vibrato is something many teachers dont like to teach because it is best discovered on the player`s own accord. so even if you had more time with your tutor, he may not have planned to teach you. i discovered how to vibrato....i believe in my 3rd year of playing...but you`ve been playing for 5 years no so it should come easier to you. Try just placing the tips of your fingers on a flat surface- a table, perhaps, and moving the entire fingers around- but keeping the fingertips right where they are- move your entire finger except for the tip- dont allow it to relocate.
once you get used to this motion, try it on your finger board, then try it while in playing position, then try to bow and do the finger motion at the same time. slow long bows at first, and once u get used to it and u are satisfied with the sound, try to incorporate it in playing a piece- or even a scale. after a while your vibrato will advance and devolop over practice to sound better and more professional- for now u just need to get started. good luck!
-Sara

btw, i`m 16, and i`ve been playing for 8 years now

I want to learn a few notes on the violon,but i cant find a finger chart,anywere.can somebody give me an email adress or something where i can find one.pleeezzz

Try taking your wrist and glide it down the strings. Any time u have available try that motion with your wrist. After you have that down place one of your fingers down on one of the strings and do that motion. Third finger is the easiest.

You could try visiting this website: www.learningviolin.com/lesson8.asp

Here they show how the finger positions should be. Good luck!

Sorry, Sara, did u say around? i believe yr vibrato is wrong. Might wanna check with yr teach` on that.

i`d have to agree with sara in saying that vibrato is really something you learn on your own. from what i`ve experienced its not really something taught in an orchestra class or by a private tutor. this is my 5th year playing violin and i can do a pretty good vibrato, i just started actually trying it about 4 months ago.

this is what i would say to people who want to learn vibrato. read up on it or watch someone do it and get a pretty good idea on what it should look like and sound like, and then just try it and keep practicing. working on planting your finger on a flat surface and moving your finger back and forth is good for starters, i still catch myself doing that during class and eventually you`ll find new ways to make your vibrato sound better

don`t expect to be able to do it perfectly in the first day, the first week, or even the first month. it`s meant to make your playing more expressive and it will continue to progress and get better over time. good luck!

Hi, I am new in this forum and like to ask about this vibrato. When you practise vibrato, do you just put the finger on the string that produces that specific note or you also put the fingers that have been on the strings?. for example you are about to play note on 2nd finger and your 1st finger is already there, do you remove your first fingers or leave it there? Sorry if the question is unclear.

AnD ThIS OnE TiMe At BaNd CaMp . . . .

Hi, im fourteen, ive been playing violin since i was three years old. 11 years. first of all, never start with third finger or teach urself. dont do that slide up and down the finger board technique because that just gives u a crappy sound. what you do is grip ur violin against the wall and back and forth move ur first finger in a virbrato movement. when you can do it fast enough try out the sound with ur bow. start practicing with ur other fingers as well and u`ll have flawless vibrato. e-mail if u got any more questions.

-jon

It`s quite amusing to read through all these responses @ once. Apparently you`re all experts!!

Anyway...I have to agree with those of you who have responded that you can teach yourself vibrato. Each player develops his or her own artistic expression and sound. Vibrato is just one tool you can use.

Thank-you, Andrew, for your advice...the rest of you should wait until you`re either a teacher yourself or in a symphony to be handing out your tips. With age comes wisdom.

Hey, I`m a violinist as well. Um....can you shift? If you can then you can try going up and down the strings while playing and once you get the hang of it, you can try making it smaller bit by bit. It`s pretty easy. Keep your finger in place and sorta wiggle it. Anyways, I`m making no sense so good luck.

every1 is saying to shift or roll your hand / fingers and i still don`t get it. my teacher has teaught me vibrato, but i dont get and i dont want to ask her again incase i sound dumb. please help me learn!! also when I try doing it, my hand shkes way tooo fast. I need help and advice on how to make it sound better!! thank you

my advice is to ask your teacher to show you again. It`s really easier to show someone this than tell them, and don`t worry about sounding dumb, its his/her job to teach you It takes a while to develope a good vibrato, and it always sounds weird in the beggining. I think all the replies to this topic prove that there are a lot of ways to learn vibrato, and there are different kinds of vibrato too (finger, wrist and arm vibrato), so it can be a little confusing. It took me a while to develope a decent vibrato, and I had a few different people show me techniques to learn it before I got it. I am still refining my vibrato, and learning how to widen and tighten it, and change the speed depending on the phrase and piece that I am playing.
I also think that it is good to have someone teach you vibrato (instead of just learning it yourself) so that you develope a good technique, and so that you do not pick up bad habits.

thanks suzzie, bt i still dont get what shifting or rolling is! can you tell me? oh, and av a nother q. are Thomstik Dominant strings good quality and sound?
thanks