When learning vibrato…

If you have any violin questions, ask on my latest practice video and I will answer them in the next day’s video! 🙌♥️

My orchestra teacher who struggles to describe vibrato to impatient children: WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOE-

Thank you! I went to school and almost learned, I only couldn’t cause when we were learning it and when I was a demonstration, I had a broken wrist, so posture I couldn’t do

My violin teacher always hated me having my wrist up against my violin like that. It's difficult to be flexible and I've been told repeatedly it's a bad habit overall to have....

omg i learned this in 1 day ty soo much 😊

I'm sorry, but as a violinist and a violist I have to say that no matter what you do- 1. Always have your fingers ready too play (and not folded like in the video) 2. Dont straighten your fingers. It makes it hard to play fast in the future.

this is just a weird version of finger vibrato. wrist vibrato and arm vibrato are also valid techniques

For those of you who aren't violinists, this is a much more rare and less useful form of vibrato known as "finger vibrato." The easier, and more common variation, is arm vibrato, in which the player moves their arm back and forth for a tighter and much more agile form of vibrato.

So I've been a violinist for 12 to 13 years now. Here are just some things that I noticed. 1. There are two main ways I've seen people do vibrato one that starts from the elbow and one that starts from the wrist with the elbow your wrist stays flat which is how it's normally is while you're playing and from the wrist your hand is the one that moves back and forth either way you should not be flattening your finger think of it almost like a mini shift but instead of that you were shifting from one side of your finger to the other. 2. I saw another comment bring this up but your fingers were folded behind the neck of your violin which while playing is a huge no because you need your fingers at the ready to be playing depending on the peas depending on how fast regardless it's just easier if you keep your fingers there. 3. By gluing your wrist to the violin you restrict your vibrato to just that one area where your wrist can reach you have to be able to do vibrato all across the violin and so whether you use elbow or wrist vibrato will vary greatly depending on what note you're playing like if you're playing one of the ear bleed notes so like 6th position on the e string that kind of note you're going to be basically from your elbow but very little movement but if you're playing a note in like first position you can sort of do whatever you want of that if you're in third position or it's like an accent note maybe you'll be doing it from the wrist. 4. Maybe other people don't have this problem but I know that for me if I straighten out my finger it will just get locked so straightening out your finger while doing vibrato especially when you have to go very quickly for vibrato is not a realistic thing to do just because you will lock your finger and then no vibrato just flat finger up and down the string

This helped me so much with my violin TYSM!!

Thank you for simplifying it this way ❤

I'm a violin teacher and I can see that this particular technique works for you, however I would never teach my students in this way. The extension of the wrist could injure a student, which is something I would not be willing to risk. The wrist should be relaxed and straight as much as possible. Wrist and finger vibrato is valid, for sure. For me personally, I am very much on the arm vibrato train as I find it keeps the hand's position and shape more consistent which allows for greater dexterity, speed and more accurate intonation. Nothing wrong with having a personal technique that works for you, but perhaps not the safest technique to teach a beginner who may injure themselves with the pressure this places on the tendons and wrist.

Omg that's so helpful. Thanks. I just started viola and I'm learning it.

Lol my violin teacher just put the tip on my violin against the wall, told me to wiggle it whilst not changing note or position and I eventually just got it. If u r a beginner, please don't curl up your fingers, it makes it so difficult to play the next notes.

Thankyou so much for making my life easy 😊😊

I don’t even have a violin, I don’t play the violin, I can’t afford a violin, but thanks I’m adding this to my brain’s iCloud

Thank you Mr Mustapha and Casablanca moroco.

THANK YOU!! This is exactly what I needed?

Thanks! This will really help me with playing my tenor saxophone. 😅

Hey thank you. It Helps me😀

thank you, you saved my neighbour

as a flute player this is very helpful

While I have a degree in music from Sydney Conservatorium in classical guitar I picked up the violin as an adult and had lessons for some years, some years ago. At present I'm without a teacher and were it not for these fantastic KZhead videos like yours I'd be lost on how to correctly effect a vibrato on the violin. Nothing, NOTHING prepares you for violin vibrato. By that, I mean that, unlike other skills which are the more difficult aspect of something learned before, vibrato is all there, all alone out on the shelf on its own with nothing preceding it. If it weren't so dang important to one's overall sound coming together and improving I'd forego it but it IS that important to making one sound more professional and musical. So, thank you for your time and effort in making the videos that are helping me and my vibrato !!

