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How much vibrato?

Author: kroboe
Date: 2006-01-06 08:57

I recently came across an article by an american music professor on the so called american school of oboe playing versus the equally so called european version. Living in Europe I was puzzeled by the professors charaterisation of european playing as beeing dark of sound and with exessive vibrato. First, I know of no such thing as a common european sound, and then, what is exessive vibrato? Played completely without vibrato the oboe may often be hard to distinguish from that of an equally straight tone by a similarly pitched instrument. In ensemble playing this may often be required in order to blend with the other instruments, but is this how you generally play in the US? To me the vibrato seems to contribute the most characterizing element of the oboe sound that brings out the true and characteristic beauty of the instrument. A good, healthy vibrato is what gives the oboe shine and beauty. For solistic playing I can hardly imagine playing without it. But vibrato has to be part of the musical expression and it has to be applied with taste. We all know what is too much vibrato when we hear a singer overdoing the thing. So, I am curious, how do you do this in the US, and what is too much vibrato when it comes to the oboe?
kroboe

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How much vibrato? new

kroboe

2006-01-06 08:57