Suggest getting rid of the background music. It is very distracting especially when you are playing at the same time with the backfound music. Otherwise very good.
Hi Tim, thanks so much for your feedback. Unfortunately I don't have the original editing project to remove the background music. Check out the video below where I explained the motion with less distraction👍 ua-cam.com/video/EJGbFohg1JE/v-deo.htmlsi=FFkJr9MmKHcdtx_b
That is not your only progress. Your intonation, bow hold, & bowing have improved too. This is encouraging to see as a teacher of beginning violinists. It's been so long since I learned to play, I forget what the process feels like in first person, but clearly paying attention followed by hard work, even for an adult, pays off royally. Good job!
Lay down instrument for 20 so years and you will remember quickly what the process feels like as the knowledge is there while all your muscle memory has to be retrained lol :)
Your ability to put into words about vibrato is very helpful to me. You did it from a student’s point of view. I have tried both wrist and arm vibrato and am always too fast and very tensed up. Also, my violin shakes. A couple of days ago I got a longer shoulder rest foot and now have a better fit for my violin. I am still making adjustments, but playing music is easier and sounds much better. Following your examples is really going to help me have a relaxed grip when learning vibrato. Thank you.
I learned by watching myself in the mirror and trying to copy the wrist movement that my teacher did. I would vary the speed from very slow to fast. It only took a day or two for me to get it, and then over the years I've gotten much better at it 😊
I couldn't agree more😊 I personally didn't use a mirror when I first started doing vibrato exercises. But I use it more now to check my form and it's super helpful for getting instant feedback. I think the next best thing if a mirror is not accessible is to take a video recording. For me it exposes so many trouble spots that I normally don't notice during practice. A cruel exercise but a necessary one😅
Great lesson. Very useful emphasising the importance of loosening up the knuckles. This is the first video on vibrato I've watched (and I've watched a lot) where I've felt I might eventually get the hang of it. Thank you.
My orchestra teacher in school had a method where she taught the whole class vibrato and only spent like 5 mins of her time. She said our homework was to get one of them old film canisters, you know, them little black cylinders you put film in b4 you take it to get developed? Well we had to get one of them and pop a coin in it, and stick the cap on. Then you hold it in your hand like you were going to hold your instrument. Now you just wave good-bye to yourself and if done correctly the coin will not slide up and down the black tube but it will pop each end of the tube. Thats it, she said she didnt care what we did while we used it..... pop the coin while you watch tv or whatever. The next day she knew who didnt do their "homework" because once we put fingers to strings she said now do vibrato and the whole class was doing vibrato within a minute or 2. When you use the film holder tube and coin, you actually have to exaggerate the motion to pop the coin so you are actually using more "force" than necessary to do the actual vibrato. Not only did you get used to doing the correct motion, you also teach your muscles the muscle memory and never have to have your violin with you, you just watch tv and pop the coin :) I had a VERY VERY awesome teacher. She was hard ass and took no shit from NOBODY. day 1 we get speech that said if we took that "class" as a fuck off class, there is the door, use it right now. She weeded out the non serious students very quickly.
+Rusty Koenig this reminds me of the early days when I was learning how to hold the bow and practiced with a pencil any chance I could.. I would love to see a video of your canister trick for learning vibrato. It's hard to picture what you described but I get a vague idea of it. Anyways, good luck and thanks for sharing your experience🙂
How cool is this!? I'm a 31 year old guitar player of 20 years that decided to fully switch over violin 2 months ago and I have not met or even run into one other person in this kind of situation, so it's really awesome to see you as an example.
excellent video , you explained it much better that those who have been playing the violing from childhood, I did not understand this people, but i understand you, thank you so much, keep going you do an excellent job
Thank you for this video. I am a multi-instrumentalists but very new to the violin. You are by far the most concise and easy to follow youtube instructor I have watched. And you sound great!
I had almost the exact opposite reaction. I started later than you, and to see someone able to not only play the Massenet Meditation but do it with vibrato at seven months in…well, having spent more time than that and barely be halfway through Suzuki Book 1, it leaves me question my life choices! 🤷🏼♂️
I layed down my instrument for 20+ years and once I started listening to David Garret/Lindsay Sterling/Black Violin....... I couldn't resist it lol. Got a violin instead of the viola i played for 12-13 years...... Learned a new set of notes cuz viola is on a weird clef NOBODY else uses.... I think like 1 or 2 brass use it..... alto clef so I had to relearn how to read music from treble clef and after 20+ years my fingers were still going to the position for a note on alto..... all the "knowledge" was still there (like riding a bike) but the muscle memory was completely gone... I even put the newbie stickers on for a little bit cuz I had to completely relearn how to "play" it or at least teach my muscles to do it all again. The violin.... one of the hardest instruments to master.... you can learn to play a song in your 1st day or 2 but it takes a lifetime to master it. If you have the patients and don't mind listening to crappy sounds coming from your instrument while you learn to pull nice tones from it you will fall in LOVE with it.
Awesome advice! I've been playing the violin officially for a year now and I'm starting to get the hang of vibrato. My biggest challenge so far has been relaxing my thumb; I keep wanting to grip the violin neck.
Hello, I think that you are doing well overall! I remembered seeing you about a year ago! I, too, am a new violist! Started as an adult 8 years ago! Vibrato is not easy! Keep up the good work! I will, too! 😊
Thank you. I've just started learning the violin, (teaching myself via UA-cam videos - but don't tell anyone as I know I should really find a real teacher 🤣), and I've encountered everything you said you've encountered, as I too also play guitar (guitar vibrato is a very different hand action to violin vibrato!). I'm really doing violin for my own pleasure, and you have given me the encouragement and tips to work on my vibrato. Thank you again 🎻🙂
I learned vibrato mostly with videos and a mirror. A mirror actually helps a ton! When I tried doing vibrato without a mirror, I couldn't do it so I gave up but then I started practicing in front of a mirror and now I know how to vibrato :D
Hey, just wanted to leave a quick thank you note! Your video helped me a lot! I feel like I’m really getting better by following your tips:) Much love and stay healthy!