Tysm lol this really helped ❤❤❤

i just watched this entire video like it was going to help my saxophone vibrato lmao

You had me so weak at the dying cat comment lmaoooooo

Thats a great tip!

Thank you💗

That will be good to remember when I finally have enough money to buy a violin and begin learning to play it!

Apart from the music, you are so beautiful❤️❤️

Thank you.you teach great and you're so beautiful. I from Iran and I subscribed you❤️

Thanks for that tip!🙏

Gracias gracias gracias ! ❤❤❤❤❤

Thank you for the tip I’m going to try doing my vibrato like that! 😊

having taught violin, and having had trouble with vibrato myself... Wrist vibrato (as shown here) has its uses, but in my experience, this comes really easy to most students, but if you learn this first, it becomes really tricky to re-train into "proper" (no such thing, but it is more common and versatile) arm vibrato. So, anyone learning vibrato: Focus on getting your arm right. Practice with a shaker, or "rolling" your arm with the knuckle of your finger perched just on your violin's body, if that makes sense, you just wanna nail that motion and positioning without flexing your wrist weirdly (which can interfere with your left hand massively)

I’ve been playing the violin for 4 years and was always bad at vibrato.. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Pov: the fly above my ear at 3 am

Thank you so much 🙂

I love ur tips

The way I was taught to learn vibrato was by gluing my thumb in just the normal first position, you can also hold it with your right hand as well, and sliding my fingers up and down the fingerboard with the thumb still in place. Then just do this with all of my fingers faster and faster til you can do the motion well without moving your thumb. Then you take a slow tempo and play from open D to a G on the D string while doing vibrato with first, second, and third fingers. And to help with fourth-finger vibrato you can plant your third finger directly behind your fourth finger to give an anchor for the vibrato. Of course once your fourth finger is strong enough you can take away the third finger. It's the same movement as vibrato but not like gluing the wrist to the body of the violin which is terrible and you should never do. It really becomes a problem whenever you play high in position. Hope this helps!!

Please don’t do that with your wrist. I love that your trying to help beginners learn vibrato, but don’t do that with your wrist unless you want arthritis by age 30

Me watching this as a flute player lmfaoo

Thanks, I couldn't understand how to wiggle my finger without using references to food.

Definitely gonna try that!!

Cool lesson nice energy too

Not my orchestra teacher telling me I am not ready 🤨

To practice,to live....today!

This is a specific type of vibrato, I learned the the first time a vibrato made with the arm, not the hand, I think is easier.

I could not focus on the hand with the size of that mountain on your finger good for you thank you for the advice 🎉🎉🎉

Nice for wrist vibrato - i think it's good to master both wrist and arm

THANK YOU!

Thanks for making this video bro. (Yes, you're officially a bro)

'Cause my hope will never die *Beatdrop*

Ok enough with the classical and start the fiddle

Mosquito in my room at 3 pm. 😭:

Reading all the comments about arm vibrato high-key upsets me, because the type of vibrato in this video, minus the wrist being pushed into the violin, was how my violin teacher tried to teach me vibrato. I'm gonna try arm vibrato now since this way just feels weird.

❤great👌

Few hours ago, I said it is easy. And noe after buying my violin I'm screaming internally and yes. It is freaking hard. I should've stayed loyal to the piano

OMG I NEED TO THANK YOU THIS IS LITTERLY A LIFE SAVERRR Edit: litterly took 5 minutes to do vibrato after this video…

Yo? I learned you shouldnt put your wrist against your violin, or too far out. You have to try to keep it decently straight, because if its bent too far in either way you can get tendonitis. So to me that just looks like a lot of excessive movement, tiring, and future wrist problems.

