Posted on May 24, 2008 by Peter Whitcomb in Vibrato - Left Hand/Arm
To help students feel how the vibrato comes from the arm (not the hand) and to ensure that this motion is relaxed and even, I have them place their thumb on the back of the neck with the hand as relaxed as possible, and move the forearm as if they are using vibrato. The fingers do not need to be over the strings, but rather can be be flopping down toward the floor, almost as if the student is waving at the teacher. The motion need not be fast, but it should be wide enough that the thumb/hand joint explores the full range of its up/down motion. Once the student has established this motion in a very relaxed, floppy manner, have them put second finger on the string without interrupting the arm motion (no bow- this is a silent exercise). If the student is more comfortable placing the finger between the strings or only lightly on the string, that is fine. After only a few seconds, go back to thumb only vibrato, to ensure that the arm movement has not changed and remains loose. Experiment with all of the fingers, but only briefly, until the student can place the finger without interrupting the arm movement or tensing up. Remind the student constantly that the vibrato comes from the arm and that the fingers just happen to be connected, but that they are not actually doing anything. Also bear in mind that this arm movement should resemble shifting (down and up) and not be a rotation around the finger. This means that, though the hand is loosely flopping when the thumb is vibrating on the back of the neck, the flop should be parallel to the fingerboard and the angle of the hand in relation to the fingerboard should remain constant.