Vibrato
Basic Vibrato for Violinists
Firstly a disclaimer : I'm not the worlds best vibrato teacher ; I simply use vibrato when and how I like. This is not a complete essay on the subject of vibrato and I think you, the reader, might find other good ideas and methods. However, because of the difficulty of this subject, it must be remembered that an article can only go so far. Live diagnosis of vibrato problems in lessons is by far a better way of addressing your vibrato concerns. Having said that it's not going to harm you to read another excellent article from Westbury Park Strings !
Of all the techniques, vibrato is considered to be the least "teachable". No two players use vibrato in the same way. Indeed, even when examining the vibrato of a single maestro one notices there are many different types of vibrato : Light, animate and fast to emphasise the "nerve" and tension in a quiet passage ... in this case the amplitude is small (i.e. a "small" vibrato as opposed to a wide one.) Another example would be a wider slower and warmer vibrato, used for a cantabile passage on the G string. Using the same vibrato on the same theme 3 octaves higher on the E string would be totally out of place.. especially because higher notes require less amplitude. In all expressive situations, vibrato must be used to serve a musical purpose ; not as a cheep way to impress your audience. Any vibrato which attracts attention to itself, and can be noticed, is distracting the listener from the true beauty and shape (or meaning) of a phrase.
Vibrato is not necessarily a must
Firstly, one must remember always to study scales, certain studies with left hand passage work and double stop passages without vibrato ! Also, don't forget that there's a huge amount of violinistic repertoire and technique that can be learnt before tackling vibrato. You don't have to learn vibrato straight away ! In fact, every student will find their own unique stage in which they feel ready to learn vibrato. If you're not ready to learn it ; don't try too hard ; don't be obsessed with it... that'll slow you down even more !
Some players cannot stop their vibrato (usually quite impure )- and this is just as bad as not having any at all. I mean this as a warning against a habit. For beginners, I actually prescribe a one octave scale with purposeful vibrato on each note at around stage 4.
Vibrato : The 3 Main components
There are 3 main components to vibrato ; arm, wrist and fingers. Some violinists are actually described as having an arm vibrato ( like the violinist Uto Ughi ). Others are said to have a wrist vibrato. Some have both, being able to switch at will, and perhaps the ideal vibrato is to have a combination of arm and wrist, with flexible fingers. David Oistrakh had a wonderfully warm and expressive wrist vibrato, quiet loose at times, and plenty of nuances always used in musical context. I only once saw someone doing an acceptable vibrato with just his fingers alone ... but this is certainly no requirement for gaining mastery of vibrato. I suggest learning wrist vibrato and then adding some arm, meanwhile always looking out for general flexibility and mobility of finger joints. The finger tips should be fairly flat on the fingerboard, and they should grip and hold their place firmly, with their own strength (it is hugely important to use the fingers' own strength, and not thrust them inertly against the fingerboard using your tensing arm muscles. ) Once you anchor your note firmly you can experiment for flexibility and mobility of your finger joints.
Attaining a happy balance of vibrato components is a delicate process. Often one must think of achieving the right consistence and the right dose of amount applied to any particular component. Feel like "Jelly" and your wrist may be too loose... firm it up like a "pencil rubber / eraser" and it may be a little hard. At all times one must listen carefully to the sound, and one must relax and reset / remove the hand which will need frequent rest. Long bows are advised ; frequently learners slow their bow down, and their tone suffers while learning vibrato. It is essential to understand that sound emission (therefore bowing) and vibrato are very much connected.
The Simple "Direct" Method
(For those who cannot do vibrato)
For sure, readers are starting to realise just how much is involved in learning vibrato. Do not despair, as my first exercise is the simplest of all. Place a 2nd ( also try this with a 3rd finger on the A string) finger on C# on the A string. Use the whole bow, both down and up. Sound the C# with your best tone ; evenly and with great quality. Now the exercise starts ; keep bowing while you detach the base of your index finger from the neck of the violin ( the C shape that Cellists use in the structure of their left hand ). This action may already start to soften your hand ( for this is the very most important technique you'll need to develop ; the softening and suppleness of your left hand fingers, wrist and arm ) .... now while still bowing amply and holding your c# lightly ( yes, I know I said firmly.... I mean firmly but lightly !!) just do vibrato : Do what you think vibrato is. Try it.... rock your hand back and forth... experiment, and see if you can do anything that resembles vibrato. As soon as you feel tired, even after 5 or 6 notes, then stop and change finger. This exercise is just an initial experiment to test yourself and assess what stage you have reached. In repeating this exercise try and vary the pressures you apply with your hands / try more firmly.. a louder sound.. then back to a softer one... and all the time, remember to experiment, changing the parameters of your experiment. If you find you got absolutely nowhere - and the tone you produced had no signs of variation or vibrato in it then your wrist could very well be frozen into a solid form and needs special attention : Onto my next "3 Step Method" which actually teaches vibrato !
Animation : This shows the gap which you can create between the first finger and the neck of the violin. Here, I am opening and closing it just to make it clear. With the gap open you will find more freedom of movement for your hand. The finger and thumb retain the other two contact points.
