Hi All,

Another little question, if I may? I have done a search but the question doesn't appear to be anywhere else. I am teaching myself violin with the aid of books and youtube videos (particularly those of ProfessorV - AKA Tom Ehle) and have a query regarding wrist vibrato. I've gone through the exercises to concentrate motion on the wrist and hand only, but find that when I move this to the instrument, my forearm moves, although it is not the origin of the movement. I find it intensifies the faster I do the movement. Will this stop as my muscle develops or it is a technique issue that I should correct? Or indeed am I being too fenicky about it - a guy I know who finished violin with a Grade 8 Distinction, many years ago, appeared not to know there was a difference between arm and wrist vibrato, as long as the sound came out correctly.

Thanks

The ability to vary your vibrato - speed and width - is far more important than whether you use arm or wrist vibrato.

It is the tone colour you should be listening out for rather than trying to watch what you're doing. Providing the fundamental process of the vibrato motion is correct - which I hope you're managing to achieve as self-taught? - then only further practice is required to develop muscle stamina and control.

I would highly recommend you seek at least two or three lessons from an experienced teacher regarding vibrato. It is very easy to start wibbly-wobbling fingers and all over the place and creating a bland warbling vibrato instead.

And once you've acquired a bad habit it's extremely difficult to un-learn it!

Thanks for the advice. I spent ages doing the exercises for both wrist and arm vibrato, then found that without warning I did what I thought was a pretty good wrist vibrato. I could vary it in terms of speed and depth and do it on three fingers, as long as I was watching my hand in the mirror. Then it went doddery again, changing from a controlled movement in which the weight on my finger rolled gradually up and back, to that kind of jumpy sound. Unfortunately, lessons are out of the question at the moment. The exercises I'm doing in the meantime are basic waving my hand back and forth to keep tension at bay, and finger walking on desks etc to increase flexibility in my first joints. Are there any others you'd recommend?

When I was learning I used to hold the fiddle as normal but with the scroll (wrapped in a duster) against a wall. That way you're not holding the instrument up at the same time as trying to learn what can feel like a very alien movement. I would then slide my finger up and down the string, making the movement smaller and smaller until my fingertip was still but the rest of my hand was still moving - bingo, vibrato!

However I really think it would help you to work with an experienced violinist. If lessons are out of the question then perhaps you know (or you know somebody else who knows) a more advanced player who might be able to give you some pointers on a one-to-one basis. If you feel awkward asking, perhaps you could offer some kind of skills exchange where you could give them a couple of hours' decorating work or bake them a cake, or whatever you're good at, in exchange for getting together for some advice on vibrato? Who knows what other handy tips you might pick up, and you might even end up with a duet partner.

Thanks - this is what I'm now working on. I'm taking my violin in to work on Friday under the pretense of helping a friend, but will be making plaintive doe-eyes at one of our guys who was learned years ago and is still pretty hot at it.

Do make sure his vibrato is correct. Very easy to learn the wrong way from someone else too!

Bad habits are easy to acquire, but darn near impossible to get rid of once set.