Vibrato and expression to play · From Zero to Mozart

The daily vibrato and expression routine, gathered in one place. None of it is a piece — it's the workout that makes expressive playing possible. Five focused minutes at the start of a session, most days, for months. The sound of vibrato is the one thing this course can't play for you, so much of this is "do it and listen to your own hand."

1 · The pulse ladder

60 bpm

1st finger on B, A string, in tune. Metronome at 60. No bow: 1 rock per beat, then 2, then 3, then 4, then continuous — a full backward-and-return each time. Then add a slow bow. 4 rocks per beat at 60 is 4 Hz — still a practice speed; a real vibrato (5–7 Hz) comes over months.

2 · Straight, bloom, straight — against a drone

38 bpm

How to play it

Slow, even bow throughout — the bow does not change when the vibrato starts or stops. Only the left hand switches.

D (A string, 3rd finger), drone set to D. Bow 1: dead straight. Bow 2: straight for two beats, then let the vibrato bloom in. Bow 3: vibrato, then settle to straight. Keep the centre of every wobble locked to the drone an octave down.

3 · Every finger, up one string

24 bpm

One whole note per finger, up the A string. Hold each and vibrate it before moving on. The 4th-finger E is a unison with the open E string, which will ring along — damp it or accept it. The 4th finger is the weakest; use arm vibrato and rest the lower fingers behind it. Rotate which string you start on so the G and E strings aren't always rushed.

4 · One phrase, three ways

66 bpm

How to play it

This is the whole stage in one exercise: vibrato choice, articulation, rubato, and hearing how much the era dial changes things.

Play it flat (no vibrato, no shaping — the baseline). Then Classical: narrow vibrato on the long D and the final G only, light non-legato touch, a breath before the last note. Then Romantic: continuous wide vibrato, full legato, broaden into the D and give it back. Same seven notes, three performances.

How to use this page

Not all of it every day. Always the pulse ladder (item 1). Then one of items 2–4, rotated. Two or three minutes total. Stop the moment the hand tightens — a tired hand practises the wrong motion. Do the pulse for a minute at the start of every session even on days you do nothing else here.