Klarinet Archive - Posting 000241.txt from 1994/02

From: James Langdell <James.Langdell@-----.COM>
Subj: Sprenkle on oboe vibrato
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 00:37:03 -0500

Here's the full text of the section on vibrato from the
book I'd mentioned earlier. Digging this book out again
reminded me that the first 30 pages of this book (before
another author takes on the subject of oboe reed making
for the remaining 56 pages) contains some of the best
writing and advice I've ever read about playing a woodwind
instrument. Note that the word "oboe" doesn't occur in
this discussion of vibrato.

No time to provide any commentary today, just read
what Sprenkle has to say and draw your own conclusions.

--James Langdell jamesc@-----.com
Sun Microsystems Mountain View, Calif.

==============================================
Excerpted from pages 25-26 of
"The Art of Oboe Playing" by Robert Sprenkle,
Copyright 1961 by Summy-Birchard Company, 1961
==============================================

VIBRATO

In music, vibrato is a word closely related to quality,
expressiveness and intensity. Physically, it denotes an
observable phenomenon affecting the tone itself. This may
be described as regular, recurring cycles of intensity
or of pitch variation (or both) in the tone. Generally speaking,
vibrato on stringed instruments or in the voice consists of almost
equal parts of pitch and intensity variations. To qualify as a
vibrato, the pulsing must be sufficiently regular and unobtrusive
as to enhance, rather than distort, the tone. It must be produced
in a fluent, flexible way which does not interfere with tone
production or control.

Vibrato is a personal and expressive phase of our technique,
but it can be examined objectively. It can be felt as an
integral part of the tone, not as an added ingredient, if the
muscles involved are basic in the breath support. The abdominal
and diaphragm muscles work in opposition and, when under proper
tension, contract alternately to cause a recurring intensity wave
in the tone.

We can consctiously produce this muscular action at slow speeds
by imitating the sound of a steam engine. Although this procedure
fits our requirements in the sense that it involves the strong and
basic blowing muscles, the vibrato will not become fluent and
unobtrusive until the muscles are set at the right tension to make
action and reaction self-perpetuating and continuous. This is
important because as long as we consciously make each pulse,
the vibrato will feel and sound artificial.

The individual intensity impulses tend to fuse together into a
warmly vibrant sound as we approach the speed of five cycles per
second. The maximum speed obtainable is about seven cycles per
second, which is the physiologic limit of response. Consequently,
the expressive range of the vibrato is between five and seven
cycles per second. When learning to make these pulsations, we should
concentrate on smoothness, symmetry, and ease of production rather
than on speed. Unfortunately, the urge to use the vibrato for a
better sound results in a nemphasis on speed. This is another
situation in which expediency often inhibits the possiblity of
developing a basically correct technique.

At first, the inexperienced player tends to exaggerate the use of
the abdominal muscles and finds speed difficult to achieve.
However, as the pulsating sensation becomes familiar, and
the tension is confined to only the necessary muscles, the desirable
range of five to seven pulses per second becomes more readily
attainable.

The pulsing breath support in this type of vibrato is reflected in
the tonal intensity, which fluctuates in direct proportion to the
amount of air pressure change. It will be observed that a wide
variation in intensity makes a more obvious, or wider, vibrato,
while a small variation is scarcely noticeable. The ability to
vary the width and speed of the vibrato consciously, independent
of dynamics, will greatly enhance its expressiveness.

Vibrato is continuously produced (except for special effects)
when it is properly conceived as part of the tone. Progressions
of notes in a passage, rhythms, pitches, and speeds should all
be independent of the vibrato, as it should be independent
of them. Vibrato is not only used for long notes; it is produced
as part of the basic tone quality to enhance both fast and slow
notes. Key points to remember about vibrato are:

1. It should be part of the tone.
2. It should be unobtrusive.
3. It should be smooth.
4. It should be independent of dynamics.
5. It should be independent of pitch.
6. It should be independent of notes (speed, rhythm, etc.)

Another consideration worth mentioning is that the process of
thinking about and analyzing vibrato has the effect of making the
tone seem less desirable. In other words, it spoils our perspective
on tone by making us so conscious of its parts that we lose the
feeling for the whole sound. However, this is only a temporary
condition. The beneficial results are far-reaching and permanent,
whereas the apparently harmful results are only transient.

Vibrato reflects a normal human craving for warmth and vitality
in tone production. It is readily imitated, which explains why
some players have an excellent vibrato without particular effort
or awareness. Others are handicapped with tonal distortions
which they call vibrato, and which were just as innocently
acquired. Habits already established are particularly difficult
to change, so it is advisable to keep close watch on young
players and help them to form a proper conception of this
phase of their technique.

Vibrato can also be produced by the lips, the tongue, the hands,
and the throat. Of these, the throat vibrato is the most
commonly used. Its chief disadvantages are the restriction of
the flow of breath and the loss of the smooth, symmetrical tone
characteristic of the diaphragm vibrato. This is a result of
air pressure being built up by the constriction of the throat
and then being released spasmodically. Throat vibrato tends
to sound shallow and impetuous and seems to be added to the tone
instead of being a part of it.

An observant student, upon having this explained to him, remarked
that perhaps one could profitably visualize the vibrato as a
pendulum-like motion. Trying to start a pendulum from the top
(the throat) is awkward and inefficient, but when the force is applied
at the bottom (the diaphragm), the pendulum cycle is readily induced.
In both cases the top of the pendulum is moving, but in the first
case it is active motion and in the second, passive. The throat
does participate in vibrato, but not actively. It merely
responds to and transmits the impulses from below. Throat vibrato
_subtracts_ energy from the tone while diaphragm vibrato _adds_
vitality.

=================================
end of excerpt by Robert Sprenkle
=================================