How to Do Vibrato on Flute

Last Updated: June 17, 2022

Vibrato is the wavering sound heard at the end of flute tones. It takes special skill and lots of practice to master. This article will teach you what to practice to learn vibrato as a beginner.

1

Pick a note that is generally very easy to play.

Some examples are b-flat or D. Take a deep breath, and start your note. With your breath, make a little "bump" in the sound by letting more air through for just a moment before going back to your normal air stream. The note should get louder during the bump. Practice this technique––it should be easy. The bump/breath should come from your belly and diaphragm. If you are a singer, you know how important it is to use your whole stomach and lungs to get good air. You may need to tense your core a bit to control your sound.^{[1]
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2

Start a metronome on a moderate tempo in 4/4.

You can also just keep basic time in your head or by tapping your foot. Make a bump in the sound on every beat for several measures. Slowly, increase the speed of your beat/metronome. It will take some time to get it right, but don't worry, with practice it will sound better as you practice more.^{[2]
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3

Keep increasing your beat until it sounds more like a full vibrato.

It is extremely important to use your core and air to stay steady and even with your beats. This is why you shouldn't jump to faster tempos before you've gotten the slower ones down-pat. Also keep dynamics in time. Focus on your sound, and make sure the dynamics are generally even on each beat.^{[3]
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4

Practice until you can do a generally moderate vibrato with an even tone.

If you're confident, try seeing how long you can go for. If your tone is bad, it doesn't count, so make sure your tone is doing well. After a few exercises, you may choose to practice increasing the tempo even more.

5

Integrate the vibrato into a piece of music.

Don't start with fast pieces; you need to take it slowly to begin with. Start with a sonata or something similar. You will need to rely on your personal opinion on what notes should have vibrato. Long notes usually do, and some people do it with every note, even in fast pieces like marches. Using vibrato in pieces can be much harder, but it is easy to get the hang of once you've done it well.^{[4]
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6

Slowly increase your speed or move to faster/more complicated pieces.

By now, you are a vibrato expert! Make sure you aren't hard on yourself if you don't get the hang of it immediately. These skills take time.^{[5]
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Community Q&A

Question

How long will it take to have a decent vibrato sound on the flute? I'm 11 years old and I've been playing for 2 years.

Katie Wei

Community Answer

I have been playing for for 4 years and I'm 13. Sometimes it's a matter of needing a better flute. I have a Yamaha that was a little expensive, but it's so easy to do vibrato on. All you have to do is, with one breath, change your air speed from slow to fast on the same note. If it helps, blow harder or lighter. It shouldn't take you too long to get it, just practice regularly.
Question

How do I play the flute with braces?

Buggylu25

Top Answerer

Ensure your embouchure is correct and that you are using good air support. It takes some getting used to, but the braces should not impact your playing if you practice properly.
Question

I find warnings about the "Nanny goat vibrato" everywhere, but I don't understand what it means. Can someone clarify this for me?

Community Answer

It's when you use your throat weird to get a really fast vibrato that kind of sounds like you're trying to make a sheep noise. It might be easy to fall into if you can't get your natural vibrato to work, but it's not healthy and doesn't sound good to the audience either.

Warnings

Make sure you don't do the "nanny goat vibrato!" This is when you use your throat to make the bumps in the sound, and it can usually only be done at a fast speed. This is bad technique; make sure you catch it if it happens, to avoid developing a bad habit.

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