficult to get on with, this will almost certainly reflect in your playing (I'm sure everyone knows this). Tone is one thing, but personal vibrato is what truly sets you apart from others. Technique and tone do not.

Replies (43)

January 29, 2015 at 05:45 PM · "He was of the opinion that the use of the shoulder rest is injurious to one's vibrato, because it causes the player to approach the strings with fingers set almost at a right angle to them. When playing without a shoulder rest, the fingers tend to point down the fingerboard towards the bridge. The resulting sound is quite different, and much improved. "

Whilst I agree about other comments you make about vibrato, I can't quite agree with the above quote. It is perfectly possible to point the fingers down the fingerboard (as suggested by one Ruggerio Ricci), when using a shoulder rest.

But I do agree there is such a thing as a natural vibrato and that it does not necessarily have to be taught.

January 29, 2015 at 07:08 PM · Greetings,

absolutely concur with most things here. Minor caveat is that , as the `great teacher>

` and writer Galamian and many others since pointed out it should be called a hand vibrato. My point about there being no hand vibrato is a little more subtle than the interpretation you choose to put on it..

There are indeed vibratos involving almost all movement of the hand and virtually no arm and if you wish to call that hand vibrato I think that is quite normal and rational. There do however appear to be some teachers who religiously try to block the accompanying inevitable minute response in the arm and vice versa which creates tension issues for the student.

A self taught vibrato is extremely rare. Not because it can`t be done but because vibrato is ultimately dependent on the ability of energy to flow freely from the back into the hand. Since self taught good posture, or even basic good posture in general is not as common as one could wish , the vibrato is also less than desirable.As you say, you know how to teach it and can get it within minutes because your students are well taught from the beginning. In such case sit is a non issue.

I don`t recall being insistent ( note the reference to opinions and belly buttons) that we all use the same type of vibrato, play the same way etc etc. . I do write to deliberately provoke feedback from good teachers at times and am very happy that such an eloquent response about the nature of art and vibrato was indeed the result.

Cheers,

buri

January 29, 2015 at 10:44 PM ·

January 30, 2015 at 06:02 AM · The 15 minute vibrato method could be impulse vibrato, which is when you simply bounce the string quickly enough to get a change in pitch and volume.

I got a vibrato in 2-3 minutes by doing this. The trick is that you must be completely relaxed all over, with no tension at all in any part of your body.

I learned it by holding the violin up without a shoulder rest, as this aids relaxation of the hands and arms because there is no way to squeeze anything (except maybe your hand :).

If done correctly, you will get a vibrato that resembles that of a singer.

To hear the most distinct forms of impulse vibrato, listen to recordings of Fritz Kreisler, Mischa Elman and Toscha Seidel.

Jascha Heifetz also used it, but would also vary it with some arm movement when he wanted a wider vibrato.

January 30, 2015 at 08:25 AM · My own "15 minute vibrato" is a forearm one, so A.O. and I together rather prove Franck's point!

After the "15 minutes", each student starts to find his/her own mixture of movements.

Some are so well set-up that they can do what their inner ear suggests, while others need taylor-made exercises, isolating arm, hand, and finger motion, to "pick'n'mix"..

January 30, 2015 at 09:01 AM · Well Gentlemen,

it seems you all have highly efficient and diverse methods of teaching vibrato in a short space of time. It`s wonderful to know that with the exception of the rare and gifted cases like that of the OP vibrato is being taught so well.

Which was my original point I believe....

Cheers,

Buri

January 30, 2015 at 11:32 AM · Vibrato is just an easy way to cover up bad intonation! (wink)

January 30, 2015 at 12:54 PM · If a violinist uses vibrato to "cover up" bad intonation then I think there is an implication that the player is sufficiently aware of the bad intonation that vibrato is needed to mask it. If the vibrato is free enough to be viable then the further implication is that the violinist already has a degree of relaxation which should enable immediate correction of the bad note on the fly, as Heifetz apparently was able to do so quickly that nobody noticed.