This was super helpful, thank you! And I really appreciate that you talk at a normal pace and have a mellow style. So many who do tutorials sound like they've had too much coffee. 🤣
Hi, just starting to learn vibrato after a few of violin learning, your channel popped out, so I took a look. What a pleasant surprise, I found it very helpful! Will practice, thank you so much for sharing! 🙏💕
If you are doing wrist vibrato, here is a tip: To get the motion of each finger going, focus on the muscles in your left forearm. Try to encourage them to flex then relax. If you imagine each finger slightly pushing down on the fingerboard then lifting then pushing down again (very lightly) you should be able to set up a pulse which you will feel in your forearm large muscle. That pulsing muscile will automatically encourage the wrist to arch back and forward. The fingers have to be very relaxed so they bend then straighten without you being conscious of it.
I have been learning for 3 months and within about the 2 week mark I learned basic arm vibrato. Only having problems with relaxing my fingers :) love your progress
Thanks for this! I've started learning to play the violin as an adult and am only now beginning to learn vibrato, so this will definitely be helpful :)
Awesome explanation, I am just starting to learn and I like your pointers. It is very awkward, but I will try practicing the movements first. When I add the bow, it gets hard. I am so eager to learn vibrato. I have only been taking lessons for one year, but I will keep plugging away at it. Thank you.
I love this video. I’m going to try this. I will let you know how it goes. I’m an older adult and I’ve been playing for about eight years. I play Irish traditional, and I also play rock and blues and rock and blues band. Vibrato has always been challenging. I feel like I kind of fake my way through it. This really gives me something to work on. Thanks!!
+Tina Marie Ziolkowski yes my trusty old guitar was really useful to practice on. Not exactly the same as having a violin on your neck but it helped to assess my movement and allowed me to work on finger flexibility.
You're welcome! It definitely looks significantly more supple. Have you tried to master a variety of speeds and widths for musical purposes yet or is that next? 😀
+Duo.Hansen I've tried experimenting a bit with speed/amplitude.. But purposefully applying it to the music is the challenge I think. Like deciding when to slow down/speed up or widen/narrow my vibrato. To put it simply, I don't think I have developed full control of my vibrato at this stage. Any suggestions would be amazing!😊
Well, you were implementing the exercise nicely in your video. A good daily warm up is to use the metronome and practice the 16th note vibrato swings at various tempos (110 to 140). Do this enough, and varying the speeds in a piece is a piece of cake (you can also add that exercise to scaler passages to practicing connecting the vibrato at any given tempo.) keep it up!
thank you for showing us very honestly how you have learned vibrato and encouraging us how we also can learn from your experience. They are very helpful. God bless you!
I notice that your violin is almost motionless during the vibrato. My violin shakes too much vertically. People need to understand that learning violin vibrato is not simple. It's not as simple as a guitar. You've done exceptionally well.
I know it's two years too late to say this, but definitely don't give up. As Eddy, and Brett, (TwoSet) would say, "Practice 40 hours each day! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!"
I have just started learning vibrato and I feel so uncoordinated. I watched several videos and must say I like how you explain it the best. My hand is tense, so now I know what I have to work on the most. Thanks for the tip.
+Donald Heller Wonderful! I really think it’s never too early to start learning vibrato😊 the earlier you can incorporate some vibrato exercises the less scary it would be later on to apply it to your pieces. Plus it will set you up to not squeeze the neck with the left hand. Good luck🙂
Your humility is as beautiful as you are. Thanks so much for this lesson. I have a question. Have been learning vibrato since January this year. My first and second finger is OK but my third and fourth finger is slowing me down. The movement of those two fingers are too slow what can i do? Wish I could send you a private video of my progress with the vibrato. Can i please get your email. I admire your humility in your videos alot and am humbled to learning from. Hope to hear from you.
Hi Edward😊 thank you for your sweet comment. Yes of course you can send me an email and I would be happy to take a look. My email is mspolkadotz@gmail.com looking forward to seeing your video👍
Thank you very much, you really helpt me, I had a problem with learning vibrato, I felt like the violin will slip from my hand, it was because I didn't use the shoulder rest.
Love that "Rielly Ace of Spies theme you do there - I do a very haphazard vibrato myself and have spent very little time doing exercises for that and in general: I found that playing along with pieces like that Meditation was very good for learning "piece appropriate" vibrato and is a solution for the "study challenged" such as myself as it is an enjoyable habit to get into...
+THE VIOLINIST Hi🙂 thanks for commenting. The Romance by Shostakovich piece was part of the repertoire I had to learn for the violinlab workshop last May. It's a lovely melody isn't it! Like you, I lack motivation to do vibrato exercises so I try to experiment in the context of what I am learning. That way, it's more enjoyable as you put it.
Thank you for this video. After 50 years of violin playing, I think my vibrato is getting better! Your video includes things that some of the teachers talk about, but yours incorporates everything - well, nearly. I've noticed that some of my playing friends have not learned that the vibrato movement should only go from the target note to below it - never above it (unless you're playing strange avant-garde music!) Vibrato which goes above the note tends to make a wailing sound. Now I'm off to practice a bit more. You're never too old to practice!
+whigwood Thanks so much for commenting😊 Wow 50 years! Would love to hear you play some time🙂 I've been thinking a lot about the oscillation not going above the note for a while actually. I think that to some degree I go above the note. But I know the the ear will definitely perceive the note higher when it's done too much. Thanks again and happy practicing!
Just found this - Thank you! I am 60 and started playing 1 year ago. I have very poor wrist flexibility so my hand seems to always be tight on the neck ( I have to push with my thumb to get my fingers to the g string). I really like the way you went through this tutorial. I will keep trying but mostly my hand moves like a brick...
