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Re: Advanced vibrato

Author: Bucky Badger
Date: 2004-04-02 14:29

Let me add my 2 cents to the issue of vibrato. After about 40 years of playing I have concluded that on oboe you really only have a lip type vibrato. Now on flute or for that matter trumpet you are pushing enough air through the instrument so you can apply chest muscles to make a vibrato. In the past I have heard some really bad vibratos using the chest muscles---especially when the player gets nervous. But on oboe you seek a firm control of the air at all times; your major issues are taking in enough air to make playing the phrase possible. You also have to let the lungs take in air so you are not overcome and become dizzy. So since you use little air on the oboe it's best not to have another worry about using the lungs and vibrato. Using your lips to create the vibrato is the way to go. You should be able to turn the vibrato on and off, vary it very slow to moderate ( never overdo) and still keep control on the reed. On the low register best to us vibrato wisely since you are also fighting on the reed to make the instrument speak. Purists would say there are the two kinds of vibrato Diaphram and lip, but you have to decide what will work on the instrument you play. English horn maybe you can use both (larger reed); same for bassoon. Same goes for the single reed instruments. It's our musical general rule not to use vibrato on clarinet for classical work and also for french horn. Saxs use vibrato as well. Trombones can use three kinds diaphram, lip and slide vibratos.

In summary if you use respiratory muscles to do the vibrato you are involved in a real problem area; best to concentrate on letting air make the tone,pitch and phrase in music.

jim b.

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