Practicing Violin Vibrato

transcribed by Marvel Carvalho

exercise from "Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching"
from Ivan Galamian

Ilustration 13) Starting position for the Ilustration 15) Setting the hand for the
vibrato: squared fingers. initial practice of the hand (wrist) vibrato.

Stems up: hand in tune, forward position.

Stems down: hand rocks backward, slight flatting of pitch.

   
Ilustration 14) Backward swing in the Ilustration 16) Assisting the hand
vibrato: flattened fingers. to vibrate in first position.

             
 
A=442Mhz

   
2 = 60
   
third position

 3    3  
           
    3    3 
   
6

 4  4  4  4
                    
         
10

 6   6   6   6 
            
                 
14

The Study of the Vibrato

One thing has to be emphasized at the beginning, since it applies to all forms of the vibrato with equal force:
the hand must, under no circumstances, squeeze the neck of the instrument. Attempting to vibrate while
squeezing will create an intense strain and paralyze any action of the hand. Almost all beginners will squeeze
when they start out to learn the vibrato, because they feel that it is something very difficult and their
psychological reaction is to hold on tightly. The first thing the teacher has to do is to loosen the student's hand
in its grip of the neck and then to check constantly to see that it remains flexible.

THE HAND VIBRATO. In this type of vibrato, the hand swings from a more-or-less immobilized arm. For this
reason it is often referred to as the "wrist vibrato." ★ The finger elongates itself as the hand swings backward
toward the scroll and then resumes its original curved position as the hand returns to its starting point. See
Fig. 13 and 14. ★ The terminology "wrist vibrato" is not accurate. It is as wrong to call the hand vibrato
wrist vibrato, as it would be to term the arm vibrato, "elbow vibrato."
2
 = 60
      

/1

   
          

/2

   
5

 3  3  3  3

           
/3

   
     
9

       
                  
        
/4
13

 5   5   5   5 

/5

             
17

 6   6   6   6 
/6

               
            
21

  7    7    7    7 
              
/7

   
             
25

               
/8  = 60

                   
                
29

               
/8  = 80

                   
                
33

               
/8  = 100

                   
                
37

free

41