Vibrato questions

I have been playing my Gemeinhardt flute made in 1977 in my school's band for the past 4 1/2 years, and over the past weekend I was able to go to an honor band for the first time. It was an amazing experience, and I noticed the other flute players doing something I had never heard or heard of before. When we broke into sectionals, I asked what they were doing and they said that it was called vibrato. I had never been taught that, and I would like to know how to teach myself. I have found on the internet to say "ha, ha," but it doesn't really sound like what they were doing when I try that. Theirs was a slow wavering; mine is a quick chopping kind of a noise. How can I teach myself to be able to use vibrato?

---

Hi!

Congratulations on participating in the honor band! They're great fun and a wonderful learning experience.

Yes, most flutists play with vibrato in their tone, just like vocalists, string players, and other wind players do.

To familiarize yourself with the concept of vibrato, listen to some recordings of singers, violinists, cellists, etc., and note the vibration in their sounds, especially on long notes.

I have a couple of pages on my site about vibrato that you might want to check out...

Vibrato explanation

Vibrato tips

Vibrato is simply going back and forth between two closely pitched versions of the same note.

Say "ha, ha" and pretend you are trying to cool a bowl of hot soup sitting in front of you.

Then say "ha, ha" as you blow into the flute. You're still trying to cool down that soup!

Do you notice the variation in pitch?

It can be helpful to watch a violinist move their hand back and forth. This is how they play vibrato. It's very visual compared to the way we produce vibrato. The effect is the same, though.

Here's a violinist on a Youtube video...



After you have gotten the concept down, you should practice getting the vibrato faster and even. You can practice with a metronome.

Different styles of music require different styles of vibrato. If the music is slow and melodic, you need to use a slower vibrato.

You can also play with a deeper or shallower vibrato. For a quick, light piece, play with a faster, shallow (vibrations are not so intense) vibrato.

Vibrato should be an addition to a well-focused, already-beautiful flute tone.