Double Bass Improving vibrato

[lloccmttocs]

Hey everyone,

I've recently been told my vibrato is too fast for such a slow movement (2nd movement dragonetti) and I agree too, but my problem is how do I fix that? it seems my vibrato only sounds like vibrato at faster speeds, how do I get it to sound like anything but slower? Basicly how to I learn vibrato, no one's ever taught me, I just imitated other's vibrato. I'm going to ask my teacher but that might not be for another week or so because he's touring.

Any information would be great.

 

[Illfavor]

Try playing scales with vibrato (not a sin) at a specific metronome mark, say QN = 60, trying to keep a consistently slower oscillation. So, say you vibrate at the rate of 6 oscillations per second (meaning your hand goes down and comes back up 6 times ever second) then try and slow it to five or four. This technique is very good for sustaining tone and getting extremely consistent with your vibrato.

 

[Eli_Upright12]

Yeah you might try an exercise that my teacher calls mosquitoes and are sure to drive your family crazy. Basically you do long bows on your favorite note, pick four one on each string, or many in different positions, and start with one stroke per beat then double it two eighth notes, then sixteen then thirty-seconds, keeping it steady, smooth and even at each speed. You can also try triplets, this did wonders for my vibrato in terms of control and different speeds compared to the flailing of my wrist that I was doing before this.

 

[jdapodaca]

Yeah you might try an exercise that my teacher calls mosquitoes and are sure to drive your family crazy. Basically you do long bows on your favorite note, pick four one on each string, or many in different positions, and start with one stroke per beat then double it two eighth notes, then sixteen then thirty-seconds, keeping it steady, smooth and even at each speed. You can also try triplets, this did wonders for my vibrato in terms of control and different speeds compared to the flailing of my wrist that I was doing before this.

+1

 

[lloccmttocs]

But how do I really do it? my vibrato is more of what I saw people do and improvized from there, what's proper technique for getting a smooth vibrato?

 

[Eli_Upright12]

But how do I really do it? my vibrato is more of what I saw people do and improvized from there, what's proper technique for getting a smooth vibrato?

Pivoting on the tips of the finger and the thumb, up and down, rotating the wrist about 90 degrees, parallel to the neck. A bad teacher once described it to me as shaking a soda can but its more of a pivoting. Try just doing long bows on one note and try just pivoting your finger and trying basically to make it sound like a mosquito. Its kind of hard to explain.