Yes, of course as you and Galway say, it comes from the throat! Not hard, not complicated, and I’m no great Flute teacher at all -but all of my young students get it right away using the “snake hiss“ exercise; away from the Flute they practice Hissing sounds with the tongue powered by the throat slightly closing and opening just a little bit in different speeds. Most of them are producing vibrato on their flutes within minutes. No big deal, no big mystery, and so easy.
I am a 74 year old woman, studying flute for 2 1/2 years so far. I thought that my vibrato was coming along, and feeling more natural. But at my recent flute lesson, my teacher said that my vibrato was too fast. So I really appreciate your video and in-depth explanations that I will incorporate into my practicing.
One of the best videos I've seen on vibrato. Unlike others, you demonstrate it first, and you leave it as an art, rather than a science. Almost all the other videos say it's in the stomach, but your explanation is much more intuitive, that its both support and throat. I'm going to allow myself to feel it!
Same thoughts here. Other teachers keep telling us to utilize the stomach, but the frequency of vibrato would be so much limited by solely doing so. Now I finally know it’s from the throat, from the part where we could switch between pitches, and the stomach should serve as an auxiliary system. If I’ve got it right, the takeaway message would be tightened stomach+relaxed throat. Thank you, Doctor!
Thank you for this video! I was always taught that vibrato was only in the diaphragm, and my vibrato would end up very forced sounding-especially in the higher register-when I would do fast vibrato. Now I am in college relearning my vibrato. I was a bit confused in my private lesson when learning about vibrato, and this video helped me understand it much better! Thank you!
I’m so glad this has helped you. Vibrato is tricky both learning and teaching. I’m glad that I can add a piece to your journey that helps you move along.
Having watched this a few times, I can relate much better with your method now. This is probably the most intuitive way to learn vibrato. The actual action requires coordination of multiple muscles and it also depends on the speed and intensity. Normally people just would not actively control those muscles independently, so it is not a easy thing to learn. However, everyone are familiar with the breathing action and can do it without much thought. This using this “feeling” to guide learning vibrato is very intuitive.
thank you very much for this lovely lesson about such a subtle technique, this really have helped me to go a step forward on it! big love to you from Spain ❤🙏
Hi Dr. McBrearty. I appreciate your instruction on vibrato. In taking years of voice lessons, vibrato has been hard to achieve and still does not come naturally to me. In playing the flute, my vibrato sounds rather choppy as I have been generating it through pulsing air rather than employing my vocal physiology. I am going to employ the tips you've given and work towards that true vibrato that sounds so lyrical. Thank you.
I know that vibrato can be a tricky technique to learn. One of my daughters figured it out easily and the other we have had to work at. I do believe anyone can learn it though. You can do it!
You are a blessed flute teacher. I am trying your methods on Bamboo Flute. I have seen many other videos as well to learn vibrato but this one I am going to use as support video 😊. Thanks for explaining this so well. Love from India 🙏😊
@@DoctorFlute I’m self taught via utube and would really like to be able to play simple popular tunes melodiously with feeling and not burden my audience too much 😅 thanx for asking 🤞🏼
Almost at 4 months of playing flute and I can now play notes low C to 3rd octave C. I don't want to go from 3rd octave D up yet though because I want to focus on getting the notes I have with better tone. I had to change my embouchure several times to get the full range to that point. Galway's video on how to get a good sound on the headjoint was a great help. I don't use the Rockstro method though. But I want my sound to be less boring and more lively. I think adding this after I do my tones exercises would be a good addition. I usually start off with tone exercises first. For me I find practising standing up in front of a mirror with music stand in front of me seems to be helping me make progress with the embouchure and changes I make over time. It helps me view my support too.
HI! Yes using a mirror is fantastic for helping to fix things. It can be your teacher telling you to fix this and fix that. You sound like you are making great progress. Have you tried vibrato yet?
@@DoctorFlute I started adding vibrato to my practice. I can do it slow or fast but not very fast. Some observations though that I noticed were that if I relax too much I lose the fast vibrato and if I tighten the abdominal muscles too much I also lose the fast vibrato. My core is relatively already strong so maybe I don't need to try too hard when it comes to support. Finding some kind of balance works. I mainly do vibrato from my throat with the Ha air stream that comes from the support. I practised Trevor Wye's first example in his book where you flex the abs to make the wave in the vibrato but found it tiresome on my core. Primarily using the throat to make the waves with very slight tightening of the abs was less taxing and I made a better sound. Problem with flexing/tighting the abs only as the method to produce the vibrato is I can only achieve 4 waves max before my abs freeze up then have to start over from a relaxed state. I also notice I make a very good and easy vibrato the lower I go in the register. The low C being the easiest to achieve a nicer vibrato. The higher up I go however the harder it is to hear the waves and I struggle to get a clean sounding vibrato.
