How do I learn to play a vibrato on my violin?
oldgreenwichjohn asked:
I have played violin on and off for about 10 years, but still pretty much a beginner. I do not take private lessons today, but I am very interested in learning tips to develop a vibrato. Any suggestions – tips, books, websites that could help? Thanks in advance.
The key to vibrato is to get your fingers to do it. Just keep practicing by placing the tips of your fingers on a flat surface (or your right arm held up like the neck of your violin) and rock the finger back and forth (make sure your nails aren’t too long and that you’re balanced on the fleshy fingertip). The more you practice this move, the wider range of motion you will get and the easier it will become. Over time, it’ll become a bad habit and you’ll be rocking your fingers back and forth all the time.
you could always go to a book store and buy a book called vibrato for dummies…lol jk..i dont kno..i dont play violin but i want to learn…
Your left hand has to be absolutely relaxed for it to work. It can help to do soft, ballet-like movements with your hands, including your fingers, to keep your hands soft. You have to make sure to press only hard enough to get a solid sound, but not harder. Why all of this? Because you need to be able to feel the vibrations of the strings, and tension or pressing hard will kill them.
Indeed, the same applies to your right hand, and for the same reason: if you are tense, pressing too hard with your bow, again, you will kill the vibrations. Rule of thumb (or actually, fingers): if you can’t feel the vibration of the strings through your bow stick, there’s a problem.
Another thing: don’t try to learn vibrato until you have solid intonation. The vibrations won’t feel right until you are playing really in tune. So make sure your instrument is in ideal tune, and if you still aren’t feeling the vibrations and you’re sure you’re playing correctly in the physical sense described above, check the note with the strings next to it, listen for harmonics from the other strings, do whatever you have to do to get good intonation. If it’s really in tune, you should hear all kinds of sympathetic vibrations from the other strings.
Then, yes, the suggestion to practice the mechanics away from your fiddle was a good one. When you start to practice it on your instrument, then it can help to start the note with your hand just relaxed, until you feel the vibrations, and then you can start responding to that vibration with vibrato, always making sure you can still feel the vibration of the strings under your fingers.
Eventually you’ll come to a point where you’re automatically relaxed and you feel the vibes instantaneously; you obviously don’t want to make a habit of starting without vibrato, unless you’re playing Baroque music and treating vibrato as an ornament to longer notes.
Good luck and God bless you