vibrato with double jointed and long thumb
Well i know this is a subject spoken about alot yes yes VIBRATO! Anyways well i'm a late starter of vibrato even though i've been playing for about 13 years. I started last january. Since then, my vibrato has become really wide i don't know. I don't think i can vibrato on quavers or fast notes with continuous vibrato. Apparently the reason for this is the fact that i have a double jointed and long thumb which makes it harder for me. I've tried so many different hand positions even placing the violin in the space between the thumb and first finger. WHATELSE CAN I DO? MAYBE I"M JUST NOT MEANT TO BE A VIOLINIST AFTER ALL?
Replies (4)
After 13 years of playing, don't give up now!
Do you have a teacher? What does he or she say about it? Really, I don't think "wide" vibrato is a big deal. If you just started learning in January, don't worry, your vibrato will "evolve" gently after time.
When i try to vibrato the joint of my thumb tends to cave in. So it seems as though my hand is locked because the joint seems to stop lots of hand movement. Sometimes its even painful and my grip on the violin, especially on the the lower strings becomes weaker. I find that when i hold my hand normally, it looks as if my hand position is too low for the violin.Its weird....I'm so fustrated!
The thumb plays an important part in the development. I think the thumb has to be the same position as the first finger (max 3/4 to your second) to ensure a comfortable position. The vibrato also depends if you have long or short fingers. I have a long thumb and fingers and I will point my thumb outside when I vibrate. I hold the thumb quite deep on the neck (pass the first joint and almost touching the gap between the first and thumb). Try not to press hard at the strings when you vibrate and in order to lossen your wrist you must not hold the violin with your thumb or your whole hand will lock. I would suggest that you play thirds in every key for a start to get your fingers in good shape as in the shape when you play in tune. Then you will start to notice which part of the finger tip you are using to press the strings. From there you develop you vibrato whether using flat finger for more meat or the tip for faster vibration. Also many a times people are confused about the speed and wideness of the vibrato. Most people think that slow vibratos are wide and fast ones are narrow but in fact you can play slow and narrow or fast and wide depending on your taste.
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August 8, 2005 at 03:59 AM · Personally, I don't see how your thumb is involved in vibrato? Isn't it just along for the ride?