VIBRATO
Vibrato production has long been a source of oboe technique controversy. Vibrato, as an expressive device, should be both controlled and variable. In many players, vibrato tends to be slower in the low register and faster in the upper register, however, one should be able to make it faster or slower and also refrain from using it. Vibrato can be characterized as a variation of pitch or a change of intensity, even timbre. I prefer the idea of intensity shading rather than pitch alteration, a shimmer rather than a pitch fluctuation. We don’t want to emulate the comic caricature of the pitch undulating “bad opera singer.” From an artistic sense of proportion, I believe a vibrato without exaggerated amplitude is more easily blended with other instruments.
Pulses
Perceived pulsation from the throat tends to more easily produce intensity change. Perceived pulsation from the diaphragm tends to more easily produce more undulation of pitch since it involves using the support of the air stream. My preference is to leave the support area out of the vibrato production business. The matter of “throat” vs. “diaphragm” seems to me to be an issue of concept and proponents of each are unlikely to change their opinions. I put those words in quotation marks because some years ago there was a study in an acoustical lab which showed that vibrato comes from the throat, not the diaphragm, regardless of what the player thought or felt. It is, though, not uncommon for oboists to say and teach diaphragm vibrato. I suspect that the feeling of diaphragmatic vibrato relates to the air originating at the bottom of the air column.
If you practice pulsating once, twice, three times, etc., per second, you will find that the exercise sounds as though you are puffing subdivisions of the beat. When you reach 5 per second a vibrato is heard. Pulsation done too quickly sounds like a nervous quiver rather than a vibrato. When first beginning to practice vibrato I suggest you start on a short column note, such as A, B, or C, so that the pulses are quite audible. As soon as you have pulsation, though, I would change to long column notes, such as D or E flat, so that you are more challenged to obtain results. In general, 5 to 7 pulses per second is a useable vibrato range. As an observation of progress by many students I would say that what generally happens is one starts to practice 1 pulse per second, increasing pulses as comfort and success dictate. When reaching the change from 4 to 5 there is often difficulty in controlling the pulses at that speed using the same muscular contraction. The necessary change is to feel the pulsation in a way that sets itself up in a perpetual motion mode. In this manner you are on a sort of auto-pilot and no longer counting pulses, although a goal is to be able to vary the speed of the pulses.
Huh-huh-huh
Throat pulsation can be practiced by repetitively saying “huh-huh-huh-huh…” until one develops the ability to continuously produce this pulsation. Think of an out-of-breath runner or a panting dog. Keep your mouth open while doing the exercise. You will note that the stronger you make the huh-huh sound, the more you will feel the pulsing down into your lower throat and chest. This could possibly account for the sensation of diaphragm involvement that is suggested by some oboists.
Expression
The actual use of vibrato is a personal expressive experience. There are players who use a rather fast vibrato. Others vary the speed of vibrato. Still others prefer a slower vibrato. The amplitude of the vibrato is another variable, as is the frequency of use. All of these differences are individually made artistic decisions. Vibrato is an identifying mark, like a fingerprint. Listen to a lot of musicians and vocalists. You will hear a huge range of vibrato usage. A characteristic of mature vibrato is the ability to continue the vibrato so it does not stop when you change notes. Stopping the vibrato each time you change notes can bring your phrase to a halt. Stopping it to make a musical point, though, can be extremely effective as long as you are still showing phrase direction with your air.
- Vibrato is a controlled, not random, expressive technique -
Pulses
Perceived pulsation from the throat tends to more easily produce intensity change. Perceived pulsation from the diaphragm tends to more easily produce more undulation of pitch since it involves using the support of the air stream. My preference is to leave the support area out of the vibrato production business. The matter of “throat” vs. “diaphragm” seems to me to be an issue of concept and proponents of each are unlikely to change their opinions. I put those words in quotation marks because some years ago there was a study in an acoustical lab which showed that vibrato comes from the throat, not the diaphragm, regardless of what the player thought or felt. It is, though, not uncommon for oboists to say and teach diaphragm vibrato. I suspect that the feeling of diaphragmatic vibrato relates to the air originating at the bottom of the air column.
If you practice pulsating once, twice, three times, etc., per second, you will find that the exercise sounds as though you are puffing subdivisions of the beat. When you reach 5 per second a vibrato is heard. Pulsation done too quickly sounds like a nervous quiver rather than a vibrato. When first beginning to practice vibrato I suggest you start on a short column note, such as A, B, or C, so that the pulses are quite audible. As soon as you have pulsation, though, I would change to long column notes, such as D or E flat, so that you are more challenged to obtain results. In general, 5 to 7 pulses per second is a useable vibrato range. As an observation of progress by many students I would say that what generally happens is one starts to practice 1 pulse per second, increasing pulses as comfort and success dictate. When reaching the change from 4 to 5 there is often difficulty in controlling the pulses at that speed using the same muscular contraction. The necessary change is to feel the pulsation in a way that sets itself up in a perpetual motion mode. In this manner you are on a sort of auto-pilot and no longer counting pulses, although a goal is to be able to vary the speed of the pulses.
Huh-huh-huh
Throat pulsation can be practiced by repetitively saying “huh-huh-huh-huh…” until one develops the ability to continuously produce this pulsation. Think of an out-of-breath runner or a panting dog. Keep your mouth open while doing the exercise. You will note that the stronger you make the huh-huh sound, the more you will feel the pulsing down into your lower throat and chest. This could possibly account for the sensation of diaphragm involvement that is suggested by some oboists.
Expression
The actual use of vibrato is a personal expressive experience. There are players who use a rather fast vibrato. Others vary the speed of vibrato. Still others prefer a slower vibrato. The amplitude of the vibrato is another variable, as is the frequency of use. All of these differences are individually made artistic decisions. Vibrato is an identifying mark, like a fingerprint. Listen to a lot of musicians and vocalists. You will hear a huge range of vibrato usage. A characteristic of mature vibrato is the ability to continue the vibrato so it does not stop when you change notes. Stopping the vibrato each time you change notes can bring your phrase to a halt. Stopping it to make a musical point, though, can be extremely effective as long as you are still showing phrase direction with your air.
- Vibrato is a controlled, not random, expressive technique -