I agree with you that doing the abs thing is tiresome. I have students practice the abs method only when beginning vibrato just to get the feel of what vibrato is and then move it into the throat. It sounds like you are on the right track. Ultimately vibrato should really be no work at all. It should be easy. So if that is how you feel then you are doing the right thing. In the higher octaves you definitely need to keep support tight and make vibrato move faster. The wave length is smaller so in order for vibrato to fit into it the speed must be faster. In every octave don't let the vibrato move out of the throat. I think you are doing the right thing you just need to keep it at it.
@@DoctorFlute The "abs thing" method for starting vibrato is frankly just dumb! Voice teachers often take this wrong-turn also, sometimes even punching themselves in the stomach as teaching-aid. One famous flute teacher even recommends making wave motions with the right hand while holding/playing with the other. Another one says to play the out-of-tune C# while rolling it in and out of tune. Many voice teachers demonstrate vibrato moving upward a half-step on piano, while their own vibrato's clearly moving downward. Yikes!
@@ronrobbins2737 The main thing is that we need to use many different explanations to reach all. Different methods for different students. Can we agree on that?
Hi Angela! I carefully followed your video on the vibrato, and listened to the one on the breathing medium. I will study sections to be able to understand even with my hearing, if the vibrato will be worthy to listen ... Thanks
Dear Doctor, actually most voice-teachers while singing with great vibrato are useless trying to teach it (lots of them refuse to try). It's a gentle pitch-bend, right around a half-step down then back up, about 5/second. But a pitch-bend coming from vocal-chords isn't how you do it on flute; a slight pulsation of airflow controlled by the throat, clearly visible and easily practiced using the "snake-hiss" exercise." Pulsing airflow will also cause the convenient side-effect of mild pitch-bend similar to the vocal vibrato.
I agree with you Ron. When you use your voice it helps you to know where to feel the vibrato. Too many people don't know where vibrato should be felt and this helps.
Also what may be laphable to some people is that vibrato to ancient people invoved metaphysics also. It’s more than just using physical techniques to achieve it. The use of techniques is just one aspect. It’s also involved getting in sink with something higher than self.
Try to make the pulse come from your stomach. You will be doing it right if that is the case. Also, when you sing it in your voice feel where that pulse comes from and make it feel the same on the flute.
@@DoctorFlute ok thank you I try that in my practice session tonight.... I was pumping the abs ...but the teacher said it was wrong... I'll try my belly near navel ...and neck and voice it first Last time voicing it help but I don't know... I pumped pulsated the neck. I'll keep trying
Eventually you need to let the back of the throat take it. Using the abs and the pulsing is just to help you to understand where it comes from and how it should feel. Keep working at it will come. This has worked for everyone of my students but it took varying amounts of time for each- some longer some shorter.
Hi Mu Mu! It is great to be in total control over that vibrato. This weeks video is coming out on Thursday morning is me teaching a student how to use vibrato. Maybe that will one will give you tips. Good luck!
Your Video helped me a lot. I just picked up the flute after many years of not playing it. I do remember a teacher telling me about vibrato. He told me it came from the throat. Your video gave me confidence and I have it. It is a little raw but, I got it ! Thanks so much. Now I have to figure how to back to playing the flute and relearn all the notes. I have the Elementary Rubank book and I started at the beginning. Any tips ? Long tones ? SHould I go longs with vibrato and without ?
Hi Gary, I'm glad you are picking the flute back up and vibrato is working! The best thing for getting back into flute is quantity applied to time. Just do a lot of playing. I like the Rubank books especially for adults. There are lots of great small etudes and scale exercises that can help you re-learn what you used to know. I wouldn't even worry about long tones until the embouchure muscles feel like they are getting back into shape. When you do work on long tones I would use vibrato every time. You might as well as we hardly ever play without vibrato. Keep me posted on your progress or problems.
You can do it. Just keep at it. It is easy for some flutists and more challenging for others but I’ve never had a student that could never get it. Don’t give up.
@@DoctorFlute i did already this, but i asked you from which of the contacts to allege the clip.Because i did not find where . I will review the page . Thnx. Stefania
@@DoctorFlute i agree that vibrato does not come entirely from the abdomen...and i did not developed vibrato fully ..till now...it seems really difficult to me.
