MindTheGap
1350 posts
Mar 28, 2016
11:37 PM
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Practicing vibrato reminded me of something I need to work on - consciously shaping notes.
Something Winslow said reminded me: he said that beginners often hit the note like a drum and let it die away, so they have to be taught to sustain. When practising long vibrato, this sustain happens naturally i.e. you naturally have to keep the note going.
In thinking about all the things that differentiate beginners and experienced, I've not heard the note envelope talked about - mostly it's the mysterious 'tone' which is a mix of things.
As I record my practice, I can see the trace in audacity and I know that my notes tend to have a particular shape if I don't consciously shape them: a sharp attack and then a tapering off - roughly like a triangle. I think e.g. Adam's notes are naturally more like square wave.
When I consciously do that, I like it better. Sounds more deliberate and confident. The trick is a. not to just play LOUD which is the cheap way to do it, and b. do it without seeing the trace in front of me!
I don't mean that all notes should be played with a particular envelope, but there should be a conscious mix. Staccato is good too, depending on context. My real long notes tend to crescendo actually, as I apply vibrato. I'm going to be concentrating on the middling notes that typically get the (rather feeble to my ears) 'default' treatment.
I bet this weakness stems from playing guitar and piano - which are percussive.
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Last Edited by MindTheGap on Mar 29, 2016 12:25 AM
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