Thank you for your video. I think out of all the videos and googling, you made it the most clear. I notice everybody says you should learn vibrato once you are playing for a few years. Why can’t we learn to do it as we learn the notes? I’m 55 and a beginner. I am still learning basic notes lol. I was curious what all this vibrato stuff was about. So I started thinking, why not learn it now as I learn my notes too? Is that possible?
Thank you😊 exactly my thoughts when I was just getting started! This technique is particularly hard to develop and I think that there's no harm in trying to understand it as soon as you can. It can even make practicing all the more enjoyable because you'll be able to create nuances and colors in your tone that you never thought possible before👍 have fun practicing and keep us posted on your progress.
Nice video and great progress on your part on your playing!! I'm a year and a half into learning violin and vibrato is proving to be quite the challenge. I find the piano in the background very distracting but still a helpful video.
Dearest MsPolkaDotz Your technical analyses of the vibrato is excellent! But you are also a lucky person in having a wonderful beautiful violinhand, (See min.9:00 etc.) But there is more: vibrato is your voice, your emotions, your heart, your expression and like talking and speaking emotionally you will master a beautiful vibrato which is fully your voice!!! In the Romance of Shostakovitch you can be very proud what you have achieved by hard work! It is a little difficult to give you in this way more tips but I a sure you will discover it by yourself. Best wishes!!! a yeah a good piece for studying vibrato is Gloomy Sunday! But I wish you a happy day, of course not a Glommy Sunday.
Thanks Jose! I'm very flattered =) And yes, it's all very mechanical the way I explained the motion.. you are quite right, it's ends up being our unique voice which translates our deepest emotions. Thanks again for all the support! have a wonderful day =)
everybody is built different, small fingers, big fingers and so on, it is like human voice, each voice is different, so it does not matter how you use vibrato (finger, hand wrist) only the result counts. If you like to hear a wonderful vibrato try: avant de mourir played by Geza Komor on youtube. I do hope you like and I do hope it is usefull for you!
i got thru your very good video and will attempt it today. my problem is the thumb grips with the grip of death and is painful for the next few days.. thanks
Would you mind telling me which brand you have? The reason I ask is because there are various ways to adjust the SR depending on the design. The one that I'm using has 2 settings I can play around with. I can adjust its height and width for the shoulder. But this will mean very little to you if you have a different kind of SR altogether.
Informative video, thank you. I was curious about your instrument, specifically the bridge. It looks to me like the kidney wings curve upwards into the kidney openings, am I seeing that right? I haven't seen a bridge tuned that way before. Some barely even have kidney wings, with them cut down to points sometimes, but curved upwards is interesting. It's a beautiful instrument for sure.
Well spotted! I've never really paid attention to it until now. The tails of the kidney opening at the center of the bridge are indeed curled upwards. The ones at the sides are curled downwards instead of having it plain straight. I guess the design slightly varies depending on the makers. I'd also love to see what yours look like! As for the instrument, I've had my violin for 5 years now and the only adjustment I've had done is the height of the bridge which I requested to be lowered at the luthier's. At the same time the nut was also shaved a little to balance it out. Currently, I'm using a slightly taller chin rest which is a side mount and this allows me to adjust the leg height of the shoulder rest to sit slightly lower😊
+Mary Freeman Hi Mary, its funny you say that. I looked back on the way I was demonstrating the vibrato motion and it looks like I was doing arm vibrato. However, I do think that my vibrato is coming more from the hand.. maybe it's a combination of both.. 🙂
Hi Arturo🙂, may I ask if you are using a shoulder rest when you play? It's so important to have that feeling of security when holding the violin to lessen the 'death' grip.
Oh I see, how long have you been playing without one? It would help if you can share a practice video so I can take a look at your technique. if you decide to play without a shoulder rest then you'll need to really pay attention to your form and violin hold because the left thumb will be the main support for playing without a shoulder rest. I have a video where I play without one if you wanna check it out ua-cam.com/video/dnjyIeJanTk/v-deo.html
Your video is great cause I'm adult beginer as you are and trying to learn vibrato for more than a year, but not so succesful. I've came to stage where I can solidly vibrate while I'm practicing long notes with metronome (or without it) but when I start vibrating while playing some songs, my fingers imediately get tense. Do you have some advice about that?
+rockrulesjossy Hi🙂 although I personally did not learn vibrato using the metronome, I know exactly what you mean about how challenging it is to start applying vibrato on a specific piece! I think the key is to take it slow and pick 2-3 measure of the music where you can focus on doing the correct hand/arm motion. No need for metronome to do this, just aim for wide amplitude and evenness in your vibrato. It's good to know that you are already developing a good sense of awareness when your fingers tense up which will allow you to address the issue and release wherever the tension may be (it could be coming from gripping, holding your breath, insecure violin hold, coordination between left and right hand etc). Good luck and hope this helps😊
I have the same issue with tension, I believe it stems from when I played violin as kid (Like little kid... I had to stop when I was 7) I marveled at the adult violinist as beholding this wizardly skill, I now see it as a daunting task. Today in my lesson I could also tell it has something to do with a insecure violin hold. Is there any tips to relief the tension?
Listening is very important! The right technique is essential, but allow your technique to be the slave of the sound you have in your head and want to create. Don't get too bogged down with straining to get a "textbook technique". Do that, and you'll end up TENSE and not going forward, becoming frustrated, and becoming more tense. "Feedback listening" is all-important in violin playing, both for intonation and all other aspects of sound production.
