Vibrato

Vibrato is a slight, regular oscillation in pitch (and sometimes volume) applied to sustained notes for expressive effect. On bowed strings, vibrato is produced by the rocking motion of the left-hand finger on the string. On winds and voice, it is produced by diaphragm pulsation. On guitar, by bending or rocking the string.

Vibrato adds warmth, expression, and life to sustained tones. Without vibrato, a sustained note sounds clinical and flat; with appropriate vibrato, it sounds singing and alive. The speed and depth of vibrato are adjusted for expressive purposes — slower and wider for romantic warmth, faster and narrower for nervous intensity.

Vibrato is also a stylistic and historical variable. Baroque performance typically uses minimal vibrato (treating it as an ornament rather than a default); Romantic and modern playing typically uses continuous vibrato as part of the basic tone. Period-performance practitioners debate the appropriate use of vibrato in earlier music.

Italian, past participle of vibrare (‘to vibrate’), from Latin vibrare.

Match vibrato to the music. Style, emotion, era all matter. Don’t use the same vibrato for Bach and Tchaikovsky; the music demands different colors.