Vibrato Student Handbook
Developed and Complied by Dijana Ihas, PhD 2
Beginning Stage: No Instrument - No Bow
Finger Vibrato Preparation Exercises:
Calisthenics knuckles
Flatten and bend the first knuckle of each left hand finger in rhythmic way while saying the chant or singing the song. These movements can be practiced on thumb, on right hand/arm, or on a small rubber ball.
Fingers Dropping
Fingers dropping never stopping,
keep those knuckles dropping, dropping,
Fiddle fingers must be soft, keep those little knuckles drop
Fingers dropping, never stopping.
Flicking Fingers
Shoo fly don’t bother me…
I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star…
Hand (Wrist) Vibrato Preparation Exercises:
While holding left-hand wrist with right-hand gently move left hand in rhythmic way away from and towards the student. These movements can be practiced with egg-shaker.
Dinner Rhythms
Dinner, dinner, dinner, diner, (quarter notes)
Pizza, pizza, pizza, pizza (eight notes)
Strawberry, blueberry (triplets)
Watermelon, watermelon (sixteenth notes) 3
Arm Vibrato Preparation Exercises:
While holding left arm elbow move whole arm away from and towards the body. Gradually increase and decreases the speed of the movement while saying the chant.
See Saw
See saw up and down,
check your elbow check your thumb.
Intermediate Stage: Yes Instrument - No Bow
Finger Vibrato Movements:
Calisthenics knuckles
Same as in the beginning stage just to be exercised on the top of the instrument.
Stretching and bending finger on string
Place finger “light as a feather” on the second string in III position and alternate stretching and bending finger while saying Dinner Rhythms. Finger needs to be placed very lightly on the string (harmonic weight). Practice with all fingers in the following order: 2nd finger, 3rd finger, 1st finger, and 4th finger. 7 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 &4 O #O O #O O #O O O O O O O O #O O O O O O O O O O O
etc. 4
Hand (Wrist) Vibrato Movements:
Tapping exercises
With the hand in the middle position (in IV position) and thumb under the neck, tap with the curved second & third finger on the top of the upper board to the left of the lowest string rhythms while imagining ping-pong ball bouncing back. Attention to be placed on “lifting motion.” 8 3 œ œ U 4 œ œ œ U 6 œ œ œ œ U 8 œ œ œ œ œ™ U &8 ‰ 8 J ‰ 8 ‰ 8 ‰
*Adapted from Paul Rolland
“Rivarde Exercise”
Place the hand in middle position (III position) with lower part of the palm touching instrument’s shoulder with the third finger lightly touching the string (harmonic touch). Slant the hand back towards the scroll, press the third finger and propel hand forward, then let it fall back immediately, then rest. This is a single vibrato cycle. Practice with all of the fingers in patterns of two, three, four and five full cycles followed by rests.
Arm Vibrato Movements:
“Polishing String” exercise
With tissue paper placed in between the finger and the string “polish the strings” in the low, middle and high positions while keeping the base of the first finger close to the instrument’s neck. Practice with instrument in “rest position,” in “shotgun position,” and in “playing position.” Also practice with no tissue paper.
Sliding on “Magic X” exercise
With the “Magic X” and thumb gently placed on instrument’s neck move the entire arm away from and towards the player. Start with big motions, and then make the motions smaller and smaller. Variations: (a) stop fingers while thumb is still moving; (b) stop thumb while fingers are still moving (fingers on or off the string); and (c) thumb and fingers are anchored while continuing balanced swinging. Practice with instrument in “rest position,” “shotgun position” and “playing position.” 5
Advanced Stage: Yes Instrument - Yes Bow Stage
Finger Vibrato:
“Pulsating or bouncing fingers” exercise
As if altering harmonics and stopped tones play on open strings and on one- octave scales with slow bows. It will sound like harmonics. Try to keep bow hand unaffected by left hand.
Í0Í Í0Í Í0Í Í0Í Í0Í Í0Í Í0Í Í0Í 4 ˙ ˙ &4 ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
*Adapted from Paul Rolland
“Wiggle” exercises
Practice this exercise with the teacher’s help or with the instrument’s scroll reclined on music stand. Student plays "Twinkle" theme in slow tempo while sliding on Magic X during open strings. If practicing with teacher, on every on- string finger the teacher places his/her right-hand fingers (three fingers) on student's finger and wiggles the student's finger. This can be then extended to one-octave scale played with the slow bow and students’ thumb placed on the instrument’s neck or taken away from the instrument. Aim for good sound (fast, wiggly).
Hand (Wrist) Vibrato:
Developing range of motion with harmonic touch in middle position
Fingers to touch the string with light harmonic pressure. 9 4 4O 4 4O 4 4O 4 4O 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 O O O O 3 O bO O O O O O O O O O O &4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4#O O O O #O O O O 3#O O O O O O O O O O O O &4 4
Do with all fingers on all strings. Choose a different string daily. *Adapted from Louis Kievman 6
Bornoff “Controlled Oscillations” sequence with little weight in finger
Second and Third Finger Second and Third Finger Second and Third Finger Separately Combined Slurred
2nd finger: Up and Down Bow 2nd finger: Down bow 2nd-3rd finger: Down bow
3rd finger: Up and Down Bow 3rd finger: Up bow 2nd-3rd finger: Up bow
2, 3, & 4 oscillations 2, 3, & 4 oscillations 2, 3, & 4 oscillations
2x3 & 2x4 oscillations 2x3 & 2x4 oscillations 2x3 & 2x4 oscillations
3x3 & 3x4 oscillations 3x3 & 3x4 oscillations 3x3 & 3x4 oscillations
etc. etc. etc.
Bornoff “Continuous Oscillations”
Dominant Seventh Chords All Whole Step Combination Combination Adjacent Finger Shifts 4th fingering pattern: couplets, One finger: Major scale in triplets, quadruplets couplets C to G, C# to G#, D to A, etc. C to G, C# to G#, D to A, etc. Major scale with all fingers in on all strings on all strings triplet and quadruplets
4 “Oscillations with dotted rhythms” w2 œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ & etc. etc.
Arm Vibrato:
“Open String to Finger” exercise 5 0 Í2Í 0 Í3Í 0 Í2Í 0 Í3Í 3 Ó ˙ ˙ Œ &4 œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ etc. 7
First Pieces to Be Practiced with Vibrato:
French Folk Song
6 III 4 #3 œ œ œ œ3 œ œ œ2 œ œ 1 ™ 4 3 2 1 & 4 ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙™
# 2 & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙™ œ œ œ œ œ œ
# ™ 4œ œ œ 1 & œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙™
*For more suggestions, refer to Viva Vibrato by Gerald F. Fischbach & Robert S. Frost