Vibrato

I have decided that my vibrato is holding me back.  Now, that is a scary thing to try and relearn after 38 years of playing the violin.  So, I have examined many  examples of various types of vibratos, in video, audio, and in self observation, and there are oh SO many wonderful players out there to observe.  (I will list a few of the ones that inspired me over my lifetime, and particularly in this recent challenge, below this entry.)

Here is what I’ve learned so far on my journey.   I have been allowing myself to change my hand position, simply to achieve a certain width and speed of vibrato that is my ultimate goal.  Instead of keeping my hand in an efficient and close AND consistent position, (and instead wobbling my wrist straight towards me, with enough back and forth on the pads of my fingers), I have been standing up on the tips of my fingers and using my whole arm to achieve the sound I want from my vibrato.  This makes for huge inconsistencies in my hand position, as each finger has a slightly different angle, and needs a unique hand/arm adjustment to achieve the sound I’m going for.  Every time I adjust for each finger and it’s various needs (more or less pad, or a different angle to the fingerboard) I shift my position of the hand and fingers to each other and the fingerboard.  Although I’ve made it work for such a long time, it is impossible to achieve what I truly want without fundamental change.  SO.  I decided to train myself to have a hand/wrist vibrato (and even a little finger vibrato perhaps)  instead, which I can use to form my own unique vibrato.  First, I am training hard to grow muscle and strength in my hand in ways I never have had before.  At this age, the flexibility is much less, and the frustration along the way much more.   Everything is done slowly, with intense focus on the action I am developing.  I do not allow room for going backwards.  No playing old pieces with old habits.  I am taking works which I am preparing for a concert in the spring, and although I have already learned them for months using my old technique, this does not matter.  I will go through one movement slowly, using only my wrist vibrato, and watch carefully how this may affect fingerings, and string crossings, and phrasing.  Additionally, I am adding Bach back into my daily practice, in order to have some deeply challenging works to apply these new ideas.   Only a week into this project, and I am having major breakthroughs.  First.  My intonation is better.  Second.  My double stops are far better, and more connected between string crossings.  Third.  My trills are suddenly twice the speed I’ve achieved before, simply because of this adjustment in angle and form.  I’m astounded and the leaps I have made in such a short time.   Playing Bach feels like a whole other experience, now that I can see my way forward to improving the connections between each finger and string crossing.  And, the options in keeping phrasing afloat are so much better when I’m not wasting huge amounts of energy on a large arm vibrato in long held passages.  For the first time in over 20 years, I am making large improvements in my playing.  What a thing!!  I am only at the beginning, but I am hopeful.  And, best of all I am enjoying and having fun and CELEBRATING the process along the way.  My mother would be so proud.

My list of inspirational violinists…some gone and some still making music.

My father Jon Toth

Anne Sophie-Mutter

Hilary Hahn

Julia Fischer

Janine Jansen

David Oistrach

Oscar Shumsky

(And a few cellists)

My mother Elizabeth Brunton

Pablo Casals

Sol Gabetta