Hi Stefania, well if it was hard for you yet you kept on and now can play with it then you have done a great job. It isn't easy to get vibrato for some. Nice work.
Hi Stefania, sure there is. You can contact me through my DoctorFlute.com and send me an email with your video or we can set up a lesson. Or you can send me a DM on instagram. Do any of these work for you?
There is no one way to do Vibrato. Most cultures have a different variation of Vibrato. It’s funny how most people think they have a monopoly of what Vibrato is. What is a major irony is that most people don’t even Research the first people on earth to do Vibrato/ (the founders) and that is the various indigenous people on the continent of Africa. But new commers try to redefine it. Vibrato starts with cultural competence and learning the techniques used by the original source or even among the Native American indigenous Peoples. Not new age stuff without any knowledge of the original teachers of Vibrato.
Yes, of course as you and Galway say, it comes from the throat! Not hard, not complicated, and I’m no great Flute teacher at all -but all of my young students get it right away using the “snake hiss“ exercise; away from the Flute they practice Hissing sounds with the tongue powered by the throat slightly closing and opening just a little bit in different speeds. Most of them are producing vibrato on their flutes within minutes. No big deal, no big mystery, and so easy.
Hey, if it works keep doing it!
I am a 74 year old woman, studying flute for 2 1/2 years so far. I thought that my vibrato was coming along, and feeling more natural. But at my recent flute lesson, my teacher said that my vibrato was too fast. So I really appreciate your video and in-depth explanations that I will incorporate into my practicing.
Hi Piano Woman! Have you been able to apply some of these techniques? Keep me posted on how you are doing.
One of the best videos I've seen on vibrato. Unlike others, you demonstrate it first, and you leave it as an art, rather than a science. Almost all the other videos say it's in the stomach, but your explanation is much more intuitive, that its both support and throat. I'm going to allow myself to feel it!
Wow, thank you! I hope it works for you. Let me know if you still struggle.
Same thoughts here. Other teachers keep telling us to utilize the stomach, but the frequency of vibrato would be so much limited by solely doing so. Now I finally know it’s from the throat, from the part where we could switch between pitches, and the stomach should serve as an auxiliary system. If I’ve got it right, the takeaway message would be tightened stomach+relaxed throat. Thank you, Doctor!
Thank you for this video! I was always taught that vibrato was only in the diaphragm, and my vibrato would end up very forced sounding-especially in the higher register-when I would do fast vibrato. Now I am in college relearning my vibrato. I was a bit confused in my private lesson when learning about vibrato, and this video helped me understand it much better! Thank you!
I’m so glad this has helped you. Vibrato is tricky both learning and teaching. I’m glad that I can add a piece to your journey that helps you move along.
Having watched this a few times, I can relate much better with your method now. This is probably the most intuitive way to learn vibrato. The actual action requires coordination of multiple muscles and it also depends on the speed and intensity. Normally people just would not actively control those muscles independently, so it is not a easy thing to learn. However, everyone are familiar with the breathing action and can do it without much thought. This using this “feeling” to guide learning vibrato is very intuitive.
Thanks for your insight. I enjoy hearing how people think about vibrato as it is a tricky thing. I appreciate your comment.
thank you very much for this lovely lesson about such a subtle technique, this really have helped me to go a step forward on it! big love to you from Spain ❤🙏
You're very welcome! How is vibrato going for you? I bet Spain is lovely this time of year!
Wonderfully helpful & detailed tutorial, thank you! I've been playing bansuri for almost 2 years & am ready to apply these techniques.
Glad it was helpful! I hope it works for you!
Hi Dr. McBrearty. I appreciate your instruction on vibrato. In taking years of voice lessons, vibrato has been hard to achieve and still does not come naturally to me. In playing the flute, my vibrato sounds rather choppy as I have been generating it through pulsing air rather than employing my vocal physiology. I am going to employ the tips you've given and work towards that true vibrato that sounds so lyrical. Thank you.
I know that vibrato can be a tricky technique to learn. One of my daughters figured it out easily and the other we have had to work at. I do believe anyone can learn it though. You can do it!
Beautiful Vibrato !!!, and a another great lesson, thanks Angela, God bless
Thanks Jorge, how is everything on your end?
@@DoctorFlute
Thanks be to God we're doing OK, I hope and pray you and your loved ones are OK also :-)
We are great! Enjoying the last few weeks of summer before life gets busy again.
