““Vibrato - TheVibrato - The MagicMagicIngredient for yourIngredient for your

Flute SectionFlute Section””Kaye L. Clements

Dean of Undergraduate StudiesAssociate Professor

Applied FluteMusic History

Vibrato

Vibrato is an integral component of themodern classical flute tone. It should not bethought of as a “special effect” or externalexpressive device. Rather, the vibrato, if properlytaught, becomes subsumed in the sound as anatural part of the breath support system. Vibratois always present in the advanced flute soundexcept in very special circumstances, such as theinstruction “senza vibrato” or “non vibrato” in themusic and at the very end of a long morendo ordimenuendo.

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Vibrato

For this reason the flutist should not be told to“play scales” or “tune” without vibrato. Tuningwithout vibrato is like tuning one instrument, thenpicking up another one to play. The performershould tune the way they are going to play.

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Teaching Vibrato

A desirable vibrato must sustain a long aircolumn and cannot be effectively produced unlessthe player has learned to breathe properly. Goodvibrato does not develop spontaneously; it shouldbe carefully taught. Once the student is breathingcorrectly automatically, has learned most of thefingerings on the instrument and has a strong,well-supported, clear tone in all registers it is timeto introduce vibrato. Age is not really an issue.

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Steps for Vibrato

1. The first step is to review correct breathing.2. The student must then “sing” a sustained note.

The pitch should be low enough so the toneresonates from the chest rather than he masqueor “head.” The note should be loud, long andsteady, with the singer keeping the breathsupport strong and constant. They should usethe syllable “Haaaaaaaaaa” and open the mouthwide.(It should be an ugly “fog horn” type sound. )

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Steps for Vibrato3. The student should now “pant and bark like a

dog,” first slowly “bouncing” the diaphragm (themuscle movement is up and down, not in andout) to expel air in an even cycle and then addinga “vocalization”similar to the start of a cough. Besure the sound is not generated by pushes fromthe throat.

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Steps for Vibrato4. Next, keep the sound going between “barks” to

produce deep, even “pulses.” Again, be sure thepulses are not “sung” from the throat. The pitchshould not go up and down.

EXERCISE: 4 pants 4 barks 4 pulses

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Steps for Vibrato5. Now the student can try to put the “pulses” in the

flute sound on a 4th-line D. It is very importantthat the pulses not exceed M.M. 162/1 pulse perbeat.

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Steps for Vibrato6. Now try a one-octave G Major scale with 8 slow,

even pulses on each note. When the pulses canbe comfortably maintained at M.M. 162/1 pulseper beat, try to take the scale up and down twooctaves.

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Steps for Vibrato7. An acceptable vibrato falls somewhere between

M.M. 160 and 168/2 pulses per beat, dependingon the register and individual player. (Pulsespeed increases slightly as the player goes intothe top octave of the flute.) The student shouldattempt the following exercise if the scaleexercise is comfortable at M.M. 162. If the fasterpulses are not even, or if they move up into thethroat, go back to the scale exercise andgradually increase the metronome speed to 162.A “nanny goat” throat vibrato is to be avoided atall costs.

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Steps for Vibrato8.VIBRATO EXERCISE

This is the point where we shift to a useablevibrato speed. Compress the diaphragm for fourpulses at M.M. 162/1, then let them double up to162/2.

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Steps for Vibrato9. Once the student can achieve relaxed pulses at

M.M. 162/2 pulses per beat, she\he should beencouraged to put vibrato on any sustained notesthat occur in the music. (In some cases, thevibrato may be settling into the tone quitenaturally at this point; in others, the student mustbe taught to relax, stop “counting” pulses and usevibrato in the tone. It helps to encourage them tolet the vibrato “fill in” the spaces between thenotes. The vibrato is in the air, not on the note!

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Steps for Vibrato10. The final stages of vibrato work involve using it to

effect dynamics and changes of tone color. Thevibrato (i.e. the tone) should not be static andunchanging but flowing and flexible in responseto the expressive demands of the music. (I usethe opening theme of Ravel’s Pavane for a DeadPrincess to illustrate this. I have the studentlisten to the recording to become sensitive to theharmonic changes and goal notes, then showthem how to use the vibrato to shape the musicallines.)

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Pavane pour une infante defunte

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