Vibrato

[Minna]

Hi!

Now I´ve improved to state where I can start learning a vibrato. I got really good advices from my teacher but I really just don´t know how to do it. My teacher said that one day it will just come naturally and I get a "now I know how to do it"-feeling.

I´ve looked every video about learning a vibrato from youtube and still don´t get it. I´ve been practising the "robot wave" and it´s easy ´till I have to put my fingers to fingerboard. I can still do the wave but when I try to press my finger even a little I lose it. What to do?! I think my hands a pretty stiff, I´m not a flexible person. According to my teacher, vibrato should come from shoulder and upper arm, not from wrist or lower arm.

Is this really this hard or am I doing it all wrong? How to loose up and learn vibrato? I´m stuck. How can I learn to use my upper arm instead of wrist and lower arm?

[cellotech]

Minna,

Frustrating as it may be, your teacher is mostly right. Vibrato is very difficult to teach because of all the tiny physical things that need to happen. Some people get it quickly, some people don't.

My best advice is to not force it, and remember that a good vibrato is not caused by tension in the arm, but by having an exceptionally relaxed arm. The movement should originate in the shoulder and upper arm, not the wrist and fingers.

I don't like giving technical advice over the internet, as I don't know exactly what is happening to you when you try to vibrate. With this disclaimer, here is how I would practice vibrato: 1. Make sure you understand the concept of the motion you want to make
1.a. Vibrato obscures the pitch of a note very slightly, it is very important that you only vibrate up to the note, at no point of the vibrato motion should you play sharper than the note you are playing. I.e. if you are vibrating a D your vibrato should take you from a perfect D to a slightly flat D to a perfect D to a slightly flat D, etc.
1.b. Realize that you do not need to press on the string with your left hand at all. You will get a good sound by pushing the string only 90% of the way down to the fingerboard. Do not squeeze. You could try playing without your thumb on the neck, this will let up some pressure.
2. Practice slowly, without a bow. Focus on one thing at a time. Put your left hand lightly on the fingerboard and slowly start making the correct motion, speed up as you are comfortable with it. Once you've done this for a few days or until you are comfortable add in your bow.
3. Realize that your right and left hands are not connected when you play. Playing loudly is about the bow. Don't squeeze your left hand, this will make vibrato exceptionally difficult.
4. If you ever feel that you are tight, or are shaking the cello when you try to vibrate, stop. Take a break, analyze what is wrong.
5. Accept the fact that this take a long time to get a really good, consistent vibrato.

[Minna]

^Excellent advices!

Now I know I don´t have to hurry. It will come some day with time and I will learn it one day!

[orchestracelloplayer]

okay, Vibrato has saved me at many concerts under hot lights with my old rental cello I don't have now thank goodness! that thing go out of tune sooo fast I vibratoed every note VERY widely so it sounds "pretty" and not sound like I have no idea how to tune a cello! haha good times, good practice too! Vibrato is the reason I am 1st chair I bet!

[Vito]

Hi, I do remember the day my teacher told me I can start to use some vibrato. And she said it was a little bit unusual because I got better 3rd or 4th finger vibrato than the other 2, unlike many others. Now years have passed, I thought I had totally understand how to do vibrato after 3 years playing only to myself since I graduated from high school, occasionally overconfident and forgetting I still have a lot to improve, until a few month ago I heard Queyras playing Haydn live. I suddenly noticed his multi-layered, subtly expressive vibrato. It was not the first time I heard such well-known cellist live, but that realization was just so sudden that I started to polish my vibrato every time I'm back home to my cello.