By "bad intonation" I'm referring specifically to the occasional misplaced note that we are all liable to; chronic bad intonation is fundamentally different and requires an immediate return to basic listening exercises and ear training.

January 30, 2015 at 01:20 PM · I'm really just throwing a spanner into the works to cause a bit of mahem!

BUT, I do think there is a lot of ******** talked about when it comes to VIBRATO. So I would like to widen the deabate a little before my allotted time with V Com comes to an end in a couple of days.

As usual I'm just biting at the edges to get some good responses - hopefully!

January 30, 2015 at 06:56 PM · I taught vibrato to a student and within 3 minutes it was working. After another 4 minutes it was consistently connecting between notes and varying speeds. However, I won't tell you my method. It is a secret.

January 30, 2015 at 07:18 PM · Prunes?

January 30, 2015 at 07:39 PM · ...and every student who ever mastered vibrato via this 3-15 minute method has disappeared, never to be heard from again!

Coincidence? You be the judge...

January 30, 2015 at 09:09 PM · Prunes?

No, you can only do vibrato fartissimo with that method.

January 30, 2015 at 09:40 PM · As a beginner I mastered the rarely talked about "bow vibrato". My bow would shake as I drew a note, giving a warbling, pulsating tone that would have brought tears to he eyes of Bach himself.

January 30, 2015 at 11:29 PM · Greetings,

snowing like crazy now so since I can`t sit outside in my bikini I will write my last will and testament on this subject (at least until next time....)

A talented child goes to a good teacher and is well set up from the beginning. Within a very short time frame, often abour six months, the child may well demonstrate an innate desire to vibrate. They may well produce a basic vibrato of sorts, since the actual sound/movement is not hard to emulate . It is a big step forward in the child`s expressive level and the teacher may indeed choose to leave well alone for a while and let it develop with the child`s natural inclination.

On the other hand they may choose to offer some technical hints to nudge the level up a bit. Such things might included releasing the finger pressure on the backward movement to some extent. A vibrato that keeps continual pressure on the string is, like it or not a source of tension in the long run, and the slight release is easy enough to show such a child. the child now has two types of vibrato at their disposal. The teacher may encourage the student to sustain the vibrato across notes or try to match the fourth finger sound to hat produced by the third finger.

Has this vibrato been taught? Hard to say. the teacher is certainly teaching the student important aspects of the vibrato so it would be hard to claim outright that such a child taught themselves vibrato but the converse is also true.

A crummy teacher might well decided that the child had better learn hand instead of the arm oriented vibrato they are doing because it is what they learnt from their teacher. Now the vibrato is being untaught! A truly masterful interference.

Take another case from The Violin Lesson. Simon is teaching an established professional cellist about vibrato and they are amazed by the concept that vibrato can be a clear , rhythmical impulse rather than just a wobble stuck on top of the sound. Admittedly vibrato is easier on the cello, but this person is a very typical `self taught` vibrato. It is acceptable both to the average listener and many professional musicians too. Presumably if it wa snot she would not have a job. However, not ever having had and deep guidance on vibrato this player has never had the tools to fully express her innate musicianship and creativity. Did she have a vibrato? Sort of. was it sophisticated and versatile? No. So one can hardly say this supports the argument that people do develop good vibrato without being taught and I would respectfully suggest this kind of case is pretty typical.

The teacher sinflcited on me before I went to music college told me virtually nothing about vibrato aside from admonitions to use more and the like which don`t teach the necessary skills. Why is this kind of teaching standard? Because those teachers themselves were never given a diversified understanding of the different types of vibrato and how to practice them. They then pass on this assumption about vibrato just developing (probably throwing in a little wiping and rhythm practice in the better cases cases) through generations of teachers. This makes the case perhaps that vibrato should be taught IE analyzed in detail not for the benefit of the player receiving that wisdom at that moment, but so that they realize that in the future, when they are teaching a less gifted student they can show the different types of vibrato, how to develop them. They might also be made aware that as one becomes older the vibrato is one of the first aspects of technique to begin deterioration. This can be nullified by daily practice of vibrato exercises for a few minutes. Such practice also continues to develop at any age the artistic tools at the disposal of the musician.

