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Online Fiddle NewsletterThe Learn to Play Fiddle E-zine, Fiddle Tech Notes |
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Vibrato in Fiddle Music In American fiddle styles you don’t hear vibrato on fast tunes. Break downs, hoe downs, rags, and other fast tunes have rapid notes that give a player no time to do vibrato. Only on waltzes and ballads are you likely to hear vibrato. This is not necessarily the case with Irish fiddling. There you might hear a quick vibrato just as you might hear a quick roll or bow rattle. Vibrato seems to be an ornament in jigs and reels, just like slides. But, it is not over used. The question is, “How do you do vibrato in fiddle music?” In a short essay like this, it’s easier to say how not to do vibrato than how to do it well. (And, really you need a good coach to learn this.) If your wrist is moving in and out through the center line of your forearm and hand, you are doing it wrong. If your finger is moving but not the rest of your hand or arm, you are doing it wrong. There! That was easy. Three Steps to Vibrato Mastery The way I teach vibrato is simple, but to learn requires patience. Here is the three step formula I use in the studio. 1. Pretend you are driving in Rome, Italy. A rude driver starts to cut you off. You put your arm out the window and make a fist. Moving it quickly back and forth, you yell, “Hey! What’sa matta you?” You are using your biceps and triceps, large muscles of the upper arm, to rapidly oscillate your fist back and forth. Your wrist is strong, not floppy, because you are powerful. 2. Now pick up your fiddle and, without using the bow, place a finger on the string. Do the same kind of move with the large muscles of the upper arm. Keep the movement small and tight. Your hand should rock slightly over your finger tip. Don’t worry if it’s spastic. It’s a start. 3. Now do the arm oscillation with finger down and rocking while you pull the bow evenly across the same string. This is where it gets tricky. The tendency is to also oscillate the bow. Oops. Then, you stop the bow and your left arm stops also. Truly, this is much harder than walking and chewing gum. If you persist in your efforts along these lines, you will have the experience of rocking your hand over the finger tip while pulling, or pushing, the bow for a moment. This will produce the wavering sound of vibrato. The last stage is not numbered. It’s where the process “clicks.” There is a mysterious feedback loop in the arm that sets up a repeated motion. Once it clicks in, you need not think about keeping it going. You need only feed the process strength and energy. Making it Lazy Consider the question of speed of vibrato oscillation. Classical violin vibrato is very fast, passionate and dramatic. Fiddle music invites a slower, more relaxed sound. You want to warm the sound, not make it sizzle. This warm, lazy sound works well for southern country waltzes and for ballads, too. It pleases the listener and the fiddler. Enjoy it!
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