Developing arm, wrist and finger vibrato

There is hardly a facet of string technique in which technical and artistic factors are so closely intertwined as in the production of vibrato. While being a form of expression that is often used unconsciously, it is also a tool that must be carefully understood and mastered.

Mechanics

In former times, players such as Flesch and Rivarde thought that the variation of the pitch should move both under and above the note. Now, however, it is generally accepted that vibrato should be what Ricci describes as a 'flatting'. Likewise, Spalding asserts that 'a beautiful vibrato is the one that sounds the note and lowers it.'

There are three discernible types of vibrato, named according to the part of the body that performs it: arm, hand (otherwise known as wrist) and finger vibrato, although for Szeryng, 'a perfect vibrato [is] a combination of finger, wrist and forearm.'

Galamian would agree with this, claiming that between the three categories there lie about a hundred types of vibrato which are the results of combinations of the elementary types as well as variations in amplitude and frequency. This variation is fundamental as Ricci explains: 'The width and speed of the vibrato are extremely important: in the upper positions faster and narrower; in lower positions, wider and slower.'