TubeNet

Does anyone know of any good literature or methods (tuba or not) that discuss vibrato? I'm curious to find out if any instruments have some sort of codified method for developing vibrato. Thanks!

Dave Y

the best way to develop vibrato is to listen to ALOT of musicians who use it.Listen to all the different styles and decide what you like and when to and not to use it.It's a spice(on tuba),certainly not an entree.Euphonium,now that's different.

Good luck with your search. Like many other concepts, everyone has a slightly different opinion about vibrato.
When I was an undergraduate student, I was taught to develop it by listening to great singers and by practicing it rhythmically, like it is shown in Roger Bobo's "Mastering the Tuba" book.

Maturity and experience have taught me, though that using vibrato on the tuba is like putting makeup on a pretty girl - Use it only when you really need it.


Sean Greene

As a tubist, I was taught to use chin vibrato, not air, so that you could control both it's use and frequeny.

For listening, I used orchestral players and brass jazz artists (mostly vocalists and flugelhorn) alike. It gave me a very good concept of where I wanted to use it (if at all), and how to apply it if I did.

MikeMason wrote:the best way to develop vibrato is to listen to ALOT of musicians who use it.Listen to all the different styles and decide what you like and when to and not to use it.It's a spice(on tuba),certainly not an entree.Euphonium,now that's different.

I couldn't agree more. Another thing to do that will help you is record and listen to yourself playing vibrato and figure out what you like and don't like.

I hear a lot of vibrato that I DON'T like all over the place. Sometimes people feel that you have to play vibrato all the time if you want to be expressive. I do not feel that this is the case. Don't try to play your tuba like an opera singer. Also make sure that your vibrato sounds natural and not forced. Many people "switch it on and off" and it sounds too abrupt and doesn't fit the phrase. Make sure you have a variety of speeds of vibrato so you can ease into it and make it sound effective and normal instead of like flipping a switch.

Remember, always serve the music first. Don't use vibrato if you don't think it sounds good.

does anyone know why euphoniums can pretty much use their vibrato constantly?

No, it's because their tubing is shorter. We have to use out vibrato judiciously! Only on solos and soloistic passages.

XtremeEuph wrote:does anyone know why euphoniums can pretty much use their vibrato constantly?

Because most euphoniumists equate euphonium sound = 'cello sound