Arts & Entertainment, Music
Vibrato
Lesson time 10:45 min
Your vibrato is like your fingerprint. Learn how it can add richness, color, and emotion to your playing.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Avoid Comfort Vibrato • Let Vibrato Serve the Phrase
Teaches Violin
In his first-ever online class, virtuoso violin player Itzhak Perlman breaks down his techniques for improved practice and powerful performances.
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[MUSIC - VIOLIN SONATA IN G MINOR, DEVIL'S TRILL SONATA"] MAN: Your fingerprint is your vibrato. It's like your language because that stays with you for the rest of your life. For me, there's not enough attention paid for the vibrato as a musical tool. It's a tool to express musically certain things. And I always think about some people feel that vibrato is like those keyboards, synthesizer keyboard. And you have all these buttons, and each button says this one is a violin, this one is a cello, this one is a trumpet, and so on. They also have one that says vibrato. So you push the button, and you've got a vibrato. But that vibrato basically is the same for the entire phrase. And I feel that vibrato is really-- you can actually vary it and make the phrase sound a certain way whether you want it to sound-- like I said before, you want it to sound relaxed, you want it to sound intense, you want it to sound big and rich, you want it to sound, let's say, slightly colorless if the music demands it, and so on and so forth. A lot of that has to do with vibrato. Now, the vibrato comes in different shades. You can go in the store, and you get a nice, big vibrato. And then there is the store that gives you a slightly less big vibrato. I'm kidding, of course. All right. So let's say what is the vibrato made of? The vibrato is a wobble, you know? So that no vibrato-- [PLAYS NOTE] --and then a little. [PLAYS NOTE] A bit more. [PLAYS NOTE] Even more. [PLAYS NOTE] Even more. [PLAYS NOTE] All right. So what I was doing is I was basically wobbling. It's from slow to fast. Now, there is how I did this. There's a vibrato that's a little narrower like this. [PLAYS NOTE] And then it's wider. [PLAYS NOTE] And then it's really wide-- [PLAYS NOTE] --which is too wide because that's when it's so-- the width has to be in combination with the speed. So there is a slow vibrato. [PLAYS NOTE] And there's a fast one. [PLAYS NOTE] All right. Now, the fast vibrato, you don't want to use as much wobble with a fast vibrato because it'll sound like a trill. [PLAYS NOTE] You don't want to do that. Then there is the other thing, which is when you go up on the instrument here. [PLAYS NOTES] So the intervals on the lower half of the violin are bigger than they are here. So what does that mean? Do you use the same amount of vibrato wobble here as you do here? You don't because if you do that, then it'll become like , like that. So you have to adjust the vibrato. So as you go up there, you narrow the vibrato. So it'll sound basically a-- [PLAYS NOTES] You see? I hardly use any vibrato. And then, of course, there is yet another problem with vibrato is how do you vibrate? You vibrate with the fingers like this? Or do you vibrate with your arm like that? And some people do both. The thing for me, I always like variety. I always think you can vibrate any way you want...
About the Instructor
The world’s reigning virtuoso violin player, Itzhak Perlman performs for presidents, royals, and classical music lovers around the world. Now the beloved Juilliard instructor and 15-time Grammy Award winner brings his passion for teaching to a wide audience for the first time. Learn fundamental techniques, practice strategies, and how to add richness and depth to your sound. Give your most dynamic performance yet.
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Itzhak Perlman
In his first-ever online class, virtuoso violin player Itzhak Perlman breaks down his techniques for improved practice and powerful performances.
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