THOUGHTS ON VIBRATO
It has been said, "Vibrato is like ketchup; it's better if you don't put it on everything." Hoyt Bohannon and Tommy Pederson would disagree, but those days are over. Bass trombonists are well advised to never use vibrato in ensemble – and nobody should in unison! Other than that, it is a matter of taste. Listening (singers, too) and imitating are key to developing taste. A good teacher couldn't hurt. This article is pretty good.
There is some disagreement regarding vibrato (particularly slide vibrato) whether it centers around the perceived pitch or remains below it. I come down on the below side. So does violin teacher, Simon Fischer; and Lloyd Ulyate and one of my great teachers, Roy Main.
Fischer has written, “It is often believed that vibrato rolls the finger both above and below the pitch of the principal note, but in fact if you do this it makes the note sound sharp. The listener’s ear registers the upper pitch of the vibrato as the principle note.” Fischer indicates Dorothy Delay felt the same.
Lloyd said in an interview in the January, 1984 issue of the International Trombone Association Journal, “I maintain that for my taste, vibrato starts on the pitch and goes below the pitch and then back up to the pitch. Now a lot of people, when they use slide vibrato, may play – and sound marvelous – above and below the pitch. To me, it obscures the true pitch. And it sounds sharp to me.” The interview references a clinic Lloyd presented in 1983 where he discusses this.
And Roy told me, “If you start down, your ear won't let you go wrong.”
Apparently, Ivan Galamian also taught that the first motion in vibrato needs to be towards the scroll (down). – https://communities.pacificu.edu/dijanaihas/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/07/ASTA-Vibrato-Handout-2017.pdf
To my mind, in slide vibrato on the trombone, staying below the pitch is particularly important for another reason. The handslide compresses the air column when it moves inward – emphasizing the pitch at the top of the vibrato. The opposite occurs when the slide moves out.
People hear, believe, and practice many differently things. Listen to great artists and make up your own mind. Play beautifully.
There is some disagreement regarding vibrato (particularly slide vibrato) whether it centers around the perceived pitch or remains below it. I come down on the below side. So does violin teacher, Simon Fischer; and Lloyd Ulyate and one of my great teachers, Roy Main.
Fischer has written, “It is often believed that vibrato rolls the finger both above and below the pitch of the principal note, but in fact if you do this it makes the note sound sharp. The listener’s ear registers the upper pitch of the vibrato as the principle note.” Fischer indicates Dorothy Delay felt the same.
Lloyd said in an interview in the January, 1984 issue of the International Trombone Association Journal, “I maintain that for my taste, vibrato starts on the pitch and goes below the pitch and then back up to the pitch. Now a lot of people, when they use slide vibrato, may play – and sound marvelous – above and below the pitch. To me, it obscures the true pitch. And it sounds sharp to me.” The interview references a clinic Lloyd presented in 1983 where he discusses this.
And Roy told me, “If you start down, your ear won't let you go wrong.”
Apparently, Ivan Galamian also taught that the first motion in vibrato needs to be towards the scroll (down). – https://communities.pacificu.edu/dijanaihas/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/07/ASTA-Vibrato-Handout-2017.pdf
To my mind, in slide vibrato on the trombone, staying below the pitch is particularly important for another reason. The handslide compresses the air column when it moves inward – emphasizing the pitch at the top of the vibrato. The opposite occurs when the slide moves out.
People hear, believe, and practice many differently things. Listen to great artists and make up your own mind. Play beautifully.