FORUM

Has anyone used or seen this book? It is “Viva Vibrato” I think vibrato is going to be very difficult for me to learn. I will explain later.

https://www.amazon.com/96F-Vib.....rs+edition

There is also a teacher’s manual and score:

https://www.amazon.com/96F-Vib.....rs+edition

I am actually thinking of getting the teacher’s version, but am wondering if it might be too technical and the score included would not be what is in the student’s version, ie the accompaniment, which is not what I want, so not sure. Probably get the students and see what is in it.

Now, I think vibrato is going to be difficult because I am not sure I am holding the violin correctly, and the fact that it is. I have read about vibrato, watched all the Fiddlerman videos on vibrato, and others. I am using the tip of my finger pads, not the nails, but, my nails look to run parallel with the strings. I am not sure this is correct. My arm from the elbow to the fingers is straight, not bent over at the wrist. I am not resting the bottom of the hand at my violin body

In the videos and what I read, the motion they say, whether hand, wrist or arm vibrato, is not possible with the fingers parallel with the strings. The knuckles are parallel to the strings. The finger does not slide up and down the string, if I can get it to move at all. My instructor has never said anything about the angle of my fingers, she just said the straight wrist, arm was good.

Last night I tried playing my violin and angling the fingers so the nails are not parallel with the strings. It was impossible. It was like I never played a note. Now, if I am learning something, skipping things and then going back to do it differently does not work. Seriously, I cannot relearn things in a different way, without going all the way back to step one. If I am angling my fingers wrong, I need to know now so I can start over before I get farther along. Changing it later will be disastrous.

I really want to do vibrato. I was not in a hurry to learn it when I started. I know it is a difficult technique for experienced players. I have been working on Danny Boy, When Irish Eyes Are Shining, Lullaby, and some other very expressive songs. I would love to do “Hallelujah”, but without vibrato, not touching it. I love those on a mellow violin. It is very difficult to work on expressive bowing when you can’t do a technique that will add to that. 

I am now reaching those parts that really need vibrato and it is preventing me from improving any further, because I have no idea how to do it with my fingers the way they are on the strings. I keep thinking that the songs need something, and they do. It is now distracting me, and I am not pleased when playing them. I have been doing Danny Boy since late Sept. I have gone as far as I can without adding that. 

None of the videos show it in slow motion, explain how the fingers are to be placed on the strings, if they are always to be that way on the strings, or if they are shifted to an angle every time you want to do a vibrato and how to go about that before and after the vibrato, etc. 

My wrist is rather stiff. That wave is easy enough to do when not holding my violin, but the angle of the wave does not match up with the fingers on the string. The fingers do not go in the right direction and the knuckle joint does not bend the direction it needs to bend. It goes cross-wise on the neck, not up and down the string. Never. 

Now, my last lesson, two weeks ago (last week’s lesson was cancelled), my instructor said she would show me how to do trills in Danny Boy to embellish it? Since the lesson was cancelled, it never happened. In reading about trills, is that what is taught before vibrato? 

So, I am looking for a good book on vibrato, even at kids’ level, that explains all my questions above, with good illustrations and photos, and written instruction. I know that you should wait for your instructor to start you on vibrato, but I am not sure my left hand hold is correct and it is not being caught now, when I need to correct it before I get further along. 

I will explain about needing to learn things as they come up and not an easy way now and changing it later. This thread is long enough.