You are a blessed flute teacher. I am trying your methods on Bamboo Flute. I have seen many other videos as well to learn vibrato but this one I am going to use as support video 😊. Thanks for explaining this so well. Love from India 🙏😊
Hi Parvvesh from India! How's the weather? Thank-you for your kind words. I am glad I can offer some help to you.
@@DoctorFlute It's rainy season here in most of India. Yes I am trying out your methods and I will let you know in a month how I faired.
Thanks 😊
It's like a little Edith Piaf sitting at the back of your throat, singing, vvvvv-iiii-bbb-rrrrrrr-aaa--tt-ooooooo!
Ha! But maybe true!
So good… you certainly know what you’re talking about in all your videos that I’ve watched so far…🎯
Yay! I pass, thanks! What are you looking for in your flute playing?
@@DoctorFlute I’m self taught via utube and would really like to be able to play simple popular tunes melodiously with feeling and not burden my audience too much 😅 thanx for asking 🤞🏼
Very interesting and quite helpful. Thanks.
Great! Thanks Mike!
Almost at 4 months of playing flute and I can now play notes low C to 3rd octave C. I don't want to go from 3rd octave D up yet though because I want to focus on getting the notes I have with better tone. I had to change my embouchure several times to get the full range to that point. Galway's video on how to get a good sound on the headjoint was a great help. I don't use the Rockstro method though. But I want my sound to be less boring and more lively. I think adding this after I do my tones exercises would be a good addition. I usually start off with tone exercises first. For me I find practising standing up in front of a mirror with music stand in front of me seems to be helping me make progress with the embouchure and changes I make over time. It helps me view my support too.
HI! Yes using a mirror is fantastic for helping to fix things. It can be your teacher telling you to fix this and fix that. You sound like you are making great progress. Have you tried vibrato yet?
@@DoctorFlute I started adding vibrato to my practice. I can do it slow or fast but not very fast. Some observations though that I noticed were that if I relax too much I lose the fast vibrato and if I tighten the abdominal muscles too much I also lose the fast vibrato. My core is relatively already strong so maybe I don't need to try too hard when it comes to support. Finding some kind of balance works. I mainly do vibrato from my throat with the Ha air stream that comes from the support. I practised Trevor Wye's first example in his book where you flex the abs to make the wave in the vibrato but found it tiresome on my core. Primarily using the throat to make the waves with very slight tightening of the abs was less taxing and I made a better sound. Problem with flexing/tighting the abs only as the method to produce the vibrato is I can only achieve 4 waves max before my abs freeze up then have to start over from a relaxed state. I also notice I make a very good and easy vibrato the lower I go in the register. The low C being the easiest to achieve a nicer vibrato. The higher up I go however the harder it is to hear the waves and I struggle to get a clean sounding vibrato.
I agree with you that doing the abs thing is tiresome. I have students practice the abs method only when beginning vibrato just to get the feel of what vibrato is and then move it into the throat. It sounds like you are on the right track. Ultimately vibrato should really be no work at all. It should be easy. So if that is how you feel then you are doing the right thing. In the higher octaves you definitely need to keep support tight and make vibrato move faster. The wave length is smaller so in order for vibrato to fit into it the speed must be faster. In every octave don't let the vibrato move out of the throat. I think you are doing the right thing you just need to keep it at it.
@@DoctorFlute The "abs thing" method for starting vibrato is frankly just dumb! Voice teachers often take this wrong-turn also, sometimes even punching themselves in the stomach as teaching-aid. One famous flute teacher even recommends making wave motions with the right hand while holding/playing with the other. Another one says to play the out-of-tune C# while rolling it in and out of tune. Many voice teachers demonstrate vibrato moving upward a half-step on piano, while their own vibrato's clearly moving downward. Yikes!
@@ronrobbins2737 The main thing is that we need to use many different explanations to reach all. Different methods for different students. Can we agree on that?
Great tutor ！ With many thanks ！
Thanks Connie, let me know how your vibrato journey is going.
Hi Angela! I carefully followed your video on the vibrato, and listened to the one on the breathing medium. I will study sections to be able to understand even with my hearing, if the vibrato will be worthy to listen ... Thanks
Hi Mauro, keep me posted on how it is going.
Dear Doctor, actually most voice-teachers while singing with great vibrato are useless trying to teach it (lots of them refuse to try). It's a gentle pitch-bend, right around a half-step down then back up, about 5/second. But a pitch-bend coming from vocal-chords isn't how you do it on flute; a slight pulsation of airflow controlled by the throat, clearly visible and easily practiced using the "snake-hiss" exercise." Pulsing airflow will also cause the convenient side-effect of mild pitch-bend similar to the vocal vibrato.
