Help! I Can't Get Rid of My Vibrato

You know the sound you wish would come out of your instrument– it’s round and resonant, like a bell. It’s warm and clear and centered, a beautiful, smooth stream of air.

But when you go to play, that’s not the sound you hear. Instead, your air stream is turbulent, maybe even rough, wobbling up and down with a constant vibrato you can’t seem to get rid of, no matter how hard you try.

What’s causing this? What can you do?

Vibrato you don’t have control over, and can’t get rid of, is called involuntary vibrato. It’s an extremely common problem in the recorder world, and one that, with time and proper technique, you absolutely can surmount!

Unlike voluntary vibrato, which is used to intensify or otherwise decorate specific notes and is completely under the control of the player, involuntary vibrato is constant and rudderless, occurring without a player’s conscious direction.

Most of us have heard players who play with involuntary vibrato. Maybe you’re one of them. If you are, read on for answers to some frequently asked questions!

Why does involuntary vibrato happen?

The short answer is constriction. When you play, air needs to get from your lungs to the instrument. You can think of the passage between your lungs and your instrument as a giant tube. If the tube is open and relaxed, air flows smoothly through it, like water through a smooth riverbed. But if there is constriction in the tube, you get turbulence, an air stream that flows more like water moving over rocks. If you’ve got involuntary vibrato, you’ve got constriction somewhere in your tube.

What is causing my involuntary vibrato?

There are three main technical problems that cause involuntary vibrato. One of the three causes usually predominates, although they absolutely can combine.

1) Insufficient air. If you’re not taking in enough air for what you want to play, muscles around your tube will attempt to compensate by squeezing the air you do have out.

2) Too much air. If you’re taking in more air than you need for what you want to play, you’ll have to engage muscles to work to hold some of your air back. This will also cause constriction.

3) Miscellaneous tension! The catch-all category. Something is squeezing where it doesn’t need to squeeze. You’re doing more work than you need to do, which, for recorder, is never a good thing.

How do I get rid of my involuntary vibrato?

For most people, there isn’t a quick fix, but you absolutely can reduce and even eliminate it over time. How you go about doing that depends on what’s causing it.

1) If you have insufficient air, you’ll want to work on taking better breaths that allow you to support your sound without squeezing. Often this will involve breathing lower, allowing the belly and sides to expand. Good breathing is at the heart of any wind instrument’s technique, and the recorder is no exception. Want more tips? My Breathing Webinar is full of practical advice. Get access here.

2) If you have too much air, you’ll want to work on taking in just enough air for your needs, and letting go of all the air you have.

3) If you carry miscellaneous tension, you’ll want to begin to very deliberately practice relaxed production, zeroing in on where you’re carrying tension and experimenting with techniques for letting it go.

What if I like my involuntary vibrato?

I definitely come across people who simply like the way their involuntary vibrato sounds. If that’s you, don’t worry: I’m not here to wrest your vibrato away from you. What I will do, though, is urge you to make that vibrato a choice, something you select deliberately rather than something you simply can’t stop.