It sounds like your "brain" is getting in your way. Your fingers go tense because your trying to "think" about doing vibrato while thinking about the song's notes. The brain is the biggest culprit that messes up a lot of people. You can do a solid vibrato on a long note so you know you can do a solid vibrato. Instead of doing it on just one long note start with scales. Do half notes or even whole note scales and get to where you can pull off a solid vibrato on each note of a scale. Then switch to quarter note scales until you can do solid vibrato doing that. Once you can run scales and do vibrato you should be able to do it in a song without even thinking about doing it. I have a saying. Let the music play YOU, you do not play the music. The moment you try to play the music.. you are screwing it up :) In other words if your brain is involved in the playing process your doing it wrong. Muscle memory takes care of the actual act of playing, not your brain actively telling your fingers to move. If your brain thinks I need this note then that note you are screwing it up :) Just like when you walk down the street, you do not actively "think" about moving your back leg forward and allow your front leg move to the back..... you just simply WALK without any "thought" on your part. Let your fingers do the "walking" for you and remove your brain from the process. This is the hardest thing for most people to understand. Let the music play YOU, Dont try to play the music :)
Hello! Great video, thanks for sharing. I am wondering if this would work also for viola? And also, I seem to have a hard time keeping my fingers on the string as they seem to constantly slip off. Any thoughts?
Hi Connie, thanks for commenting😊 I think it would work on the viola. I've held a viola once before and it's a beautiful instrument! I think that setting up the left hand for the viola is going to be very similar to the violin, you'll just need to accommodate the bigger space between the fingers. The vibrato motion is going to be exactly the same in my opinion. Give it a go and let me know how it goes👍
Yes absolutely. But it depends on a couple of things like tempo and how you wish to express the notes. If the tempo is slow enough, you can choose to bounce the vibrato from finger to finger as well as explore different combinations of wide/narrow/fast/slow vibrato to shape the music. On the other hand, as the tempo gets faster, you'll reach a point where you won't be able to vibrate on the short notes👍
Hi nice video :P I just want to ask some things. When youre doing vibrato your arm isnt moving, only from the wrist. Is that because youre consiously doing wrist vibrato? I'm violin for a year now and i'm learning vibrato now with the help of my teacher and I start with arm vibrato with which most of the motion comes from the arm. And second: You dont need a shoulder rest for vibrato :P I certainly am NOT at the point to play without shoulder rest but pro's can play violin with totally free vibrato without the use of a shoulder rest they can do that because they apparantly can play very loosely. I am just saying it because it sounded like you are saying you only can do vibrato with shoulder rest :P. Keep up the videos I enjoyed it. Sorry for the english, its not my first language xd.
+steef993 Hi🙂 yep I’m purposefully doing a wrist vibrato here. And you are quite right, not everyone needs a shoulder rest - it’s a personal preference. I do think that that having a shoulder rest makes playing so much easier for me (I tried it without but there’s way too much space in between my neck and shoulder that I end up bringing my left shoulder up and squeeze - I definitely think it’s an art playing without a shoulder rest. I am in awe of people who can do it without😊
Suggest getting rid of the background music. It is very distracting especially when you are playing at the same time with the backfound music. Otherwise very good.
Hi Tim, thanks so much for your feedback. Unfortunately I don't have the original editing project to remove the background music. Check out the video below where I explained the motion with less distraction👍 ua-cam.com/video/EJGbFohg1JE/v-deo.htmlsi=FFkJr9MmKHcdtx_b
That is not your only progress. Your intonation, bow hold, & bowing have improved too. This is encouraging to see as a teacher of beginning violinists. It's been so long since I learned to play, I forget what the process feels like in first person, but clearly paying attention followed by hard work, even for an adult, pays off royally. Good job!
Thank you so much for your feedback! It means a lot to me🙏🏼😊
Lay down instrument for 20 so years and you will remember quickly what the process feels like as the knowledge is there while all your muscle memory has to be retrained lol :)
Your ability to put into words about vibrato is very helpful to me. You did it from a student’s point of view. I have tried both wrist and arm vibrato and am always too fast and very tensed up. Also, my violin shakes. A couple of days ago I got a longer shoulder rest foot and now have a better fit for my violin. I am still making adjustments, but playing music is easier and sounds much better.
Following your examples is really going to help me have a relaxed grip when learning vibrato. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
I learned by watching myself in the mirror and trying to copy the wrist movement that my teacher did. I would vary the speed from very slow to fast. It only took a day or two for me to get it, and then over the years I've gotten much better at it 😊
I couldn't agree more😊 I personally didn't use a mirror when I first started doing vibrato exercises. But I use it more now to check my form and it's super helpful for getting instant feedback. I think the next best thing if a mirror is not accessible is to take a video recording. For me it exposes so many trouble spots that I normally don't notice during practice. A cruel exercise but a necessary one😅
Thank you beloved sister teacher. May you continue abounding in His grace to impacting souls musically.
Great lesson. Very useful emphasising the importance of loosening up the knuckles. This is the first video on vibrato I've watched (and I've watched a lot) where I've felt I might eventually get the hang of it. Thank you.
Thank you so much Andrew! I really appreciate your feedback. I didn't realise I was doing a lesson, haha.. Just sharing my experience. :-)
5:32 is when the tips start
Thank u
Thanks! I was getting bored.
My orchestra teacher in school had a method where she taught the whole class vibrato and only spent like 5 mins of her time.
She said our homework was to get one of them old film canisters, you know, them little black cylinders you put film in b4 you take it to get developed? Well we had to get one of them and pop a coin in it, and stick the cap on. Then you hold it in your hand like you were going to hold your instrument. Now you just wave good-bye to yourself and if done correctly the coin will not slide up and down the black tube but it will pop each end of the tube. Thats it, she said she didnt care what we did while we used it..... pop the coin while you watch tv or whatever.
The next day she knew who didnt do their "homework" because once we put fingers to strings she said now do vibrato and the whole class was doing vibrato within a minute or 2.
When you use the film holder tube and coin, you actually have to exaggerate the motion to pop the coin so you are actually using more "force" than necessary to do the actual vibrato. Not only did you get used to doing the correct motion, you also teach your muscles the muscle memory and never have to have your violin with you, you just watch tv and pop the coin :)
I had a VERY VERY awesome teacher. She was hard ass and took no shit from NOBODY. day 1 we get speech that said if we took that "class" as a fuck off class, there is the door, use it right now. She weeded out the non serious students very quickly.
