An Overview of Pedagogical Techniques of Vibrato For The Flute PDF
An Overview of Pedagogical Techniques of Vibrato For The Flute PDF
An Overview of Pedagogical Techniques of Vibrato For The Flute PDF
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AN OVERVIEW OF PEDAGICAL TECHNIQUES
BY
DEBORAH R. RIBELIN
HYPOTHESES
THESIS
DEBORAH R. RIBELIN
THE FLUTE
I. Introduction
REFERENCES
List of Figure Numbers
Page
Chapter 1
vibrato.
Organization of Study
Introduction which states the need for the study and its purpose,
concepts to flute.
Chapter 8 presents the summary and conclusions. This
area.
the study does cover three types of vibrato that relate to the
•flutist would start with a small amount of air pressure and then
The intensity and timbre vibrato are very dependent upon the
material from which the flute is made. The wooden flute is much
thicker than the modern silver flute, thus making the tone less
The wooden flute affects the timbre or tone vibrato in much the
same way. In pitch vibrato (the rolling in and out of the flute)
and timbre vibrato, the wooden flute absorbs the sound and does
not project it the way the silver flute does. Timbre vibrato as
instrument but added his own text, which he changed and augmented
121 ).
is produced by covering only the edge of the hole below the note
vibrato method for the recorder and the oboe (Osborne, 1962, P.
vibrato will also lower the pitch. He says the flutist should
p. 107).
but not a pitch vibrato," (Toff, 1985, p. 109) this writer has
2
or timbre vibrato.
vibration.
June 12, 1778. In this letter Mozart uses the qualities of the
that there were limitations for the use of vibrato even at this
less forced sound using less air. The .half note with a chevron
would be played as a series of tied eight notes. The following
is an example:
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Figure No. 1
vibrato on the four lowest notes of the flute (c1 to d1#) was
these four notes, was by rolling the head joint in and out (Toff,
1985, p. 110).
Gaubert wrote a flute method book (1923,) in which they made the
One had the impression that they came directly from the heart of
the soul" (Taf fanel and Gaubert, 1923, vol. 2. p. 186). Marcel
4).
sound on the flute by using pure lines and tone (Toff, 1985, p.
112-113).
John Wummel (solo flutist of the New York Philharmonic) was
one of the last students of Barrere. He was also one of the last
slow down in later years. William Kincaid was the first flutist
to develop the slower vibrato. The vibrato was much smoother and
the intensity and vary the speed of the controlled vibrato (Toff,
1985, p. 113).
Chapter III
AVANT-GARDE MUSIC
The six flute sonatas and the solo partita by J. S. Bach are
and in his secular cantatas, the Coffee Cantata and Phoebus and
Pan .
the flute part and the left-hand part of the keyboard. The right
the flutist should copy out the original figured bass part and
be available.
17
4
to the student that his playing was cold and instructed him to
intensive vibrato, and Capet commented that the second time was
even colder than the first: "You want me to hear Bach. I only
see and hear you!" (Moyse, 1950, no. 7, p. 4). Capet then
from Bach plus the Andante from the second and third Sonatas of
other vibrato 1
s, (such as violin and voice vibrato) and
flute to the same degree that one can on a violin. For this
in Paris in the 1930s who did not know how to control the
of W. A. Mozart
determine the correct use of vibrato. Both the G Major and the D
written about the same time, some scholars and flutists interpret
The flute that was used around 1778 was very similar to that
three new keys to the flute: they were the F sharp, G sharp, and
pure and simple, very much like the allegros in the J.S. Bach
the phrase. Peck agrees with the basic approach to Baroque and
states, "Save the vibrato for the important notes and peaks of
all of the holes, which had diameters of 7.9 mm. He also applied
the principle of the ring pad to the keys, which prevents leakage
increased the size of the finger holes. Since Nicholson had very-
large hands, enlarging the size of the finger holes did not
18S0, p. 227).
(Boehm, .1 908, p. 2) .
major changes in flute vibrato did not occur until the body of
the early wooden flutes. The metal bodied flutes allowed for
3.X-
would tell his students 1 ) to use a little more vibrato sound and
than the finger vibrato) was not readily accepted when the
the solo flutist and the orchestral flutist. The following are
The reason for this is that some woodwinds use less vibrato than
flutists.
Ideally there should be consensus of vibrato
style in each selection of an orchestral or
ensemble; it takes only one instrument with a
machine-gun or heart-throb vibrato to destroy
the blend of an entire section and disconcert
the tuning (Kreu, 1973, p. 17).
was the best and would not blend with the other members of the
chance.
First Symphony, the first flute must cut through the whole
A 5"
ensemble the oboe and basson will also need to adjust their
131
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These are just few orchestral examples revealing the different
the pitch fluctuations are very small, about "five cent maximum
its valleys. During this process the timbre of the flute also
with the embouchure hole open, directing the air stream downward
the tone color. Some flutes will respond best with a bright color
while others with a dark color. No two flats respond the same.
