VIBRATO

[tommyc]

Hello Sax Legends!

I wanna start a new topic! Vibrato it seems, hasn't been covered in much detail. Either that or I'm blind within this website.

I play the violin as well as the sax, and when it comes to vibrato, I've found it to be taught in different ways. I learnt vibrato on the violin before I had any teaching on the sax. It's quite hard to get the hang of with violin. With sax, I pretty much just started using a lip vibrato. Anyway, my violin teacher taught me how to move my hand to make the vibrato sound and after much practicing it slowly developed. From there I was basically told to use it as often as possible as I saw fit. It served to embellish the music.

I wasn't really given any proper info on sax vibrato until I had been playing for about 8 years. Upon entering university, my teacher said I had a very classical sounding vibrato (go figure). He said it was very quick and very narrow. He preceeded to tell me how I should aim to blow a clean note and towards the end of the note, attach a slower and wider sounding vibrato. This was the way he preferred to use the technique. I realise now after listening to many of the greats that there are infinite ways of using vibrato, but I've found on the jazz timeline that vibrato basically stemmed from classical vibrato. Early jazz (Armstrong, Parker, whoever) used a quick and narrow sound and transformed into what we may more commonly here it today - slower and wide.

He told me I should practice vibrato in triplets and in semi-quavers (16ths - whatever!) at different speeds. I don't really do that much now, I prefer to develope my vibrato further through listening to my favourite players, in the hope that my own style will eventually be created. It's also interesting to note that after doing this a little on sax, I then applied it to my violin playing. And guess what? My Spanish violin teacher didn't approve. "No Tom, why are you only adding vibrato at the end of the note! Do it from the start!" I found it quite funny. My violin days are pretty much over now anyway.

I guess at the end of the day, you'll use vibrato either:
1. the way you like to hear it and;
2. depending on the music you're playing and;
3. depending on who you're trying to sound like/emulate.

What are your thoughts people? Spill the info on this new slate!

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[MS]

Style and taste.
If you're playing historical Western European Art Music, the you use vibrato to match the styles that we think were used then by instrumentalists and singers.

If you play big band, you follow the norms (basic-no vibrato on unisons-use and fill out on harmonies) - follow the lead of the lead player.. If you play R&B you use vibrato for colors and to create and relax tension- and create what's you - unless paying hommage to an important historical player.

If you play jazz, unless you're doing tribute to an important historical player/style, you figure out what sounds like YOU. Adding vibrato ONLY at the end of a note can lock one into predictability and possibly become boring.

[Jazz House]

reported

[marton]

TommyC are you my identical twin?

'Cause I have exactly the same past where music's concerned. There is a difference though between our training, and that is that with violin I began using a vibrato from day one basically. My teacher called it a "natural vibrato" which she encouraged.

Back to sax now, and I use a jaw vibrato. I don't use it much because I don't actually like the sound of vibrato used with sax. But that's just me.

[DrWill]

This is my unique contribution ... that is, this is what worked for me, and may or may not work for someone else .....

I wanted to play with a vibrato badly, and I practiced assiduously .... triplets at 120 I recall (maybe eighths) .... and I could do it with effort .... and I practiced and practiced ....

But the thing was, I always had to think about every up and down waver ...... it used all the computing power of my brain ..... I could not get it to sound natural ..... and, I could not do it without a lot of brain power devoted to it....

I practiced for probably a year .... with no usable results ....

Then, I got a flute. I also got a copy of David Newman playing Summertime, on flute, with a big vibrato.

I was after a bit able to get a sound out of the flute, and I went after a vibrato immediately. With the flute, there is no jaw vibrato, you must use a diaphragm vibrato .... or something else ....

I was able to get a diaphragm vibrato pretty quickly on the flute. At least, I think it is a diaphram vibrato .... it is not entirely clear to me where the vibrato is coming from .... and, better yet .... it does not require front brain activity to start and control .... that is, you just will the vibrato .... and it happens .... you don't have to think about it at all....

It's apparent to me that the typical sax player uses a jaw vibrato, and does not have to think about it. This, however, for me, was impossible. The solution was to use a diaphram vibrato.

Also, I don't think I could have learned a diaphragm vibrato playing the sax ... there is something about the flute that makes it much easier ...... and it took me a while, even after I could play it on the flute, to get it transferred to the sax.

So, like I said, this is what worked for me .... and is not the norm .... but it might prove useful for some cases......