+Rusty Koenig this reminds me of the early days when I was learning how to hold the bow and practiced with a pencil any chance I could.. I would love to see a video of your canister trick for learning vibrato. It's hard to picture what you described but I get a vague idea of it. Anyways, good luck and thanks for sharing your experience🙂
Rusty Koenig can you show me the picture of that? i want to learn that way too
Rusty Koenig Genius!!! now to find a film holder....eek
Thanks. Sounds like a good technique. I have several of those empty cans. I am going to give it a try. 👍
Rusty Koenig Such dedicated teachers are rare. You are lucky.
How cool is this!? I'm a 31 year old guitar player of 20 years that decided to fully switch over violin 2 months ago and I have not met or even run into one other person in this kind of situation, so it's really awesome to see you as an example.
Wow, that's awesome! I'm sure a lot of the skills you've gained from the guitar will help you on the violin. Good luck and have fun learning👍
You have the most soothing voice! 😊
Thank you! That's very sweet of you 🙈💜
excellent video , you explained it much better that those who have been playing the violing from childhood, I did not understand this people, but i understand you, thank you so much, keep going you do an excellent job
Aww thank you so much💜
Thank You so much for this very informative approach in developing and practicing vibrato! I found it to be extremely helpful! Keep up the great work!
Thank you for this video. I am a multi-instrumentalists but very new to the violin. You are by far the most concise and easy to follow youtube instructor I have watched. And you sound great!
As an adult beginner this gives me hope, I started at age 58
I had almost the exact opposite reaction. I started later than you, and to see someone able to not only play the Massenet Meditation but do it with vibrato at seven months in…well, having spent more time than that and barely be halfway through Suzuki Book 1, it leaves me question my life choices! 🤷🏼♂️
66 here
Me too!
I layed down my instrument for 20+ years and once I started listening to David Garret/Lindsay Sterling/Black Violin....... I couldn't resist it lol. Got a violin instead of the viola i played for 12-13 years...... Learned a new set of notes cuz viola is on a weird clef NOBODY else uses.... I think like 1 or 2 brass use it..... alto clef so I had to relearn how to read music from treble clef and after 20+ years my fingers were still going to the position for a note on alto..... all the "knowledge" was still there (like riding a bike) but the muscle memory was completely gone... I even put the newbie stickers on for a little bit cuz I had to completely relearn how to "play" it or at least teach my muscles to do it all again. The violin.... one of the hardest instruments to master.... you can learn to play a song in your 1st day or 2 but it takes a lifetime to master it. If you have the patients and don't mind listening to crappy sounds coming from your instrument while you learn to pull nice tones from it you will fall in LOVE with it.
oh lovely ive started and im 48 lets do this xx
Awesome advice! I've been playing the violin officially for a year now and I'm starting to get the hang of vibrato. My biggest challenge so far has been relaxing my thumb; I keep wanting to grip the violin neck.
Hello, I think that you are doing well overall! I remembered seeing you about a year ago! I, too, am a new violist! Started as an adult 8 years ago!
Vibrato is not easy! Keep up the good work! I will, too! 😊
Thank you. I've just started learning the violin, (teaching myself via UA-cam videos - but don't tell anyone as I know I should really find a real teacher 🤣), and I've encountered everything you said you've encountered, as I too also play guitar (guitar vibrato is a very different hand action to violin vibrato!). I'm really doing violin for my own pleasure, and you have given me the encouragement and tips to work on my vibrato. Thank you again 🎻🙂
Awesome! Hope you'll share some of your playing with us☺️💜
Nice idea using a guitar on vibrato fingers exercise
Very helpful lesson.Thankyou
Thanks Pete! Happy practicing.
Enjoyable and helpful video for year long beginner .Thank-you
Excellent vibrato lesson. I’ve only been at it for a couple of weeks- so too soon to try vibrato, but I will add at end of my practice.
That's wonderful! Have fun learning😊
I learned vibrato mostly with videos and a mirror. A mirror actually helps a ton! When I tried doing vibrato without a mirror, I couldn't do it so I gave up but then I started practicing in front of a mirror and now I know how to vibrato :D
+Kari :3 I personally don't practice with a mirror but I think I might give a go. Thanks for the tip. 😊
Nice idea😀☺ !
Interesting!!
your violin is really beautiful and the way you play it is as well
Very informative. Good detail vibrato teaching. Thanks
Hey, just wanted to leave a quick thank you note! Your video helped me a lot! I feel like I’m really getting better by following your tips:) Much love and stay healthy!
The most reasonable approach to understanding and applying this technique, that I have found on UA-cam. Very well done!
Thank you so much! 😊
This was super helpful, thank you! And I really appreciate that you talk at a normal pace and have a mellow style. So many who do tutorials sound like they've had too much coffee. 🤣
Thanks for making my day!😊❤️
Great video, compact, not too much information too soon, and lovely presentation style, thank you!
Thank you for your video, I am an adult beginner but my vibrato is nothing like yours 7 months ago, you are a pro!!
Très bien expliqué, merci beaucoup!
Thank you for sharing your experience
My pleasure!
Hi, just starting to learn vibrato after a few of violin learning, your channel popped out, so I took a look. What a pleasant surprise, I found it very helpful! Will practice, thank you so much for sharing! 🙏💕
If you are doing wrist vibrato, here is a tip: To get the motion of each finger going, focus on the muscles in your left forearm. Try to encourage them to flex then relax. If you imagine each finger slightly pushing down on the fingerboard then lifting then pushing down again (very lightly) you should be able to set up a pulse which you will feel in your forearm large muscle. That pulsing muscile will automatically encourage the wrist to arch back and forward. The fingers have to be very relaxed so they bend then straighten without you being conscious of it.
I've been struggling a lot with my vibrato and your video really explains everything very clearly. Thank you for that!