Does the average teenager, college grad or professional know and do all these exercises? Not usually..... And if you don`t like that it`s interesting to consider another amusing but sad point Simon makes in The Violin Lesson. Almost every student you ever meet has (virtually) never experimented with different finger placement to produce different colors and types of vibrato sound.

So all in all, even for the best case scenarios , vibrato has to be developed by the teacher and is best explained in some epth as part of an on going dialogue.

And we haven`t even considered the more usual cases of self taught people who finally realize they need a teacher for the awful complexities of the violin but have accrued so many bad habits in the interim there is no alternative but to get rid of a faulty vibrato altogether for some time before coming back to it and teaching it properly.

Cheers,

buri

January 31, 2015 at 07:31 AM · Quite often the ability to develop a good natural vibrato which can be artistically applied is hindered by other problems such as tension in the head/kneck, the left arm and shoulder etc.

These have to be corrected before the student can even begin to understand let alone develop a good vibrato. I have had one or two advanced students who have asked to have their vibrato sorted out without realising that they have big tension problems just holding the violin up and having a relaxed left hand.

Once these problems have been eradicated then teaching a good natural vibrato is easy as it can happen naturaly.

January 31, 2015 at 11:57 PM · Personally, I've spent a long time trying to development a good vibrato. For a long time I just used some kind of rudimentary instinctive vibrato technique that was stiff, narrow, and uncontrolled. After years more of trying to learn it correctly, I'm only beginning to have something that seems mechanically sound, easy, and suitable for my ears.

There's so many unnatural elements to it: sense of balancing the neck on the thumb, sense of how to redistribute the contact point on your fingers, where and how to distribute energy so that the right joints bend and you don't expend energy shaking the violin, moving up the fingerboard, or being stiff.

All of these parts required very slow and deliberate practice, and a lot of experimentation to figure out the basic mechanics of what I should even be practicing.

I'm not about to say that none of this can be natural to anyone, but I would marvel to see it.

I'm wondering if you didn't have to go through the same slow and deliberate learning?

I didn't have much help from teachers in any of this (any some of the advice I've gotten was bad), but I too consulted other resources. I suppose that this is just semantics, but I wouldn't consider saying I didn't need to be taught.

February 1, 2015 at 06:55 AM · My own story I suppose...

My first teacher decided, upon my fifth year of studies, that I should begin the long, apparently painfully tedious journey of developing a proper vibrato. I subscribed to her methods zealously, which were, in essence, starting with a very slow, simplified version of a vibrato (i.e. rolling of the finger, proper thumb placement, loose wrist, etc) and speeding up while maintaining those points into an ultimately textbook correct vibrato.

By the end of the first week, my ten year old self excitedly displayed what I felt what was a definitely acceptable vibrato. She watched for a few seconds, shook her head, tapping my elbow and then wrist. "More movement down here. Not up there."

At first I was a little dismayed but eager to get it correct. and so it went, week after week. The more I worked at it, the more of a predicament it seemed to turn into. My "right" vibrato was stilted, uneven, and dissatisfying to both my teacher and myself. When I was not in lessons I would immediately gravitate towards the "wrong" vibrato, feeling that somehow this was exactly correct, at least for myself. I could not feel a discernable difference from the rare occasion of when I'd perform the arm vibrato demanded of me correctly, versus when I'd vibrato comfortably, other than that the former was plain unnatural. So months went on, the issue touched upon less and less each lesson until it became what felt like a bad spot on my technique.

Then I switched teachers, to the one I still study under today. He has helped me tremendously with my spotty technique. However, the one thing he has not even mentioned these past few years? My vibrato. The first trial day I played for him, the first thing he said after a particular passage was (direct quote) "beautiful vibrato, perfect".

(I was walking on air that following week.)