30
No two flutists will hone the same embouchure formation, nor have
but in tune. This type of vibrato will accent the stuffy timbre
wrote Four Etudes for flute quartet and Mosaic for flute and
control over the placement of the pitch, and the depth or width
as follows:
vibrato production.
Vibrato is produced by the interaction of two separate
abdomen below the ribs and beneath the sternum. As the vibrato
involved while the larynx becomes more involved. During the fast
statement and goes into great detail defining both the breathing
which causes the muscle to flatten out and move lower in the
area. As the diaphragm drops even lower, the air rushes in and
fills the space within the lungs, causing them to expand. The
expansion of the lungs causes the rib cage to expand upward, and
3H
— Pars C'Kialis
diapbraginatis
Hiatus oesophageus
Arcus 1'imbocostalis
mediahs
Crus laterale
liaphra<matis
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Arcus liin:r>o*-ostalis
lateralis
Cms mediale _ —
diaphragmatis
- M. quadratus lumborum
M- obliquus interims
abdominis
M.obliquus externus
abdominis
\ M. psoas major
M. psoas minor
downward.
m. deltotdeut
litanu-ntum relfe.
m, pectoratis
motor
. .m. serrotui
. anterior
lamina anterior
,,
* vaginae m.
recti abdomtni*
lamina anterior
r vaginae m. recti
abdom.
cortilago costalis X
in. obliautis
internum abdominis
m. obliauus extcmus^'
abdominis
ligitmentum inguinale
funiculus
spernuttii us
m. i remaster
21
m, pectora/is motor
tinea
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sinistri
funieuiux '"
tnertthitieut
the vocal cords together. In the second step, the muscles of the
the glottis open, for that is what releases the air from the lung
Sternum
Figure No. 11
Experimental Techniques
electronic devices.
H\
exercises:
1 Diaphragm thrusts
2 A straight tone
3) Diaphragm thrust increasing in speed until they
finally become a vibrato
4) Vibrato with varying speeds (changes in the air
speed)
5) Billy-goat vibrato, then a normal vibrato with a
transition to a billy-goat vibrato.
These five exercises were performed while playing the
with the lowest frequency and ended with the highest frequency.
The following table reveals the groups into which Gartner divided
the flutists and what percent of the total group they represent.
ES2 ES6
17"o of total subjects
ES 3 ES S
33"/o of total subjects
ES 9
ES 11 I
ES4 ) ES 1
17"'.. of total subjects
ES 7 ES 5 |
33"-> of total subjects
ES 10
ES 12
electromyography were:
1 . The Abdomen
2. The Chest Area (Thorax)
3. The Diaphragm
4. The Larynx
electrode. The probe was passed through the mouth and the
esophagus (the area of the throat used for swallowing) and then
4 2 13 9 10
1) inflatable balloon
2,3) electrodes
4) ground electrode
6) small hand-operated pump with valve for inflating the balloon
7,5) electrode cables with connecting plug
Figure No. 13
four areas (larynx, thorax, diaphragm, abdomen) and the sound jof
Graph Tracing of
Muscle Groups
._0_ ._ — Time Sequence (1 second intervals)
Vibrato Production
«»i i
Thorax (chest) Tracing
-&-> — i
*• Diaphragm Tracing
/sc-rx* p. ^y-frj
Figure No. 14
( 0^\mS p.1%}
Figure No. 15
the diaphragm vibrato over the throat vibrato for the beginning
Diaphragm Vibrato
one's breathing. These muscles are the same muscles that allow
figure shows the increase and decrease in the air from blowing
Figure No. 16
rays are directed. The shadows will vary with the ointensity of
From the fluoroscope screen it was obvious that the diaphragm did
not cause the vibrating sound that most flutists believed it had
produced. The intercostal or rib muscles were responsible for
fashion.
their theories.
Elements of Production
Control of Speed
that the "vibrato pulse does not come from zero, nor does it
pulsation.
L|1
Control of Amplitude
curve. Weisberg 1
s illustration of this curve follows:
Figure No. 17
air without also adjusting the embouchure, this will cause the
The pulsations of the vibrato are sudden bursts of air, and the
meant to be fairly rapid and even, but not metered. The pulses
vibrato. However, two methods seem to stand out the most. They
vibrato.
p. 34-85).
flutist. Maxym 1
s exercises are of a more explanatory nature for
student to try and manipulate the rib muscles than the diaphragm
muscle. A student is able to see and feel the entire rib cage
rx
vibrato is logical and that the desire results are acquired much
Co-'* (b)
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Figure No. 13
Daring this exercise the vocal cords should remain relaxed, which
will allow for the throat to remain open. The woids relaxed,
note. The next step is to increase the speed of the pulse. This
(variations of the original exercises (a) and (b) will aid the
S"-?
152).
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Figure No. 19
first step is to have the student practice moving the rib muscles
back and forth, Osborne states that "this motion must be done in
the rib motion is also connected with the abdomen moving in and
vibrato sound.
Osborne's next step is to scale down both the exaggerated
movement of the abdomen and the pulsation of the air. After this
with his breath, and voice, ha, ha" (Osborne, 1962, p. 127).
