[ikklebassoonist]

I've started playing with vibrato over the past few months, and have got reasonably good at it. However I find that after a while I just can't move my hand right, have I got my wrist in the wrong place or do I just need to develop the strength in my hand?
It seems to be more of a problem when I'm trying to do it fairly fast, short vibrato (say on a series of accented crotchets).
Please help as I'm a little confused!

 

[Edward Elgar]

My advise is go easy, relax and waggle your finger around only when you get a note length that allows you to do so. Don't try to vibrato on fast notes because you will get frustrated. If you find it still difficult, experiment with different hand positions and go slowly. Fast vibrato is unnatural exept in agitato music so don't do it!

 

[Mr Salek]

Practice it rythmically, starting with crotchets then quavers. Then do triplets then semiquavers. This should give you a nice controlled vibrato which is very important.

 

[ikklebassoonist]

Thank you!

 

[montanan]

I suggest that you practise it very slowly and relaxed at first. Make sure that all the articulations in your hand are flexible. Try to make it one continuous movement which goes back and forth rather than leting it stop at each change in direction. Try to use vibrato excersises as an opportunity to relax your left hand more and more.
I hope this will help you to acquire a good vibrato.

 

[captaintim]

you should probably also pay more attention to what is happening with the bow. on the ideas that everyone has suggested, try to make a really good deep rich sound with your bow and mirror that feeling of depth in your left hand. Try to make the sound of your vibrato come out of the sound of the bow, so that the balance is good between the hands (both soundwise and literally in terms of the feeling). There's no point having a good vibrato if the sound you make with the bow is dreadful, so put the two together and maybe you'll find that your pains go away. In other words, don't only think about the left hand when you're working on your vib.