Opinionated Thoughts on Vibrato
OK, begin thought dump.
So here's my thoughts on what vibrato should be (lifted directly from Mr. Rudd). It always begins with a beautiful sound, and then either makes that sound more rich and beautiful or more intense and vibrant (and sometimes a little of both). And, according to my acoustics textbook, studies point to the fact that most people tend to find vibrato most pleasant when it occurs at about 7 Hz (i.e., 7 pulses per second).
First, a note to vocalists: If you use deep soloistic vibrato almost all the time in choir, you are wrong. It sounds terrible, destroys blend, affects intonation, and distorts vowels. I've found from my experience with choirs, many good soloists who have worked up their vibrato well and use and constantly usually have an inhibited ability to audiate pitch before singing it (and sometimes even match pitch). Some vocalists will claim that if you don't sing with vibrato, it will cause tension. In truth, I would argue that vibrato can only occur in an environment of relaxation and, thus, one can be relaxed without using vibrato. That's the way it is for every other instrument. And I can sing plenty relaxed with a pure tone.
Second, a note to violinists (and to some extent to other strings): The same goes for you. Due to the large number of overtones present in the string timbre, a mild vibrato can be beneficial for adding warmth to the sound. However, the second violin part of a Wagner overture is not a Wieniawski concerto.
Third, a note to flutes: Stop tuning with vibrato. This is not a science lab; you can't just tune the average, or you'll be having to lip/roll in part of the way if your vibrato gets off center. Sure, it's fundamental to learn how to execute vibrato, but it does absolutely no good if a flute section can't pick a pitch.
Fourth, a note to all teachers: Vibrato is a tool, not part of the sound. Some instruments can get away with using a lot of vibrato, but what happens when you're playing a 20th-century piece with those magic little letters N.V. written right there? What happens when you're singing an Eric Whitacre piece or an early Baroque solo madrigal? If you can't remove vibrato from your tone, then your tone is the problem. Fix it.
Fifth, a note to saxophonists: I'm really jealous of you. Your vibrato is so natural and vocal. It just sucks that there are only, like, five pieces in your repertoire that don't sound like they were written during a drug-induced reading of Harmonilehre. Oh, well.
- Jacob G.
So here's my thoughts on what vibrato should be (lifted directly from Mr. Rudd). It always begins with a beautiful sound, and then either makes that sound more rich and beautiful or more intense and vibrant (and sometimes a little of both). And, according to my acoustics textbook, studies point to the fact that most people tend to find vibrato most pleasant when it occurs at about 7 Hz (i.e., 7 pulses per second).
First, a note to vocalists: If you use deep soloistic vibrato almost all the time in choir, you are wrong. It sounds terrible, destroys blend, affects intonation, and distorts vowels. I've found from my experience with choirs, many good soloists who have worked up their vibrato well and use and constantly usually have an inhibited ability to audiate pitch before singing it (and sometimes even match pitch). Some vocalists will claim that if you don't sing with vibrato, it will cause tension. In truth, I would argue that vibrato can only occur in an environment of relaxation and, thus, one can be relaxed without using vibrato. That's the way it is for every other instrument. And I can sing plenty relaxed with a pure tone.
Second, a note to violinists (and to some extent to other strings): The same goes for you. Due to the large number of overtones present in the string timbre, a mild vibrato can be beneficial for adding warmth to the sound. However, the second violin part of a Wagner overture is not a Wieniawski concerto.
Third, a note to flutes: Stop tuning with vibrato. This is not a science lab; you can't just tune the average, or you'll be having to lip/roll in part of the way if your vibrato gets off center. Sure, it's fundamental to learn how to execute vibrato, but it does absolutely no good if a flute section can't pick a pitch.
Fourth, a note to all teachers: Vibrato is a tool, not part of the sound. Some instruments can get away with using a lot of vibrato, but what happens when you're playing a 20th-century piece with those magic little letters N.V. written right there? What happens when you're singing an Eric Whitacre piece or an early Baroque solo madrigal? If you can't remove vibrato from your tone, then your tone is the problem. Fix it.
Fifth, a note to saxophonists: I'm really jealous of you. Your vibrato is so natural and vocal. It just sucks that there are only, like, five pieces in your repertoire that don't sound like they were written during a drug-induced reading of Harmonilehre. Oh, well.
- Jacob G.