Everything but the kitchen sink…that’s what we put in the best cookies ever! Chocolate, nuts, candy, pretzels, even marshmallows, it’s all fair game for these cookies. Each ingredient adds sweetness and texture, making these unforgettable treats. And just like these cookies, vibrato can add sweetness, intensity, and passion to our musical phrasing…
But not everyone likes vibrato, at least at first. You might have tried it in the early books as an experiment, then as an awkward exercise in book three, then set it on the back burner during the Vivaldi Concertos. At some point, we want to keep circling back to the technical aspects of vibrato to add sweetness, intensity, and depth to our tone and phrasing. Below are some of my favorite tricks to try that can help trigger the muscle movement, relaxation, and speed needed to develop a more refined vibrato. These ideas come from amazing teachers like Kurt Sassmanshaus, Kersten Wartberg, Simon Fischer, Nathan Cole, Itzhak Perlman, and Ivan Galamian. Click on the bold titles to view a video demonstration.
ALLA GUITARRA - Hold the violin like a guitar under your right arm. Place your left hand in first position and allow your thumb to glide lightly along the neck as you rock each finger towards the bridge, then towards the scroll. Feel the freedom to wiggle the first knuckle from left to right, engaging the wrist and arm to move the finger. Start slow and speed up to a fast wiggle.
SHAKE AND BAKE - Find an egg shaker, old film canister, or even a small water bottle to hold in your left hand. Hold the object up at the level and angle of your violin, and practice shaking object to hear the rattle, using your wrist and then your arm. Start with a few shakes and then build up to 15 seconds at a time.
PAPER CAPER - Tear off a corner of a piece of notebook paper, about the size of a quarter. Place your violin on your shoulder in concert position and with your right hand, place the paper on top of the second and third strings. Trap in place with your ring finger and practice sliding up towards the bridge and back towards the scroll. Double check that your thumb is soft and your arm is engaged in moving the paper, rather than just the finger.
THIRD ROCK - Place your violin in concert position and left hand in third position, resting your wrist on the shoulder of the instrument. Try rocking one finger at a time up and down the fingerboard, leaving your wrist to rest on the shoulder while rocking back and forth. The left knuckles will pull back towards the scroll and then rock back towards your nose.
FOR NO ROSIN - If you have a rectangular bow rosin, this is for you. Place your instrument in concert position and trap the rosin box against the violin shoulder with your wrist. This should bring you close to first position. Practice the same wrist-rocking motion that you used in Third Rock, while holding the rosin still against the violin. Then take the rosin away and imitate the same motion with your wrist.
WALL STREET - Hold your violin in concert position and gently lean against a wall or place your scroll on a bookshelf for support. This will give you support as you balance one finger at a time on the fingerboard, rocking towards the scroll and then to the bridge. Now is a great time to try using your arm to engage a faster, wider vibrato motion. As you find your rhythm, lift the violin up and away from the support and keep the motion going.
MICROWAVE - Place your violin in concert position with your left hand in third position. Hold your hand open and get ready to wave back and forth above the fingerboard and strings. Add your bow starting at the tip on the second string, and crescendo to the frog as your wave increases to your quickest waving tempo. On the down bow, continue the fast wave motion and slow as you move the bow back out to the tip. Try on all the strings and alternate bowing, then try on individual fingers.
PEDAL TO THE METAL - This famous vibrato accelerando can be found at the beginning of Suzuki book three. Here, vibrato starts out rocking from the original pitch, then down a half step. The pitch variations start out on a quarter note pulse, then as eighth notes, then eighth note triplets, then sixteenth notes. Although this is introduced in early in the Suzuki books, it is an exercise many artists use to to continue shaping the width and speed of their vibrato as adults. Many years ago, I was able to listen to Dorothy Delay teach this to Alisa Weilerstein in her lesson using this very exercise! She advised using a metronome, starting out at 40 beats per minute, and then increasing each day up to 80 beats per minute.
THE MATRIX - As vibrato becomes more second nature and you are practicing continuous vibrato, you can begin mapping your vibrato colors through a matrix of Fast - Slow - Wide - Narrow. Try mixing and matching fast/wide to slow/narrow to find new shades of richness or subtlety, depending on the desired intensity. In this video demonstration, Nicola Benedetti compares five violin masters and their use of vibrato. Watch it a half speed to see the diversity of motion between the five players. Everyone truly finds their own style, and so will you!
Happy Practicing,
Kathleen