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Vibrato stylesby retired teacher
How have ideas about flute vibrato changed over the past 50 years? There seems to be a dramatic difference between what you hear orchestral flute players doing on old LP's and what you hear today. Hi! Vibrato styles have definitely changed over the years. Flute vibrato used to be very fast back in the 1930s and 1940s. It was very similar to the rapid, "warbling" vibrato you heard from big band singers. The fashion changed through the 1950s and 1960s to a slow, wider vibrato. These days, flutists need to have a "library" of vibratos to use with their playing, adapting it to the piece they're performing. For example, on a diminuendo, the vibrato becomes slower as well. For a beautiful, slow piece, the vibrato is slow and wide. In a fast piece, bright pops of fast vibrato sprinkled on landing notes adds brilliance.
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