Vibrato in Junior high

[sc_curtis]

Tuba?
Euphonium?
Yes/no?
Pros/cons?

Discuss...

[tubashaman2]

.

[pierso20]

The thing you need to make sure is that the student is musically mature enough to understand when to use vibrato. For band purposes, the tuba student has no real need for it and if a student doesn't understand when to use it, things could get a little hairy. If the student is playing solo's and such, I don't think there's a huge problem to start teaching vibrato provided what was mentioned before;

good STEADY tone, and who knows how to use air

[Uncle Buck]

In my opinion (for either tuba or euph), vibrato should be taught to a Jr. High student ONLY if:

- the student is being taught private lessons by a professional (not student) tuba or euphonium performer; and
- the private teacher determines the student is ready, and is prepared to closely monitor the progress.

Otherwise, the student may just learn bad habits that have to be broker later.

My personal bias - I think circumstances honestly meeting both criteria above would be very rare (but OK maybe for Roger Bobo when he was in Jr. High). It is not going to stunt a student's development to hold off on this particular technique - the risks of bad habits seem to me to outweigh benefits at that age.

[rocksanddirt]

In general, I say no.

There are extrordinarily few students at that age with enough control to use it effectively and appropriately. I know I sure didn't at that age, and I was quite a good trumpet player then.

[Roger Lewis]

The rule that I follow is: First, the player must be able to play IN TUNE without any vibrato.

Too many younger players use vibrato to hide the fact that they cannot play in tune. They should also have a lot of exposure to singers and string players to see how it is used to assist in the presentation of the musical idea, not just because you can. I had a trumpet student who could not play a note without vibrato and, yes, it did sound like bullfight music. She had no idea that she was even doing it.

Using vibrato is like zipping your pants in public - it is to be done discretely!

Just my $0.02.

Roger

[Art Hovey]

Tone quality, rhythmic accuracy, dynamics, and intonation are all more important things to focus on. But sometimes if a student is working on an audition solo and we come to a note where a little vibrato would be nice if done well I ask the kid if he/she has ever tried it. I show them three ways to do it, and they give it a try. Usually it's not good, the kid knows that it isn't good enough, and we don't make a big issue out of it. I tell them it takes years to develop a good vibrato and it doesn't hurt to start working on it when you are young. Once in a while you discover a natural aptitude for it. We always seem to agree that an operatic-style vibrato is not what we want, but a little bit of it on certain notes can be nice if done well.

[Slamson]

In my opinion, humble as it is, using vibrato is not a "yes or no" issue - or, for that matter, an "on or off" issue, as the speed and depth of vibrato needs to be taken into consideration for the music at hand.

On top of all that, it's been my experience that most players who "learn" vibrato do so without gaining an understanding of what vibrato is supposed to be. Since I am frequently challenged on this, I'll simply quote from the Oxford Dictionary:

"A wavering of pitch used to enrich and intensify the tone of a voice or instrument; it is practised in particular by wind players, string players, and singers."

I would add that we, as "singers of our instrument", also need to "practise" this wavering, or the result will be tremolo. Young students are especially susceptible to this. I am currently working with a very talented freshman player who, unfortunately, has a vibrato concept that is actually a very intense tremolo, and is having a difficult time learning to play without it. Once the tremolo is taken away (and any vibrato along with it), as Roger notes, the player also becomes aware of intonation problems.

It doesn't take that long to discuss the concept of vibrato with a student. Patiently working with the student to develop tasteful and controlled vibrato (in appropriate instances) is more gradual, but eventually more rewarding.