Author: jamesoboe
Date: 2008-05-11 15:11
Oboesquirell it's unlikely that you will master vibrato overnight. It's just not realistic. The thread 'Hautbois' left will help steer you in the right direction. As a player and teacher I can give you some of my exercises which I use when faced with students who struggle with vibrato. Of course, firstly, do make sure that your reed is not too hard for you. This will lead to tension in your throat and interfere with your ability to vibrate the appropriate muscles. Now there are two basic sounds I employ to help focus vibrato muscles. Firstly, say 'HA' (should rhyme with car!) a few times without the oboe or reed, and observe the movement of both the upper diaphragm and throat muscles. You can feel your throat muscles move with your fingertips, and your diaphragm muscles with the palm of your hand. perhaps. These muscles will form the basis of 'tummy vibrato'. The other sound is 'MMM', which is sounded with your lips closed. This is the basis of throat vibrato. I have a preference for the second exercise as it tends to produce a faster, more compact, oscillation. I tend to advise my students to try to use the diaphragm mostly for breath control and support, leaving the throat to take on the task of vibrato. That said, both options produce very good results when worked on. Next, try to make these muscle movements in a controlled manner. I always suggest thinking in 1 crochet, 2 quavers, 3 triplets, 4 semiquavers, 5 quintuplets and 6 sextuplets as the oscillation.
Perhaps, with your metronome on a slow pulse (maybe crochet equals 40), try doing just one oscillation, followed later by two, then three, then four, then five, and finally six. You can try this without the reed, initially, but do get it involved as soon as realistically possible as you will need to train the throat muscles to accept the resistance a reed offers and to make the oscillations accordingly. Thereafter, very slowly, and somewhat painstakingly, increase the metronome by small gradations. This will train the muscles to respond mechanically to any oscillation you require. The trick then is to eventually use it in a tasteful, sometimes non-predictable manner to suit the needs of the music, or your musicianship. I find for me oscillations in groups of 5 work well, as the un-even nature of 5's prevents the ear from noticing the pulse as a rhythm. You can create all manner of exercises to isolate each rhythm, and then mix them up to create the groundwork for your musical imagination, in the service of whatever piece you are working on. I hope this helps - it's always produced good results for me and my students. Good luck! James
Post Edited (2008-05-11 15:18)
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