Vibrato on the violin?

Question

I've been playing violin for about two years, and recently, I got a new teacher because I had to move to a different state. My last teacher was attempting to teach me the vibrato, by shaking my hand side to side, but the teacher I have now is telling me to practice moving forward and back on the string.

Could you tell me how you practice the vibrato? Also, is hand vibrato more difficult than the arm vibrato? Or is wrist vibrato better? What is your preference?

Answer 1

I've been playing the violin for 10 years and I teach now. This is how you properly learn the technique:

Take a metronome and put it on a slow speed. Take your violin and put down your third finger and "wiggle" it back and forth to the ticking of the metronome. Once you get the hang of it in the slow speed, gradually make it faster and try the other fingers. Always do your 4th finger last because it is the hardest finger to vibrate on.

Make sure to not tense up your wrist. If you do, it could turn into a very bad habit which can lead to incorrect technique.

Also, there is no such thing as "arm vibrato" and "wrist vibrato". You should never vibrate with your whole arm. That too is a very bad habit some string players develop.

Answer 2

Vibrato is in the fingers and wrist, the arm just sorta naturally goes along with it. When u just start just move each finger on the string slowly like 1 wiggle back and forth every 3 seconds. Then u increase the speed a bit every day. Its easiest on the third finger for most people. Ive been playing violin for about 11 years.

Answer 3

Everything I was taught ( 40 odd years ago ! ) supports your new teacher. This is, I think, one of the hardest things to perfect in stringed instruments playing.

So up and down is the way to go, and I found that the best way to practise is by playing consistently a few minutes every day, building up as you go, say five minutes a day at first and try to get up to 15 or 20 as your muscles allow. Try not to ´force´it, if any part of your arm, elbow, wrist hand or fingers are cramping stop, and leave it to the next day.

An important tip, if your teacher hasn´t so instructed, is to make sure that you release your usual grip on the neck, and allow the whole action to rest on the fingertip(s).

Good luck.

Answer 4

I think it's easiest using your hand/wrist...
In my orchestra class, we have this one vibrato excercize...
We start out by playing a note with our first finger without wiggling it. Then we wiggle it very slowly and speed up as we go... Then we repeat with our second finger and so on...
The only way to get better at it is to try and practice.
Good luck!