Today was the first lesson back with my teacher after grade 4 (I took grade 4 earlier this week) and she has introduced me to the technique of vibrato i can do it but by the end i feel a bit achy is this normal? How long did it take other people to get vibrato to a good standard? My notes keep wobbling

Jess

P.s I also played through the grade 5 piece called rumba it is so fun to play! has anyone else played it? Don't you just think is is such a great piece

Hi,
Anything that involves moving your diaphragm will make you ache after a while, especially if you're just starting. With practice this will get better, and you will build up stamina.
Hope you did well on your Gr4.
I believe Rhumba is a Grade 5 study, and it is really good fun to play

Hello There ,
I too am playing Rhumba for my Grade 5. it is fun, I love the time it is in. It is easier than the other piece in the same book, but I think it is harder in it's timing. I have chosen it in cintrast to the other 2 pieces, Siciliene
and Blessed Spirits.
Beverley.

I think the other one is alot harder, rumba is so good to play! when do you want to take your grade 5?

I did the other study for my Grade 5, but I like Rhumba

Rumba's fun, but it does seem rather easy for grade 5. Probably depends slightly on how good one's rhythm is. But the other one... Ferling? - is much harder I think.

Oooh, I did neither of those. I did number 38 for my Grade 5.

Well I DID Vibrato at my own, although I asked my teacher about it, he said it is truly not suggested that I learn at the stage of Grade 5, coz I need to stabilize my breath. And BLA BLA BLA with the Vibrato you will foret to control your breath. I love Vibrato!!!

If you're paying your teacher for his advice, it might be a good idea to heed it - after all, teachers don't usually tell you things just for the fun of it...

I never learnt vibrato , it just sort of came naturally . :S Just thought i'd share that with you guys . lol

Julie x

vibrato came naturally to me too! and i played the rumba for grade 5 (i got 23 on! yey!) , and the Sicilienne and Mozart.

Oh Siciliene is a beautiful piece !!!! Tis' really haunting and quite relaxing music to play I think . lol

The Rumba rhythm is OK once you get the feel into your head, one two three, one two three, one two, one two three, one two three, one two, etc. It's quite a strong rhythm pattern - if you get people to clap it, or to listen to music with a strong rumba beat, it would be a lot clearer - if one sees the music having never come across the 3+3+2/8 time signature (it's sometimes marked as such, but not always, but essentially that's what it boils down to) it will seem a bit weird. Once you have the rhythm it's basically pretty easy for grade 5.

Me too! It just sort of happened...

When i did my grade 3 i was so nervous that i ended up getting natural unexpected vibrato in the exam (mush to my teachers amusement). However i'm not very good at any form of vibrato (when i do it on violin it looks like my hands gone crazy), but hopefully wont actually need it for a couple more grades on flute.

I'm pretty rubbish at vibrato on the fiddle

My mum managed bow vibrato for her grade 2 violin because she was so nervous

I've never learnt vibrato...maybe I've picked it up naturally? Not sure, but my teacher's never said anything about it! I maybe need to 'stabalize' the notes a bit more

Good point - you need to be able to play with the most beautiful straight sound before you think about vibrato. Vibrato doesn't cover up an underlying poor tone, it makes a beautiful tone even better

When I started playing Rumba, it was so easy for me to do the rhythm. I must be latin ????? I still have no vibrato. I have tried to do Andante in C's bits, but I sound like a strangled cat at best. Andy is right in that you have to have a good straight tone first, but will I EVER have a vibrato?
Will be doing the Grade 5 in july after deferring from march because my Dad had to go into a nursing home/ It was to be a busy month clearing his house in January, and then thank goodness I defered, because he had 3 heart attacks in the last 10 weeks. He is OK now, but it has been a busy time with no practise.
Beverley.