How do you do vibrato on a flute?

Shake the flute

*chuckles*


.......sorry lol

I think it's kind of a diaphragm thing. Nicki'll know.

Aww! . Well I do know how to do it, but don't feel qualified enough to explain it. Maybe andante_in_c or sarah_flute could explain it better. There have been a lot of threads regarding this so might be worth doing a search? Good luck Helen. PS - Sometimes vibrato comes naturally.

Sorry, but I can't do this one online. It's too difficult without demonstrating. Trevor Wye's Practice Book 4 is a good resource.

You might want to try posting this on the James Galway Flute chat - www.superflute.com/wwwboard/

Hah, I can't imagine why you think I'm more qualified than you to explain it, but thanks for your faith in me - which I have to disappoint, I'm not sure I could even explain in person how to do vibrato, it just "happened" with me.

Quantz's book "On playing the flute" goes in great detail on vibrato, this is what he says.....if you can read through the old language!!!

"If you must hold a long note for either a whole or a half bar, which the Italians call messa di voce, you must first tip it gently with the tongue, scarcely exhaling; then you begin pianissimo, allow the strength of the tone to swell to the middle of the note, and from there diminsh it to the end of the note in the same fashion, making a vibrate with the finger on the nearest open hole. To keep the tone from becoming higher or lwer during the crescendo and diminuendo, however (a defect which could originate in the nature of the flute) the tone will then always remain in tune with the accompanying instruments, whether you blow strongly or weakly"
J J Quantz "On Playing the Flute" pp165-66

There is much much more....but it is quite hard to take it all in....if anyones wants me to quote anymore to them PM me!!!! To save others trawling through it!

Quantz's writings are fab but the references on vibrato aren't much help in relation to the sound required for modern flute rep (or indeed modern recorder pieces). Finger vibrato on open holes and the tiniest amount from the diaphragm are fine for the earlier stuff but I'm with andante on this - it's only easy to explain in person!

Well, I am no good at telling people how or why or what they should do when it comes to the flute. You always give in very in depth and relavent responses.

Awww thanks nicki!