So now I realize, looking back, that my old teacher, while definitely meaning well, was trying to teach the vibrato she knew best, conventionally known as "arm" vibrato, while my wayward self had been firmly entrenched in "hand" vibrato from the start. It bears mentioning that my current teacher does not use either of these terms; when he teaches vibrato he mainly looks for proper tone production and general good posture.

Anyhow, my long two cents on this topic.

February 1, 2015 at 11:36 AM · When we meet another teacher, even briefly,

- we seem to learn more in one hour than in the preceding years;

- we accept advice that our former/main teacher has been giving for years, to no avail;

- new advice works well because it builds on previously acquired skills.

I suppose being a first teacher is a bit like being a parent...

February 1, 2015 at 08:04 PM · Adrian's comment above reminds me of a student I had a number of years ago. He pushed his left wrist out away from him towards the scroll considerably. I said to him that if he persisted with this position he would probably end up with tendonitis. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get him to change this. So guess what? He developed tendonitis. When he graduated he went on to get an MM. He telephoned me at some point and I asked him about the tendonitis. He enthusiastically said that it was gone, and it was so simple to fix, and the new teacher told him to relax his left wrist inward. I didn't question him further. I just said, that's great! Oh well at least I can teach vibrato in 7 minutes, but of course that is a secret method.

February 1, 2015 at 10:09 PM · When I have more time and patience I hope to seriously get into some of my ideas about vibrato. (Then again, I might keep it a secret!) But for now, inspired by all these secret instant vibrato methods, I heard this story about the equally mysterious STACCATO:

Joseph Gingold, while studying with the great Ysaye, disappointed his master by revealing that he had no Staccato. "But where is your staccato?" inquired Le Maitre. "I know", said G. "I have no staccato. I don't know what to do." "Don't worry" said Y, "I'll give you a staccato: Put your bow on the string." Y did as he was told. "Are you ready?" asked Y. "Yes" said G. "Now...GO!!!!!!" he suddenly screamed. G got so nervous and startled that his bow went - with a good staccato!

February 1, 2015 at 11:52 PM · teachers: please don't be dismayed when your student achieves "success" by following someone's advice that boils down to exactly what you've been telling them for years. It's not necessarily a reflection on you, or a sign of a stubborn student. Sometimes we students are just not ready to learn what you're teaching us. Then one day, sometimes years later, we hear it in a slightly different way, or maybe even the same way, and we "get it" because we are finally ready to learn.

February 2, 2015 at 01:34 PM · That is SO TRUE!

February 2, 2015 at 03:45 PM · Karen,

The story goes that when Dorothy Delay was still an assistant of Galamian's, she related to him that one of her students just didn't seem to understand what she was asking the student to fix. Galamian replied, "wait a year."

February 3, 2015 at 03:34 AM · 7 - 15 minutes? I can teach vibrato in 0 minutes.

Here's how:

The student watches carefully, sneaks home and figures it out for him or herself. Then they utilize it in a piece at their lesson, with a most proud look: Surprise!

I've had several cheeky ones do that over the years. I did it too, although my first teacher spent about 5 minutes getting it better.

Seriously though, a strong visual and aural role model helps tremendously.

February 3, 2015 at 04:35 PM · Monkey look, monkey listen, monkey do.

The oldest teaching method in the world.

February 3, 2015 at 10:17 PM · This reminds me of the saying that if you give several thousand monkies a typewriter each they may eventually write the entire works of Shakespeare.

On the other hand give one monkey a typewriter and in a few days he/she might write the entire output of Jeffrey Archer.

February 3, 2015 at 10:32 PM · I think you will find that to actually be the case.

Burp

February 4, 2015 at 10:34 AM · But...finger vibratos are so pretty. My arm vibratos are so ugly. I wants a finger vibrato.

Not to mention that if you have an arm vibrato and you're up high on the fingerboard, the whole violin shakes and my bow wobbles.

Obviously I'm a bad violinist. Thanks...

February 5, 2015 at 04:05 PM · John,

First point:

As a venerable, but certainly not esteemed, expert (wink) I feel (that was cautious!) that vibrato can be very variable, inside one note, or from one note to another. Even Heifetz'z insistent vibrato was subtly modulated.

