Whistle Vibrato: four approaches

[pancelticpiper]

On various threads here over the years I've made mention of four different ways I do vibrato on the whistle.

These things are often difficult to describe but easy to demonstrate, so a couple days ago I made a little video and put it up on YouTube.

Here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK9RmMnDuPA

In practice I use them all at various times without thinking about it.

[James_Alto]

Nice demo. I'm sure it'll be helpful for many!

Your low D whistle sounds great!

[ecohawk]

thanks so much for this. It helps to see other approaches.

ecohawk

[Jerry Freeman]

Early in my penny whistle career, I developed a whistle vibrato pedal. I think it has promise, but I've been too busy to follow through and introduce it as a product.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[MTGuru]

Early in my penny whistle career, I developed a whistle vibrato pedal. I think it has promise, but I've been too busy to follow through and introduce it as a product.

The original Pignose amp - the one with the book-hinged halves - comes with instructions to the effect that a nice vibrato can be achieved by having someone hold the amp and rapidly open and close the two halves.

Extending this to whistle, I'm sure a well-trained Pignose vibrato assistant could learn to grab you by the torso and shake you violently back and forth. And if you train your bodhrán player for this, it finally gives them an actual musical skill they can use.

Going even more high tech ... An electric massage wand applied to the solar plexus gives a rapid, controlled vibrato. On the other hand, playing while relaxing in a bed with Magic Fingers™ gives a slower, deeper vibrato, at least until you run out of quarters. And sitting on a spinning potter's wheel while tooting produces a lovely Leslie speaker effect, until you pass out and lose consciousness.

Of course, there's also the old trick of playing into an electric fan, or underneath a ceiling fan. But that's really more a tremolo than vibrato, and not really applicable to ITM.

[killthemessenger]

I've always felt the musical potential of the Heimlich Manoeuvre has not yet been fully explored.

Back to the video - interesting and valuable, but the terrible sound quality made it almost imopssible for me to hear the half-holing finger vibrato (flattement). Also, I found your tendency to start notes with a slide distracting.

Edit: omygod - this is my 101th post. When I get to eleventyone, I'll disappear with a flash (and a hardly audible whimper).

[pancelticpiper]

I found your tendency to start notes with a slide distracting.

It's a tendency I share with just about every uilleann piper on Earth.

[walrii]

Extending this to whistle, I'm sure a well-trained Pignose vibrato assistant could learn to grab you by the torso and shake you violently back and forth.

Could this be done on a speeding motorbike? Could the Pignose assistant be Andrea Corr?

Going even more high tech ... An electric massage wand applied to the solar plexus gives a rapid, controlled vibrato. On the other hand, playing while relaxing in a bed with Magic Fingers™ gives a slower, deeper vibrato, at least until you run out of quarters. And sitting on a spinning potter's wheel while tooting produces a lovely Leslie speaker effect, until you pass out and lose consciousness.

I thought this was a family forum.

[JTC111]

Going even more high tech ... An electric massage wand applied to the solar plexus...

I thought this was a family forum.

It is. The unabridged version of MT's post explored the various results in placing that massage wand in a variety of other places. However, only a select few have clearance to view those posts. I don't, but I grease the palm of someone on the inside to pass along to me the more salacious content.

[Guyon]

I use the As-Seen-On-TV Shake Weight.
I have to use my feet, but on the plus side, I've dropped 18 pounds.

[Jerry Freeman]

Here's Joanie Madden using some of the vibrato techniques pancelticpiper demonstrated:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U38yE_ApLV4&NR=1

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

With all due respect i think Joanie's vibrato gets a bit too much, especially 1:st octave E,F# and G.
Sounds too much like a Wah-pedal for my taste. I prefer a lighter, slightly faster "flutter" on the E-hole only
Just my two cents
EDIT: Here's a more subtle vibrato i think
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eyEutcK3hc

[dspmusik]

i agree. her playing is amazing, but i don't prefer the vibrato where you can a distinct on/off type sound (like the described wah pedal sound). i like a more subtle bend or wave of the pitch/tone.
more like a massage, less like hand shake.

[pancelticpiper]

I'm with you people: I've never cared for wide vibrato be it in singing or fluteplaying or what have you.

About vibrato being subtle, I was struck when I listened back to the demo video I made by the gentleness of my throat vibrato. My impression, when I'm playing, is that it's far stronger. Strange. The diaphragm and finger vibratos, on playback, sound the same as they do when I'm playing.