It`s all right with all these good explanations. But,is it another solution or tricky way for the 4th finger?

Put the tip of the scroll against a wall. That will hold the violin really firmly while you work on getting your vibrato just right.

I only played for 3 years, but I know a bit. There are many kinds, but the wrist vibrato is the best for me, which you have to use your wrist. Or if you don`t exactly know, look it up on the internet.

I wouldnt learn it on your own, I mean I started doing vibrato on my own and It took me a year and a half to correct and perfect it. All the kids in my section keep asking me how you do it and Im like "Dont ask me, Ill prolly screw you up"
Anyway, my teacher told me that wrist vibrato is the worst kind, so I learned how to vibrato with my whole arm and It works alot better than when I was trying It with my wrist
By the way, Im 13 and Ive been playing for 2 years.

Here are some thing that I can tell you will screw you up

1. dont tense up, it may sound good at first but then you it keeps tensing more so it sounds like your doing nothing but acting stupid up there (god I felt stupid when I was myself on that tape), just keep it loose
2. always practice in playing posision, cause if you get into a habit down in guitar posision, you will have a hard time geting it up in playing posision.
3. when your first learning , dont vibrato every note, just like the doted halfs and the wholes, and dont try doing it on too long a note, cause then it will start to come in spurts, try to keep the sound consistant, and find the right amount of bow and time thats right for you

hope this helps

-Kal

Quote "Lisa"

"Hey, I`m Lisa from California, and I`m a sophomore in high school who has been playing violin for about 7 years. I recently got a really good teacher, but he insists I stop using my arm vibrato. He says, not only it sounds really nervous, but it`s in the long run bad for you? Does anyone know anything of this?
Lisa"

I naturally use arm vibrato cause I origonaly played viola, then swiched, while I was learning, so I cant do hand vibrato

Oh and I never use forth finger vibrato, I just shift up and play it on 2nd finger

Hey, I`m twelve and I`ve only been playing the violin for what, *counts on fingers* five months now, but I`m a fast learner :] *I use the Suzuki books and the Tune A Day books, I perfected Minuet 1, 2, and 3 by my third month*
Anyways, I was just assigned to learn vibratos this week *I have weekly lessons*, and by looking at this forum I guess I might as well sum up what I`ve learned in the past hour. :]
-There are three methods of vibratos, the arm vibrato, the wrist, and the finger. While the arm technique gives a more "aggressive" and strong sound, and is also easier for beginners to use, the wrist sounds much sweeter and more refined. I don`t think anyone has said anything on the finger one...
-Vibratos are simply rocking a finger on the fingerboard slightly back and forth, making the note wavering from flat to sharp, giving it a tone similar to a voice`s. So basically, move your finger slightly away from you, then slightly toward you. My teacher uses all the time, so I`m a bit envious at how nice it sounds compared to a dull tone.
-Everyone agrees in this forum to learn to support (at least most of) the weight by your chin on your chin rest. I have a sponge inbetween my shoulder and the violin :]
-One method to learning is to have a finger on the fingerboard, 3rd position, first finger is recomended, and without other fingers on the fingerboard, try to rock your finger back and forth slowly at first. By doing this everyday, you`ll soon get the hang of it, and then you`ll be able to speed up, letting you work on other fingers and positions!
-Another technique is to get maybe a small capsule or container, or maybe even a pen or pencil and hold it as if it were the fingerboard. Rock it with a finger back and forth, and soon switch to the violin
-Remember, I only started LEARNING vibrato this WEEK, so I`m not sure if these all work, I`m just summing up what`s been happening on the forum ^.^ But from what I`ve seen over five hours of practice is that you HAVE to be PATIENT and you HAVE to be DETERMINED, otherwise you will NEVER be able to do this.
Go for it! n.n

i violently shake my hand and it shakes the entire violin which in turn makes the bow shake around and it sort of sounds like vibrato :D.

hi i am jt u should show your teach then ask the taecher if your
doing it right

guy that thinks vib. sucks don`t shack ur hand as much dummy, peace out jt

sorry,

i just started to teach myself the violin this month; i couldn`t get the regular vibrato, so i improvised. Instead of rocking my finger back and forth, i just slightly released pressure on the string i was pressing, producing a vibrato. I`m not really sure if this is wise, but i`m not going pro, so....any comments?

you and i both should really try and learn to learn vibrato properly lol. i keep moving the string side to side when i try rocking my finger back and forth. people tell me i`m too tense if that happens but how do i "untense" myself is what i`m asking lol.

k- I`ve been playing for 12 yrs.
I googled this topic because in a few weeks I will be starting one of my students on vibrato. Interestingly enough, one of my teachers was teaching my younger brother vibrato today so I watched. Heres a few quickes.
Take either a kodak film thing and fill it with rice or a plastic easter egg. Position your hand like you normally would and put the canaster/egg in your had. Make a slow,EVEN, and STEADY gentle rocking motion back and forth.(Even and steady are key.)Speed comes with time don`t worry about it right now. Don`t make your rocking motion huge you should never form an acute angle with you hand while doing this excercise. Also, I would like to encourage everyone to have someone who really knows what their doing teach you. Don`t try to learn this on your own.

If you look at famous violinists (Heifitz, Perlman, etc...), none of them really had/have an "arm" or "wrist" vibrato. They use their whole arm, but they also use their wrist. The idea is to be completely relaxed and loose. If you`re just using your wrist, your arm is locked, and if you`re just using your arm, your wrist is VERY locked.

I also disagree that a teacher cannot teach vibrato. If you have a good teacher, they should be able to help you. Though everyone`s vibrato may be different, I believe that their is one right way for everybody to do vibrato that involes the wrist and the arm.

-Tim