Thank you! You can do this😊🙌🏼
I have been learning for 3 months and within about the 2 week mark I learned basic arm vibrato. Only having problems with relaxing my fingers :) love your progress
+Paa Hawkins nice to hear your progress! Thanks so much😊
Thanks for this! I've started learning to play the violin as an adult and am only now beginning to learn vibrato, so this will definitely be helpful :)
Awesome explanation, I am just starting to learn and I like your pointers. It is very awkward, but I will try practicing the movements first. When I add the bow, it gets hard. I am so eager to learn vibrato. I have only been taking lessons for one year, but I will keep plugging away at it. Thank you.
Thank you for explaining very well.. I'm starting to learn vibrato and your video is perfect for learning👍👍
Very useful. Thank you for sharing!
I love this video. I’m going to try this. I will let you know how it goes. I’m an older adult and I’ve been playing for about eight years. I play Irish traditional, and I also play rock and blues and rock and blues band. Vibrato has always been challenging. I feel like I kind of fake my way through it. This really gives me something to work on. Thanks!!
Well done!!!
Excellent video. Thanks!
+Rogjp thank you😊
Glad to see your new video .I am trying vibrato now. Thanks for sharing. Definitely your tips will help me for my playing.
+Noor Aknan Hi😊 I'm so please you like the video! Thanks for watching.
I like your approach
That video is clear. Using the guitar was smart. Thanks for sharing
+Tina Marie Ziolkowski yes my trusty old guitar was really useful to practice on. Not exactly the same as having a violin on your neck but it helped to assess my movement and allowed me to work on finger flexibility.
Wow! Really nice progress on your vibrato! 👍
+Duo.Hansen thank you!😊
You're welcome! It definitely looks significantly more supple. Have you tried to master a variety of speeds and widths for musical purposes yet or is that next? 😀
+Duo.Hansen I've tried experimenting a bit with speed/amplitude.. But purposefully applying it to the music is the challenge I think. Like deciding when to slow down/speed up or widen/narrow my vibrato. To put it simply, I don't think I have developed full control of my vibrato at this stage. Any suggestions would be amazing!😊
Well, you were implementing the exercise nicely in your video. A good daily warm up is to use the metronome and practice the 16th note vibrato swings at various tempos (110 to 140). Do this enough, and varying the speeds in a piece is a piece of cake (you can also add that exercise to scaler passages to practicing connecting the vibrato at any given tempo.) keep it up!
+Duo.Hansen Great🙂 I am definitely going to try it out with the metronome. Thanks again. Really appreciate it.
Thanks, you're such a good teacher... very patient, and humble, willing to share what you know.... God bless you.
Thank you!😊
thank you for showing us very honestly how you have learned vibrato and encouraging us how we also can learn from your experience. They are very helpful. God bless you!
+Roger R thank you for making my day😊
I notice that your violin is almost motionless during the vibrato.
My violin shakes too much vertically.
People need to understand that learning violin vibrato is not simple.
It's not as simple as a guitar. You've done exceptionally well.
thanks so much for your advice...
Thank you!😊😊
Thank you! I ve been struggling with vibrato almost gonna give up. U make me feel good again.
Yay! You can do this😊🙌🏼
I know it's two years too late to say this, but definitely don't give up. As Eddy, and Brett, (TwoSet) would say, "Practice 40 hours each day! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!"
I have just started learning vibrato and I feel so uncoordinated. I watched several videos and must say I like how you explain it the best. My hand is tense, so now I know what I have to work on the most. Thanks for the tip.
I’m so happy to hear this video helped😊 good luck in your violin studies🙌🏻
Thank you! Your video helped me a lot!
+Carmina S I'm glad to hear so🙂 thank you!
very helpful, as I'm a beginner of about two months
+Donald Heller Wonderful! I really think it’s never too early to start learning vibrato😊 the earlier you can incorporate some vibrato exercises the less scary it would be later on to apply it to your pieces. Plus it will set you up to not squeeze the neck with the left hand. Good luck🙂
Your humility is as beautiful as you are. Thanks so much for this lesson. I have a question. Have been learning vibrato since January this year. My first and second finger is OK but my third and fourth finger is slowing me down. The movement of those two fingers are too slow what can i do? Wish I could send you a private video of my progress with the vibrato. Can i please get your email. I admire your humility in your videos alot and am humbled to learning from. Hope to hear from you.
Hi Edward😊 thank you for your sweet comment. Yes of course you can send me an email and I would be happy to take a look. My email is mspolkadotz@gmail.com looking forward to seeing your video👍
@@ViolinDots thanks am so grateful. I Will send you a mail
@@ViolinDots please i have sent you the mail
Thanks Edward. I've sent you a video response👍
Lots of good advice here; thank you.
+KaiTakApproach thank you!😊
this gave me a hope ❤
+Cheryl sj I'm so glad to be of help😊 thank you!
thank you so much
Thank you very much, you really helpt me, I had a problem with learning vibrato, I felt like the violin will slip from my hand, it was because I didn't use the shoulder rest.
Thanks - very useful!
Love that "Rielly Ace of Spies theme you do there - I do a very haphazard vibrato myself and have spent very little time doing exercises for that and in general: I found that playing along with pieces like that Meditation was very good for learning "piece appropriate" vibrato and is a solution for the "study challenged" such as myself as it is an enjoyable habit to get into...
+THE VIOLINIST Hi🙂 thanks for commenting. The Romance by Shostakovich piece was part of the repertoire I had to learn for the violinlab workshop last May. It's a lovely melody isn't it! Like you, I lack motivation to do vibrato exercises so I try to experiment in the context of what I am learning. That way, it's more enjoyable as you put it.
Thank you for this video. After 50 years of violin playing, I think my vibrato is getting better! Your video includes things that some of the teachers talk about, but yours incorporates everything - well, nearly. I've noticed that some of my playing friends have not learned that the vibrato movement should only go from the target note to below it - never above it (unless you're playing strange avant-garde music!) Vibrato which goes above the note tends to make a wailing sound. Now I'm off to practice a bit more. You're never too old to practice!
