Double Bass Vibrato - stylistic issues

[cb_man]

Hi everyone, just trying to get some feedback and opinions on a matter i've been wondering about. A good vibrato should be even and consistent, but of course the same kind of vibrato doesn't apply to all kinds of works and solo reportoire we may happen to play at a given time.

So the question is: how does a good and stylistic appropriate vibrato should sound when you have to play a classical concerto, a romantic concerto, and some solo Bach or a Baroque sonata? What are the main differences we should be aware of and strive to achieve? What about in the slower movements of said pieces, should the vibrato be the same as in the faster movements, only the frequency of strokes adjusted to the given pulse of the piece, or are there other subtelties we should incorporate?

Main focus aspects to discuss: width of vibrato, frequency of strokes and when on a note must the vibrato be heard (full duration, just on second half of the note, from the beggining but in a crescendo, etc).

Feel free to refer to specific known literature for better ilustration of explanations. Thanks in advance!

 

[Pat Harris]

Wow... for every question you just asked, you can get a different answer, and each answer will likely be equally "correct." There are some general practices - the vibrato on a romantic work will usually be more pronounced than on a baroque era work. A good thing to do, would be to get a few recordings of the same piece of music played by different bassists. On opposite ends of the spectrum there's Gary Karr's vibrato and then there's Edgar Meyer's lack of vibrato. Francois Rabbath's playing of Bach is much more romantic sounding than many cellists would play it.

Vibrato should logically be part of the music. Sometimes the music calls for immediate vibrato, other times you can phase it in. The question then becomes, "How do you want to phrase it?" I think as long as what you're playing is logical AND intentional, it will sound fine.

My best advice is to not fall into the trap many string players fall into: Using vibrato as a crutch for poor intonation. Personally, I think vibrato is the icing on the cake. Much of the expressiveness I hear in playing comes from the player's bow control. It's amazing how expressive one can be if they have control of the bow and don't even use vibrato.

-Pat

 

[David Potts]

To me the shape of a basic warm sounding vibrato is like a rounded saw tooth, like saying ha ha ha ha where the "h" goes up in pitch faster than the "aaaa" goes down. This is consistent with "throwing" your hand towards the bridge with the forearm faster than the rebound that follows. I don't hear an even "sine wave" in the sound.

My little golden rule is that if vibrato doesn't add something positive like interest, warmth or beauty to the sound then it's better not to use it. Certainly it should not wreck good intonation. A bad vibrato or poor choice of width and speed for the style of music or the pitch and length of the note can be very distracting for the listener, and at worst sounds like a car starter motor. To me the higher the pitch the faster and narrower the vibrato becomes. A baritone singer will not vibrate as fast as a soprano? Vibrato should add beauty, not subtract from it.

Another thing to contemplate? I don't use much vibrato on the bottom string. It's sufficient to develop a full tone and hard enough to play in tune there anyway, especially A flats!!

In Baroque and Classical period music I feel that a faster brittle energy of small movement of the fingers at the start of notes, not a fully developed "warble" (or wobble !), is enough to create extra energy and interest as you play. Longer held notes are more organ-like with no vibrato or with slightly increasing vibrato in crescendos.

I'm no scholar !! I too would like more advice.

Another thing. In an orchestral bass section it doesn't matter if each player's vibrato width and speed is a bit different. As each pitch goes up and down it interplays with the others and creates far more interest and intensity in the sound and a warmth that would be lacking if all players used exactly the same vibrato. What do you think?

 

[Illfavor]

Yes...the delicious buttercreme icing on a poorly made angel food cake.

That's a great response from Pat. I would determine the stylistic approach I wanted to take, then use the vibrato when it sounds the best, in terms of your phrasing. You will probably need a teacher to help you with this. There is no correct way to wiggle. If you seriously play how the music speaks to you, then it will be good. I mean, Edgar Meyer SWINGS his Bach and Bottesini, but gets away with it because it works for his music!