Hello everyone,

can someone please tell me about the recorder techinique of 'finger vibrato'? I understand what it means but not 100% sure how to do it.

Thanks,

hillyb

This is a way of adding vibrato to a note by using your fingers rather than the usual ways. As a wind player, you will know about these. It is used mainly in French baroque music and also very useful in modern recorder repertoire. The idea is that you play a note using the standard fingering and then add a trill type of fingering on a much lower note so that you cause it to make a vibrato from the given note to the slightly lowered one. It you play an E (Top space, Treble stave) on your alto recorder and then trill with finger 4, 5 or 6 you will add finger vibrato. You can alter the speed and the intensity of the vibrato using this technique but don't overuse it. Keep it as a special effect.

I think Patrick Gallois does this on his modern wooden flute with keys to simulate the finger vibrato used on transverse keyless flutes back in the baroque period! Sounds pretty cool!

Thanks Petra and Sags 3, I'll give it a try. Do you just experiment to find the best fingering?

hillyb

Yes, you do. It will depend on how marked an effect you want, and on the design of your recorder. I hope that it is going well. If you would like any of the recorder specialists here to listen to your pieces you could add them to the recordings site perhaps.

Thanks, Petrat. I might just do that when I've learned the pieces AND plucked up the courage!!

What pieces are you learning that require it?

Hiya!

Been looking at the 'Blues' from Golland's New World Dances.

hillyb

Great fun! Can you do the finger clicks without dropping it yet?

I'm working on the clicks too! Can't click very loud without a recorder!!!!!

Stamp your foot instead!

Good thinking! Genius woman!

Or, even better, you could stamp on a sprung castenette. Are you allowed a backing group? No. on second thoughts best stick to a foot tap.

I'll stick with the foot!! Might just fall over with anything else, knowing me!!!!!

Hooray! I love that piece, did it for my grade 6. I had such fun, and with the flutter tonguing too!

Thanks, it is a great piece. Really enjoying the recorder playing at the moment.

hillyb

Oh I'm really glad you're getting into it! There's some great music out there. The Bossa Nova from those New World Dances is so much fun (once you know it )!

I've heard all three of the pieces on a recording and think they are lovely as well as great fun.