Personally (being cautious, again) in a legato, expressive passage, a little "bulge" of vibrato on each note can be either touching or irritating; I usually try to vibrate through such a phrase, with this continuous vibrato varying in speed and intensity. Otherwise we (may) get a sort of Hammond Organ vibrato which makes me feel abit billious..

Second Point:

Teachers, even venerable ones, tend to teach badly, if at all, those aspects which they theselves found easy.

February 6, 2015 at 01:45 PM · If you don't use a chin rest then the wood of the violin merely resting on the collar bone should not cause any wear and tear problems. If you use a center-mounted chin rest then there could be a problem - of comfort or otherwise - with the flat metal bar of the chin rest coming into contact with the collar bone. My solution is to wrap the metal bar round with a strip of thin chamois, thereby avoiding metal-skin contact.

My center-mounted chin rest on my other violin has, instead of a metal bar, independently adjustable separate feet (gold-plated). For some reason they don't cause any contact problems with my collar bone and don't need covering.

February 6, 2015 at 01:54 PM · I think my problem comes from the need to tilt the viola at 45° in order to play on the the C-string with my very short pinky (and with a broader vibrato). The lower edge crosses my collarbone at one point only,so the pressure is intense. I "clamp" much less by balancing on the shoulder instead.

But collarbones are as different as noses!

And school blazers, silky collared dinner-jackets (tuxedos?) with starched shirts, and winter pullovers (jumpers, sweaters?) make my collarbone inaccessible.

August 31, 2016 at 09:13 PM · I think there is not a better way to learn a good vibrato as to know as many exercises as possible and approach it from different sides if one doesn't work. As a teacher when it comes to vibrato every student is so different, that there can't be one way.

I will cover this topic on my youtube channel now, since I know many people out there have difficulties with their teachers personal approach on vibrato. If you are interested, I could also really need some feedback on my english! I will share the video with you, when its ready.

The video is ready, tell me your ideas please!

September 14, 2016 at 10:02 PM · Here I go again, if you are interested in some exercises, come watch my video on Youtube. Not exaclty about myths, but i try to be straight forward and helpful. If you have suggestions, please let me know. Enjoy:

September 15, 2016 at 05:04 PM · Vibrato is an interesting phenomena. If a string player lacks a good vibrato, they're dead in the water. But in order to have one, the player has to WANT it. Yes, the player has to have to proper musculature (not everyone does) and usually a teacher to show them (though not always). But a missing element in the lives of many young players is exposure to violinists with a great vibrato. I know from questioning my students that in spite of the ready access to so many great recordings, many just don't listen to much, except for perhaps the Suzuki CDS. I see some of my students regularly at concerts, but not most. I'll ask what violinist they like, and often they shrug. The ones that do have a favorite are likely to only know about younger violinists on the scene, many of whom have a generic Delay vibrato compared to older, more diverse schools of playing.

I'll say it again: you have to WANT to emulate a great sound, and not just do it because teacher tells you to. I see it as resembling two sports that have a strongly aesthetic aspect: tennis and skiing. People who are exposed to these sports tend to imitate the moves required to have a beautiful serve or precisely carved turns. You can tell a tennis student to extend the arm or whatever, but they have to see the great pros at work, and be obsessed with doing what they see. Even bowling is like this: no one takes bowling lessons--they just watch the hot shot on the next lane and try to emulate.

September 19, 2016 at 10:27 PM · I have the intentional habit to play with my students, who are not so far with their technique, without vibrato, if I show them things on my violin. That way they concentrate on what I am showing them other than concentrate on this funny wobbling I do with my hands. ;) I encourage them to listen to good players, but many just seem to know lindsey stirling and David Garrett. But what can a teacher do... Usually the students who develop an nice vibrato cometo me and ask me how to learn vibrato and then they chase their goal until they achieve it. Some give up because of impatience and lazyness unfortunately. But developing vibrato is a deciding point in every violinists life. Because there is only so much a teacher can do for you there, in the end you will have to discover it on your own.

