When it goes wrong · From Zero to Mozart

Vibrato goes wrong in a handful of specific, recognisable ways. Learn the list now — you'll do most of them at some point, and knowing which one you're doing tells you exactly what to fix.

The catalogue

What it sounds like	What it is	The fix
A fast, tight, narrow bleat — a "goat" or "nanny" vibrato	the hand is tense and the motion has shrunk and sped up to escape it	go right back to slow, wide "sirens"; rebuild from a loose big motion
A slow, wide lurch that never settles into a shimmer	the wrist isn't flexible enough yet; the motion is coming from too big a lever	the knock exercise; build wrist give before speeding up
The vibrato won't start, or jerks	the thumb is clenched against the neck	practise with the thumb lifted clean off the neck until the motion is free
The line goes dead in the gaps between notes	the vibrato stops at every finger change	slow, coordinated finger-change practice (the next lesson)
The note sounds sharp	the wobble is going above the pitch, not just below it	consciously roll only backward from the note; the pitch is the ceiling
The tone pulses or scratches in time with the vibrato	the wobble is transmitting into the bow arm	bow-only and vibrato-only practice, then combine slowly
The note drifts flat or sharp as you vibrate	the centre of the wobble is moving	anchor the pitch dead first; check the centre against a drone

Find yours

34 bpm

A test note: 3rd finger on the D string — G, an octave above the open G string, so you can check the centre for the ring it gives the G string. Vibrate this, record it, and listen for which fault on the list you hear. Playback is the plain note; the wobble is yours to judge.

Check yourself

Try it

Try

Record thirty seconds of your vibrato on a long note with your phone. Play it back and match what you hear to the table above. Then do one targeted minute on whichever fix applies. Don't try to fix two things at once — pick the loudest problem.

The usual mistake

Treating every vibrato problem as "not enough practice" and just grinding. Almost every fault on that list is tension or a missing sub-skill, and grinding makes tension worse. Name the fault, apply its specific fix, keep the sessions short.