'jdi i-ilci S •
When the student can control his vibrato, both Osborne and
Gartner have the student practice going from note to note without
sonatas of J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel. For the younger student,
Beginning Vibrato
Intermediate Vibrato
Advanced Vibrato
Throat Vibrato
the throat, while the throat becomes more restricted when the
shown below.
Vocal
Cords
Figure No. 20
r#
The flutist can permit more air to pass through the throat
Elements of Production
vibrato sound, the opening in the vocal cords must remain small.
When the opening and closing of the vocal cords becomes too rapid
mainly produced from the opening and closing of the vocal cords,
Combination Vibrato
vibrato than the throat vibrato. She does not mention or imply
progressing will prevent the student from losing support from the
diaphragm when shifting to the throat vibrato.
fc3
Chapter VI
and student.
vibrato is like a day without sun — dismal and gray. The vibrato
gives to the playing the pulsations of life, the cheer, and the
vibrato. Hauck believed that the term vibrato did not even exist
the techniques. For. example, the term tremelo meant vibrato from
and Louis Spohr. Hauck also believes that the idea of imitating
Auer, like Mozart, suggests that the violinist should control the
1 934, p. 12)
Artist . This writer would like to note that today Heifetz 's
fo7
wide or too narrow (too slovi or too fast). The violinist may
notes.
play a • slow scale without vibrato. This v/ill enable the student
this means that the vibrato does not stop between notes.
play in the fifth grade, after about two years of basic study the
1979, p. 72). The flute student normally would not be ready for
This writer believes the reason for the flutist's delay is due to
the vibrato resulting from the breath support and the throat, as
support.
artists with the most beautiful toxies today were not taught to
70
copy somebody else's vibrato, there are exercises that will help
him or her copy the other person's tone. Usually the student's
tone will still lack something of the original model because "the
vibrato. Today there are just as many flutists who were taught
Babitz recommends that the teacher should back away from the
vibrato.
Vocal Vibrato
Natural Phenomenon
Zemlin, 1S66).
than one who sings without vibrato. For years string players
would. Today only a few flute teachers have truly accepted the
motets. However the straight tone does several problems that are
1979 p. 213)
The flutist has the same problem in adjusting his perceived tone
exceed one-quarter step above the tone. When the singer sings
vocalist,
"if a tone is not properly supported and
a subject vocalizes on a less than optimal
flow of air, desired levels of loudness may
be attained by greater muscular effort at
the glottal balance [throat muscle], some
form of vocal strain will eventually occur.
Exhalation seems to be one of the keys to
preventing vocal disorders. It must be
smooth and no air should escape without
producing the maximum tonal sound that
the music requires" (Rubin, 1966, p. 22).
Chapter VII
SUMMARY
Conclusion
Chapter I
one special aspect of flute vibrato, or they cover the topic too
Chapter II
There are a few early sources which one can learn more about
British and Viennese were among the last to even consider using
States' first vibrato. Although his vibrato was very rapid and
Chapter III
avant-garde music.
The use of vibrato in the music of J.S. Bach refers mainly
religious and orchestral works he used both the recorder and the
Concerto No. 5 were written for the transverse flute, while the
¥D
vibrato should be used sparingly and only for the important notes
and phrases.
the flute he was finally able to produce a vibrato and tone that
interpretation) .
note and not approached from above as in the Baroque era. The
account. Kincaid points out how vibrato can affect the intensity
of a note in a scale and v/arns against the use of vibrato in
running passages.
This writer does not agree with Taff on this point. The register
speed of the vibrato. The speed and timbre of the vibrato should
is the best and will not blend with the other members of the
music a spread vibrato (out of focus) is often used and will tend
N.V. notes are in the flutist low register or the extreme high
%3
Chapter IV
in regard to breathing.
flutist supports the breath, the more control they will have over
their air stream. The weaker the support of the breath, the less
Chapter V
The fluoroscope reveals that the diaphragm does not cause the
approach.
diaphragm vibrato are very accurate and actually help the student
student.
cords.
Chapter VI
vibrato has acquired over the years. The violinist offers the
flowing between notes during slower tempos, but to leave out the
vibrato play a slow scale without vibrato, so that they will hear
there are other violin teachers who believe that vibrato should
themselves into these two areas of thought, although they are not
use correct breath support. After this has been accomplished the
create their own individual vibrato. When the student has reached
should study due to the natural and smooth ability to glide from
one pitch to another. Vocal vibrato can produce a very free and
As a new voice student they will relearn breath support and how
to control the use of air. Next the voice teacher will have the
student lower the back of their tongue, and raise the palate in
?o
year of private voice lessons. The student will walk away with a
ages and levels whose teachers are applying some or all of the
period of two to four years. This writer has found her study to
REFERENCE
International Musician , 52 ( 3 )
Code: 0096)
Press.
No. AAD85-18C29)
work published )
published 1890)
Rose, A. (1962). The Singer and the Voice . London: Faber and
Faber Incorporated.
Rubin, H. (1966). The Role of the Larngologist in Management of
Dysfunction of the Singing Voice. National Association of
Teachers of Singing Bulletin , 22.(4), 22.