I agree with you Ron. When you use your voice it helps you to know where to feel the vibrato. Too many people don't know where vibrato should be felt and this helps.
Also what may be laphable to some people is that vibrato to ancient people invoved metaphysics also. It’s more than just using physical techniques to achieve it. The use of techniques is just one aspect. It’s also involved getting in sink with something higher than self.
Also interesting
That was great...
Just been introduced to this by my teacher...
Your video was helpful...
Thx 😄
Hi Anna, fantastic! Let me know how it is going.
@@DoctorFlute I don't know if I'm a natural or doing it all wrong... I can make a pulse but I think its coming from my mouth...
I'll work on it
Thx
Try to make the pulse come from your stomach. You will be doing it right if that is the case. Also, when you sing it in your voice feel where that pulse comes from and make it feel the same on the flute.
@@DoctorFlute ok thank you I try that in my practice session tonight....
I was pumping the abs ...but the teacher said it was wrong...
I'll try my belly near navel
...and neck and voice it first
Last time voicing it help but I don't know... I pumped pulsated the neck.
I'll keep trying
Eventually you need to let the back of the throat take it. Using the abs and the pulsing is just to help you to understand where it comes from and how it should feel. Keep working at it will come. This has worked for everyone of my students but it took varying amounts of time for each- some longer some shorter.
Just like vocal breathing, only difference's the sound creates outside the mouth.
True! Flute is so close to voice in how we do everything except for the actual sound.
I've never had to sing vibrato mindfully. This will be a challenge!
Hi Mu Mu! It is great to be in total control over that vibrato. This weeks video is coming out on Thursday morning is me teaching a student how to use vibrato. Maybe that will one will give you tips. Good luck!
Your Video helped me a lot. I just picked up the flute after many years of not playing it. I do remember a teacher telling me about vibrato. He told me it came from the throat. Your video gave me confidence and I have it. It is a little raw but, I got it ! Thanks so much. Now I have to figure how to back to playing the flute and relearn all the notes. I have the Elementary Rubank book and I started at the beginning. Any tips ? Long tones ? SHould I go longs with vibrato and without ?
Hi Gary, I'm glad you are picking the flute back up and vibrato is working! The best thing for getting back into flute is quantity applied to time. Just do a lot of playing. I like the Rubank books especially for adults. There are lots of great small etudes and scale exercises that can help you re-learn what you used to know. I wouldn't even worry about long tones until the embouchure muscles feel like they are getting back into shape. When you do work on long tones I would use vibrato every time. You might as well as we hardly ever play without vibrato. Keep me posted on your progress or problems.
I'm 12 years old, but it's too hard.
You can do it. Just keep at it. It is easy for some flutists and more challenging for others but I’ve never had a student that could never get it. Don’t give up.
Excuse me ..can you give me a mail i can allege an audio or video clip with it?
Sure, go to DoctorFlute.com and send me through the email that is on the contact page.
@@DoctorFlute i did already this, but i asked you from which of the contacts to allege the clip.Because i did not find where . I will review the page . Thnx. Stefania
Dr.Angela.McBrearty@DoctoreFlute.com
I feel vibrato coming more from the abdomen which tightens at a certain point.
Yes, I agree that the abdomen tightens at a certain point. But after it tightens I think you feel it in the back of the throat.
@@DoctorFlute i agree that vibrato does not come entirely from the abdomen...and i did not developed vibrato fully
..till now...it seems really difficult to me.
Hi Stefania, well if it was hard for you yet you kept on and now can play with it then you have done a great job. It isn't easy to get vibrato for some. Nice work.
@@DoctorFlute would you like to tell me if there is a possibility to make you hear my efforts. Only if possible . I do not mean to press you.
Hi Stefania, sure there is. You can contact me through my DoctorFlute.com and send me an email with your video or we can set up a lesson. Or you can send me a DM on instagram. Do any of these work for you?
There is no one way to do Vibrato. Most cultures have a different variation of Vibrato. It’s funny how most people think they have a monopoly of what Vibrato is. What is a major irony is that most people don’t even Research the first people on earth to do Vibrato/ (the founders) and that is the various indigenous people on the continent of Africa. But new commers try to redefine it. Vibrato starts with cultural competence and learning the techniques used by the original source or even among the Native American indigenous Peoples. Not new age stuff without any knowledge of the original teachers of Vibrato.
Very cool perspective!
You talk and talk and talk and 1/3 into the video you haven´t told us what to do. Less is more-as in less bla bla bla and more to the point.
🥲