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For some, the complaint of "too much vibrato" is a form of sour grapes.
I have to disagree. It is a matter of taste or preference. From a person who has no idea what all this techy stuff about vibrato is about, I simply do not like a lot of vibrato, I don't like a lot of it on stringed instruments and I definitely hate all that vibrato used by singers.
I like the clearness and, as damfino or elcbk said above, the ring. I like the clear ring of a note.
It is not sour grapes. If I was interested in it, I would spend more time on it, I am not, I can do it on cello, and don't use it nearly as much as others do. Why? I love the pure sound. I want the note, the ring. I spend more time trying to improve my intonation and reach that ring. Again, this from a stand point of preference to what I like to listen to.
I think my distaste for vibrato, even in singing, is why I cannot stand opera or anyone who uses it when singing.
Some places on violin, viola, cello, it is great. It is great used less to evoke a sense of the atmoslhere, like a bird chirping etc, not constantly with MOST notes doing vibrato. Let it ring, Too much and it loses its uniqueness and effect.
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I dont dislike vibrato..i think it helps in some cases...actually in most cases with a stringed instrument. long sustained notes of a string section need it..
but..Personally i think the style(s) i prefer are kinda niche stringed instrument wise and for that reason i can get away with sounding ok without it in general terms. I would prefer to have the abilitly to do wide romantic vibrato or more appropriate to my style e.g. what Martin Hayes does or any other fiddler of this genre... whenever i wanted..but
I havent devoted the time to it for different reasons. so i dont try to use it. im still frying other fish with what time i have...so to speak.
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You're right, we don't need vibrato and even if you vibrate, you don't need to do it all the time. It's one of the many colors that you have at your disposal when you have the capacity. I love many things without vibrato, and yes, it helps cover up imperfections. Also, vibrato comes in different ways. You can vibrate in every width from very narrow to very wide, and within those waves you can fluctuate the speed. Every combination changes the feeling of the emotion/vibrato.
Some music sounds better without vibrato.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Mouse said
For some, the complaint of "too much vibrato" is a form of sour grapes.
I have to disagree. It is a matter of taste or preference.
I have to comment here that logic is the victim of this blanket reply, unless you are explicitly asserting that there is nobody for whom it is sour grapes, or you are saying it is not true in your case.
There are two types of meaningful statement: - universal and existential. The one is always the negation of the other. All swans are white (universal) the negation is some swans are not white (existential) ; some people can live to the age of 200 (existential) negative - it is not the case that some people etc (universal). You see that your negation of my existential assertion can only imply a universal as it stands.
Andrew
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I suspect the unspoken nub of this thread is, are you a fiddler or a classical violinist? If the former, don't use vibrato; if the latter, use it expressively and suitably. If you are a fiddler, don't worry about classical standards. If you are a fiddler who listens to classical music with more vibrato than you like, listen to classical music with less vibrato.
Andrew
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Vibrato is used a lot in Irish and Scots lament tunes, not so much in jigs and reels and the like, but is still used extwnsively, have a listen to ferghal scahill. Vibrato is up to the individual, it could be argued that since vibrato wasnt used at all in Baroque it shouldnt be used in classical, Personally I disagree with that view, I think if you think it enhances the music and want to, you should use it, if not dont, quite simple.
Lots of fiddle players play tunes such as this, I think the vibrato makes this one, as well as thefine plying that is
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stringy said
It could be argued that since vibrato wasnt used at all in Baroque it shouldnt be used in classical, Personally I disagree with that view
I agree that it would be a poor inference, except that vibrato was considered an ornament in the baroque and was used extempore like any other ornament.
Andrew
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Same as fiddle playing then, its considered an ornament, and in some fiddle pieces is used extensively, as ferghal demonstrates, with great skill. There are no rules in fiddle playing to say that vibrato isnt used and doesnt matter is plainly incorrect.
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