I modify the pressure on the string when doing vibrato, it gives you the same effect and it’s easier

It's so difficult to do 😭

Wow

Hmm 🤔 that's definitely a type of vibrato but caveat emptor and to each their own!

My teacher called it cupcake fingers lol

Thank you

Your technique is so good! But wrist is in?

My teacher yells at me when I have my wrist touching the base. 😢she also to me that I’m the fastest learning kid in the school 😂

🌹🌹🌹LOVE FROM INDIA 🌹🌹🌹

Nice!

A self taught violinist needs help! I’m finally starting to hear good vibratos but I’m comfortable playing them when my thumb is almost exactly _under_ the finger board, not around and towards the left of it. It does mess up my intonation a lot, but is that an ok way to do vibratos? They sound super good like that. If I don’t play it like that, then my thumb doesn’t let my fingers to do the vibratos on the G strings at all, and barely on the D string. At this point I’m not even sure how to hold a violin, does the thumb go towards the left or is it under the fingerboard, or is anything ok? Being self taught sucks 😭

That one mosquito in a work night

That’s a nice violin what kind is it

This applies to all violin players - but with people who have double/jointed fingers, it can get… complicated.

I'd love to see you play Wednesday Addams Cello theme Jenna Ortega played

im trying to learn the arm vibratto tho

I recommend you change your vibrato and learn with your elbow. Start with slides up and down the string, gradually make them smaller. Changing this will protect your wrist better. Vibrato from the wrist is can easily make you fatigue and harm carpal tunnels. Now im sure that technique works, but I cant, my wrists get carpal tunnel really easily, so I have to do it from my elbow. Learned this from my instructor in hs too btw

The mosquito in my room:

Im a cellist - quite different than doing it on violin!

For some reasons, my vibrato on the E string is very weak! its like my hands had no strength to press on the E string. other strings are fine

instructions unclear, accidently flipped myself off

In my opinion (as a violinist) I don’t think you need to be that “down” for the “spaghetti” maybe this will be a tip?

This kind of explains why they try and teach you to slow your vibrato down when playing wind instruments like flute because they are taking the technique from the violin. However I don't really think it's as useful for flute because you can't control your air like you control your finger.

You can't argue that the curled up fingers are not an incorrect technique, your fingers should always be open and loose. And the motion should be led by the wrist not the finger. I like the donut spaghetti analogy, but the motion should come from the wrist (and the finger more pivots in it's spot, and the donut spaghetti finger shape should be led by the arm for arm vibrato.

Woow✨️

How do I prevent tension in my neck when vibrating??? I clench the chin rest!!!

Do you know how to learn arm vibrato Easley because my teacher said that I'm made for it because she was helping me and said how my entire arm moves when she touches it to help me make her feel like I'm made for arm vibrato. So do you know how to make it easier for people like me who are arm vibrato?

СПАСИБО!

Me before the video: ah vibrato is easy Me After her explaining how to do vibrato: What da-

Hmmm I learned by starting with “donut” and moving my finger forward rather than backwards and flat against the fingerboard but whatever works!

I play the cello so vibrato isn't hard and it's quite funny seeing a bunch of videos talking about how annoying it is on violins and violas

Wowwww.....

Thanks you so much

IMO it’s better to learn a different style to start with- from the arm not from the hand. Works much better for me and my arm doesn’t tire as quickly. This is just a mix of wrist and finger vibrato that may not work as well for most beginners

I play the cello. Why did I sit through this whole video this doesn't apply to me😭

Hey love you

No wonder it sounds like a fly

thank you I'm nepalie😊

I appreciate this video for what it is, however I think this way of learning vibrato, with “glueing” the wrist to the violin, will set up a beginner for stiffness and potential injury. While joint flexibility and strength in the finger is extremely important, teaching vibrato with correct hand position seems vital, so that when a beginner begins piecing together all the different left hand techniques they are learning, the result is homogenous and fluid. Also I find that the movement should not stem from the finger. It needs to stem from either the wrist, or even better the arm. The arm/wrist moves and the finger simply corresponds to the movement through practiced flexibility/strength which is what creates a lovely vibrato

eventually the dying cat disappears into something beautiful