The 3 Step Method
I recommend teaching wrist vibrato with this excellent method. I forget where the method comes from ; but I certainly know I didn't make it up !
Stage 1 : "The Ambulance". Place your 3rd finger on the A string and we are going to vary the pitch of the note : 50% must be above the note and 50% of the variation must be below the note. Vibrato is a wavy line in the pitch of a note : A note which becomes sharp then flat then sharp then flat... yet is always centred on the true middle pitch of the note. ( Advanced readers may know that there are approaches which favour the sharp or flat of a note ).
Incline your 3rd finger so that first the edge of the finger ( the edge nearer the 4th finger ) is producing a sharp D and hold it there ! Keep bowing slowly and smoothly. Now rotate your finger onto its other edge ( the edge nearer the 2nd finger )... and hold it there while you keep bowing ! The D is now flat ( about as flat as it was sharp before ). Now rotate to the sharp note... keep it a sec. or two.... then the flat one..... hold it there..... Congratulations ; you are making a sound like an ambulance ! ( or should be ). At this stage your objective is to find 2 distinct "notes" ; the upper one and the lower one. You must "flip" lazily from one to another... holding the tone of each one distinctly. Your wrist will be assuming 2 opposite positions : It may feel a little stiff at first ; but we must get it working and start using it.
Animation : The rocking motion of the finger as it raises and lowers the pitch of the note (The Ambulance sound). Not a pretty exercise to listen to, but a necessary one !
Stage 2 : "The smooth Ambulance". After you have done stage 1 properly for a wee, then it's time to do it with a smooth and gradual change. Now, at no stage will we "hold" a note or stop the gently slow motion rocking of our wrist. The note must change pitch all the time and must never be allowed to settle. If it's not going up it's going down, with a rounded (slow down at each end ) transition between the two. Keep the movement regular and stop when you're tired. You may not experiment with speed until you have masterd stage 2. This takes another week ( or 7 days practise).
Stage 3 : "Accelerating Ambulance" . Starting our exercise slowly at stage 2 gradually ( I mean incredibly gradually ) increase the speed of the rotation of the wrist. Remember the pitch is varied all the time ( never hold a position or note ). You must not increase in stages... but you must increase very smoothly the speed of your wrist. You can diminish the amplitude as you get faster ( though I would suggest not as well ). When the vibrato gets very very fast ( when you are getting this right there should be a moment / speed when the vibrato will want to automatically activate on it's own free will. ) .. you can either let go, and let the automatic take over, or you can start again, and pay attention to the speeds just below the point when automatic vibrato takes over. You may find it's hard to control around the natural oscillation ( automatic ) speed. It's good for your vibrato control to settle these areas, and good to try speeds that you naturally tend to avoid.
The 3 step method is a good one for learning wrist vibrato. It will work every time, especially in conjunction with other exercises such as The 3rd position exercise.
The 3rd Position Exercise
Find E in 3rd position on the A with the second finger ( or F# with the 3rd ). Now, anchor the base of your hand up against the violin body itself. Try a vibrato (* stage one or two ) and realise that your wrist is really forced into coming into action here. This is the only exercise I was every shown as a child ( and I don't think I did it... ). I do remember being able to do vibrato without having to study any method. I simply wished it and worked it out on my own. Knowledge of the mechanisms and exercises involved simply made me more aware of what I was doing. I remember hearing that the Violinist Vadim Repin had a grown up's mature vibrato and tone at the age of 6.
Animation : Right click and select stop with your mouse if you want to stop the animations. 3rd Position really gets the right wrist movement going.
Conclusion
I would recommend seeking out other tips and advice, but ultimately the student who wants to master it needs to get down to some serious work ! Mastery of the next stage comes depending on how well you master your previous stage. There are more exercises to develop certain finger joints and indeed, I have not covered vibrato in a comprehensive way. Advanced students will want to vary the speed amplitude and character of vibrato... and I haven't really touched on these issues, except that thoroughly careful practice of the 3 step method should lead to complete mastery and control of vibrato. It is then a question of experience and expression ; know what vibrato to apply to a certain passage. Again, certain détaché passages especially in studies do not require vibrato. Incorrect use of vibrato is one of the most distasteful features a violinist can have. Commonly, beginners hear it played badly, get impressed & try and copy it, and ruin their tone for life. In teaching young students, I play without vibrato to give an example of a passage we are working on, and to demonstrate a new piece, I play it with almost a sparing use but certainly a sensible and tasteful use of vibrato so they can gain a correct taste for it. I rarely get asked about that "waving or trembling" of the left hand, because the students hear it as an extension to the beauty and sustain of a sound. Children who have learnt vibrato and show it off to their audiences and friends are not always the most musical ones ; they are usually the ones who nagged "when can we learn 4th finger ?" .."When can we learn 5th position?" ... "When can we learn fingered octaves in 3 octaves played tremolo fortissimo ?". Good vibrato can relax the hand, especially on long sustained notes ; yet it's primary use must be to enhance a musical performance and in connection with the character of the violin to a certain extent to create a virtuoso performance.
Summary
Scroll down to the vibrato entry on my String Technique Glossary page. It was written a couple a years ago, but echoes all I've discussed very precisely.