Being exposed to good vibrato is very important. To compensate for the lack of vibrato in my lessons with beginners, I encourage them to come to concerts, where I and other teachers play for the students and their parents. Of course a good portion of good vibrato from the teacher will not harm any lesson. But its the topping on the cake. Most of the time I have to work on other more basic stuff with my students... unfortunately I must say. Developing a good vibrato is an much more exciting journey than correcting wrong rhythm and intonation is :D

September 19, 2016 at 11:49 PM · @Simon What's the issue with David Garrett...

September 20, 2016 at 12:49 AM · His shows are tasteless and flashy to my ears and eyes. For a fine player like him, he sold himself for the fast buck. I don't blame him for that, but wouldn't suggest him as a role model to someone who wants to learn the craft of playing the violin. But certainly he is not worse than Lindsay Stirling.

They are both great entertainers though, differently gifted and trained, but there is only a little bit one can take away from them musically. And for me it is sometimes to learn, what NOT to do from them.

I feel sad, that David Garrett doesn't play classical stuff anymore regularly. I once heard, that orchestras ask him frequently to play with them, but the fees are too small... I think thats only part of the truth though and that his management is more concerned, what classical music lovers and critiques will say about his performance of a beethoven or saint saens, when he gets sloppy in between all his pop music and show manierisms. Certainly he could play those concertos, but the question is how... and after all, he wouldn't do it because his pop shows sell better. Did I make myself clear? Its not easy to differentiate good in english.

September 20, 2016 at 03:00 AM · I'll agree I'm not the biggest fan of his pop shows. I am, however, a big fan of his crossover albums. Of course I don't try to model what he does, that would be incredibly counterproductive and pointless. However, he was my motivation to start, not that I ever aspire to be a musician, especially not a crossover one at that. I do love this recording of czards by him though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-mKgj7SW4E&list=RDd-mKgj7SW4E Definitely not the cleanest I will admit. But it has a lot of character.

Lindsey Stirling on the other hand... Piers Morgan said it best. I can not stand to listen to electrical string instruments though, so I'm biased. Just not a fan of the way they sound.

September 20, 2016 at 09:58 AM · Even if she plays on an acoustic violin, it sounds awful! But, she sure can dance while playing, which together makes a good show. I agree with you about David Garrett. Some things he does are interesting, but some are so cheap and tasteless, that I doubt his musical integrity. Certainly he has a good bite to his sound and his vibrato and slides are quite old-fashioned. It all depends on the perspective. He make many people recognize the instrument today. But to my experience as a teacher, students, who admire David Garrett are after Lindsay Stirling fans, the second worst. Thats why I mentioned him.

September 20, 2016 at 10:42 PM · I get sickened reading youtube comments of people asking him to perform with her or vice versa. Their musical styles are incredibly different, ignoring the obvious skill gap... Nor do either of them need another musician to be able to put on a show...

If you look up just David Garrett concerto's a few will come up, but most are iphone recordings or the like. I don't know how I feel about them though. He seems to accent a lot of his notes and play them either a tad tenuto or stacatto, and he slows the pace down a bit just enough to be noticed I believe.

September 21, 2016 at 05:10 PM · Yes, you are right with your observations about David Garrett. He is acting like you say in classical repertoire. One can argue about that a lot.

Regarding Lindsay Stirling playing with other higher skilled players: She just did a record/video with Lang Lang, who is obviously a very high skilled and classical trained musician. But I just don't think she will ever perform with David Garrett, because the difference in skill is just too big and noticeable when they play the same instrument!

September 21, 2016 at 05:10 PM · Yes, you are right with your observations about David Garrett. He is acting like you say in classical repertoire. One can argue about that a lot.

Regarding Lindsay Stirling playing with other higher skilled players: She just did a record/video with Lang Lang, who is obviously a very high skilled and classical trained musician. But I just don't think she will ever perform with David Garrett, because the difference in skill is just too big and noticeable when they play the same instrument!

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