+whigwood Thanks so much for commenting😊 Wow 50 years! Would love to hear you play some time🙂 I've been thinking a lot about the oscillation not going above the note for a while actually. I think that to some degree I go above the note. But I know the the ear will definitely perceive the note higher when it's done too much. Thanks again and happy practicing!
That gliga maestro is beautiful. I have a Gliga Gloria 1 viola and love it. High quality.
I just watched your video on vibrato on the violin. I’m learning the vibrato. Any tips or help!
Thank you for watching the video😊 I hope it helped you out.
Just found this - Thank you! I am 60 and started playing 1 year ago. I have very poor wrist flexibility so my hand seems to always be tight on the neck ( I have to push with my thumb to get my fingers to the g string). I really like the way you went through this tutorial. I will keep trying but mostly my hand moves like a brick...
Thank you for your lovely comment😊 I hope you find a way around your wrist issues. Have fun playing👍
Thanks. .
sangat bermanfaat. matur suksma
Thank you for your video. I think out of all the videos and googling, you made it the most clear. I notice everybody says you should learn vibrato once you are playing for a few years. Why can’t we learn to do it as we learn the notes? I’m 55 and a beginner. I am still learning basic notes lol. I was curious what all this vibrato stuff was about. So I started thinking, why not learn it now as I learn my notes too? Is that possible?
Thank you😊 exactly my thoughts when I was just getting started! This technique is particularly hard to develop and I think that there's no harm in trying to understand it as soon as you can. It can even make practicing all the more enjoyable because you'll be able to create nuances and colors in your tone that you never thought possible before👍 have fun practicing and keep us posted on your progress.
Absolutely
Nice video and great progress on your part on your playing!! I'm a year and a half into learning violin and vibrato is proving to be quite the challenge. I find the piano in the background very distracting but still a helpful video.
Dearest MsPolkaDotz Your technical analyses of the vibrato is excellent! But you are also a lucky person in having a wonderful beautiful violinhand, (See min.9:00 etc.) But there is more: vibrato is your voice, your emotions, your heart, your expression and like talking and speaking emotionally you will master a beautiful vibrato which is fully your voice!!! In the Romance of Shostakovitch you can be very proud what you have achieved by hard work! It is a little difficult to give you in this way more tips but I a sure you will discover it by yourself. Best wishes!!! a yeah a good piece for studying vibrato is Gloomy Sunday! But I wish you a happy day, of course not a Glommy Sunday.
Thanks Jose! I'm very flattered =)
And yes, it's all very mechanical the way I explained the motion..
you are quite right, it's ends up being our unique voice which translates our deepest emotions.
Thanks again for all the support! have a wonderful day =)
everybody is built different, small fingers, big fingers and so on, it is like human voice, each voice is different, so it does not matter how you use vibrato (finger, hand wrist) only the result counts. If you like to hear a wonderful vibrato try: avant de mourir played by Geza Komor on youtube. I do hope you like and I do hope it is usefull for you!
i got thru your very good video and will attempt it today. my problem is the thumb grips with the grip of death and is painful for the next few days.. thanks
Can you make a video on placing your shoulder rest? I can never place it comfortably, only if I get lucky.
Hi, what kind of shoulder rest do you have?
@@ViolinDots the clip on shoulder rest type
Would you mind telling me which brand you have? The reason I ask is because there are various ways to adjust the SR depending on the design. The one that I'm using has 2 settings I can play around with. I can adjust its height and width for the shoulder. But this will mean very little to you if you have a different kind of SR altogether.
Thank you so much for the tips! I just started to play 3 months ago and my vibrato isnt that well developed yet! haha
+Zess Dragoys Yay! So happy to hear it helped😊
Keep it up
Nice
Informative video, thank you. I was curious about your instrument, specifically the bridge. It looks to me like the kidney wings curve upwards into the kidney openings, am I seeing that right? I haven't seen a bridge tuned that way before. Some barely even have kidney wings, with them cut down to points sometimes, but curved upwards is interesting. It's a beautiful instrument for sure.
Well spotted! I've never really paid attention to it until now. The tails of the kidney opening at the center of the bridge are indeed curled upwards. The ones at the sides are curled downwards instead of having it plain straight. I guess the design slightly varies depending on the makers. I'd also love to see what yours look like! As for the instrument, I've had my violin for 5 years now and the only adjustment I've had done is the height of the bridge which I requested to be lowered at the luthier's. At the same time the nut was also shaved a little to balance it out. Currently, I'm using a slightly taller chin rest which is a side mount and this allows me to adjust the leg height of the shoulder rest to sit slightly lower😊
I am glad you place so much emphasis on relaxing tension
Enjoyed your video. Do you do arm vibrato?
+Mary Freeman Hi Mary, its funny you say that. I looked back on the way I was demonstrating the vibrato motion and it looks like I was doing arm vibrato. However, I do think that my vibrato is coming more from the hand.. maybe it's a combination of both.. 🙂
@@ViolinDots I would like to see arm vibrato demonstrated as you have done with this followed on same video with hand (finger)
I have been following the process you showed, but could not attain the desired speed yet, how long does it take do you have an idea please?
How many hours do you practise per day?
Thank you 💞💞
even though it is not overbearing, I would drop the piano. It is distracting and you are such a gentle speaker that it interferes with your talking.
Thank you very helpful! :)
+Halee Greene thank you!😊
Loved the video! I feel like my thumb slips from the neck everytime I try vibrato and if I let it go I'll end up gripping the neck, any tips ?🙏🏻😣
Hi Arturo🙂, may I ask if you are using a shoulder rest when you play? It's so important to have that feeling of security when holding the violin to lessen the 'death' grip.
