I have seen sooo many string players stress over vibrato, but really, it is not something to stress over. I thought there was some magic shortcut to learning vibrato, but the fastest way to learn it is to be patient and persistent. I now have a decent vibrato, by no means is it "perfected", or "finished", even my teacher said he didn`t get COMPLETE control over vibrato until he was out of high school. Here is what I wish I had known when I was starting to learn vibrato, and some tips to those that want to learn it.

1) Vibrato is an advanced technique, and requires that the technique in your left hand (or right hand for lefties) is pretty good. Mostly, this just means that your hand is relaxed and that your thumb is not locked. If you have been practising vibrato for a long time and can`t get it, the problem is probably your technique in that hand isn`t substantial enough; in other words, it isn`t relaxed enough.

2) Get a teacher!!! I didn`t go into full detail in #1 because your teacher should be telling you the details! For me, my teacher really helped me get the idea of vibrato and helped me change the technique in my vibrato hand, this is what enabled me to do vibrato.

3) You have your own vibrato. I started out doing and arm-like vibrato, and once I got relaxed enough, I actually could do a wrist/hand vibrato more easily. This really requires a private teacher, as there are many ways to get the sound of vibrato without doing the vibrato technique correctly. For example, when I just started vibrato, I was moving my wrist to and from the neck of the violin, which got me an OK vibrato sound, but wasn`t efficient and was incorrect. I stress getting a teacher!

4) If you have even the slightest vibrato technique, use it as much as possible! Now, this mostly means, use it when you can use it comfortably, and still be relaxed. Trying to use it on notes that are too short may hamper your proggress. At first, half notes were what I started with, but I really didn`t try to use it on all half notes, as some fingers were easier than others. Once I started using it as much as possible comfortably, I was able to do it on quarter notes, and it was given that I do vibrato on half notes.

5) Lastly, vibrato is an ornament, so you have to have good tone in order for vibrato to have a good effect. Making sure to PULL the string on every note and make sure most notes are simple and don`t have _unintentional_ crescendos and decrescendos in them (I have this problem once in a while) will make vibrato sound better. Making sure to bow straight, play close to the bridge, pull the string, and move the bow at an even speed will all help your tone.

I am by no means a professional or teacher or even good violinist. I am just sharing my vibrato-learning experience. If you take one thing away from this, please don`t let it be "I have to practise everything I read so I can get a good vibrato", but rather it should be "I need to get a private teacher!!!".

-Tim

I really enjoyed reading your comments! Does the term "Pull" mean that you pull the string to one side? Am I right in assuming that will raise the tone slightly while you are playing the vibrato?

I dun think he meant pitch wise, do u? Hmmm...I think he meant `moving` the note closer to yrself...this was how I got the hang of it...Relax my wrist ...placed my fingers and gently move the notes(fingers) towards me...Though it is not actually moving in position at all...but just gently budging and rocking to and fro...hmmm...U know , actually it`s really hard to put in words something sooooo technical. One really have to get a teacher to learn these decent tricks!

I guess when I say pull, it really just means make sure you aren`t just letting your bow move over the string, but that you are making real contact with the string and "pulling the string" as my teacher says. I guess one way to help you with this is if you place your bow on the string and can make the string move from side to side, making as little sounds as possible, that is good practice for making sure you get a good full tone. Your bow will somewhat stick to the string and move with it. I learned this about a week ago when at GTCYS (greater twin-cites youth symphonies) we had our upper-string sectional with a player from the Minnesota Orchestra and he said that is good practice and demonstrated it.

Your pich shouldn`t actually go higher when you pull the string, at least I don`t think so... Thanks for the comments!

-Tim

I thought that the "pull" meant the position where your wrist is bent away from you and your fingers lower the tone.
Alternating between that position and the normal independant fingering position is my vibrato.

Hmmm, now I see what you mean. I guess I didn`t clarify in my original post between pulling with the bow and pulling with your hand. This will make sure you have a full tone as opposed to if you just make contact with the bow and string and just slide your bow across it.

-Tim

Hiaek! Oh I see... Thanks for clarifying!