@@ViolinDots I'm not using one, maybe that's what I need to fix it 🤔
Oh I see, how long have you been playing without one? It would help if you can share a practice video so I can take a look at your technique. if you decide to play without a shoulder rest then you'll need to really pay attention to your form and violin hold because the left thumb will be the main support for playing without a shoulder rest. I have a video where I play without one if you wanna check it out ua-cam.com/video/dnjyIeJanTk/v-deo.html
@@ViolinDots I'll try to make one thank you!😊 I will check it out
No worries😊 if you have a sponge and elastic band lying around, that can work. Good luck👍
Wow.... one of the best explantions, I´ve found yet... Thank you very much!
+Jessica Martin Hi! Thank you😊
wow your pinkie is marvelous how can you do that??
As an adult, I am trying to learn how to play too I need your help.
Your video is great cause I'm adult beginer as you are and trying to learn vibrato for more than a year, but not so succesful. I've came to stage where I can solidly vibrate while I'm practicing long notes with metronome (or without it) but when I start vibrating while playing some songs, my fingers imediately get tense. Do you have some advice about that?
+rockrulesjossy Hi🙂 although I personally did not learn vibrato using the metronome, I know exactly what you mean about how challenging it is to start applying vibrato on a specific piece! I think the key is to take it slow and pick 2-3 measure of the music where you can focus on doing the correct hand/arm motion. No need for metronome to do this, just aim for wide amplitude and evenness in your vibrato. It's good to know that you are already developing a good sense of awareness when your fingers tense up which will allow you to address the issue and release wherever the tension may be (it could be coming from gripping, holding your breath, insecure violin hold, coordination between left and right hand etc). Good luck and hope this helps😊
rockrulesjossy where are u from??
I have the same issue with tension, I believe it stems from when I played violin as kid (Like little kid... I had to stop when I was 7) I marveled at the adult violinist as beholding this wizardly skill, I now see it as a daunting task. Today in my lesson I could also tell it has something to do with a insecure violin hold. Is there any tips to relief the tension?
Listening is very important! The right technique is essential, but allow your technique to be the slave of the sound you have in your head and want to create. Don't get too bogged down with straining to get a "textbook technique". Do that, and you'll end up TENSE and not going forward, becoming frustrated, and becoming more tense. "Feedback listening" is all-important in violin playing, both for intonation and all other aspects of sound production.
It sounds like your "brain" is getting in your way. Your fingers go tense because your trying to "think" about doing vibrato while thinking about the song's notes. The brain is the biggest culprit that messes up a lot of people. You can do a solid vibrato on a long note so you know you can do a solid vibrato. Instead of doing it on just one long note start with scales. Do half notes or even whole note scales and get to where you can pull off a solid vibrato on each note of a scale. Then switch to quarter note scales until you can do solid vibrato doing that. Once you can run scales and do vibrato you should be able to do it in a song without even thinking about doing it.
I have a saying. Let the music play YOU, you do not play the music. The moment you try to play the music.. you are screwing it up :) In other words if your brain is involved in the playing process your doing it wrong. Muscle memory takes care of the actual act of playing, not your brain actively telling your fingers to move. If your brain thinks I need this note then that note you are screwing it up :)
Just like when you walk down the street, you do not actively "think" about moving your back leg forward and allow your front leg move to the back..... you just simply WALK without any "thought" on your part. Let your fingers do the "walking" for you and remove your brain from the process. This is the hardest thing for most people to understand. Let the music play YOU, Dont try to play the music :)
Me too!❤️
Thanks a lot, best vibrato helping video on UA-cam !!!
aww thank you! So glad to hear it helped👍
Hello! Great video, thanks for sharing. I am wondering if this would work also for viola? And also, I seem to have a hard time keeping my fingers on the string as they seem to constantly slip off. Any thoughts?
Hi Connie, thanks for commenting😊 I think it would work on the viola. I've held a viola once before and it's a beautiful instrument! I think that setting up the left hand for the viola is going to be very similar to the violin, you'll just need to accommodate the bigger space between the fingers. The vibrato motion is going to be exactly the same in my opinion. Give it a go and let me know how it goes👍
Thank you !! I played guitar and used the same technique for vibrato on a violin, with horrible results. This has helped enormously 👍
Glad it helped you out👍
nice
Great job, do you mind to share what model of violin that you use?
Gliga violin
It is literally written in the description.
Redletter Media uses the same background music. 😆
Pls do a video about bowing flexibility
Thank you :)
So vibrato is used on both short n long notes?🤔
Yes absolutely. But it depends on a couple of things like tempo and how you wish to express the notes. If the tempo is slow enough, you can choose to bounce the vibrato from finger to finger as well as explore different combinations of wide/narrow/fast/slow vibrato to shape the music. On the other hand, as the tempo gets faster, you'll reach a point where you won't be able to vibrate on the short notes👍
merci
thank you! =)
wow
nic Explaning easy to understude ,. . and ma'am Plz teach us titanic song it's request ..🙏
Hi nice video :P I just want to ask some things. When youre doing vibrato your arm isnt moving, only from the wrist. Is that because youre consiously doing wrist vibrato? I'm violin for a year now and i'm learning vibrato now with the help of my teacher and I start with arm vibrato with which most of the motion comes from the arm. And second: You dont need a shoulder rest for vibrato :P I certainly am NOT at the point to play without shoulder rest but pro's can play violin with totally free vibrato without the use of a shoulder rest they can do that because they apparantly can play very loosely. I am just saying it because it sounded like you are saying you only can do vibrato with shoulder rest :P. Keep up the videos I enjoyed it. Sorry for the english, its not my first language xd.
+steef993 Hi🙂 yep I’m purposefully doing a wrist vibrato here. And you are quite right, not everyone needs a shoulder rest - it’s a personal preference. I do think that that having a shoulder rest makes playing so much easier for me (I tried it without but there’s way too much space in between my neck and shoulder that I end up bringing my left shoulder up and squeeze - I definitely think it’s an art playing without a shoulder rest. I am in awe of people who can do it without😊