Musical performances that truly move and inspire us have one very critical element in common—emotional expression. But, what makes a piece of music expressive? What elevates a performance to a level that can at one moment bring an audience to tears and have them dancing on their feet the next? One of the most effective techniques that musicians can employ to bolster the expressive nature of their music is the use of vibrato.

In this classical violin lesson, Philadelphia Orchestra first section violinist and ArtistWorks instructor, Richard Amoroso provides a step-by-step guide to perfecting your vibrato technique and outlines three primary methods for producing a clean vibrato tone.

“Vibrato allows you to create a multitude of different sounds even if you’re playing the same notes,” Richard explains. “It’s what allows the violin to resonate and change color, and it can be used in all kinds of different ways to create different flavors.”

As vibrato plays such a fundamental role in bringing emotional expression to a performance, it’s important for musicians to learn how to execute vibrato techniques the correct way. This is a skill that beginners want to focus on heavily early on, and more advanced players should consistently revisit and monitor.

“Vibrato is a hard thing to learn,” Richard explains. “And, if it’s not learned properly at first, it can be difficult to unlearn bad habits. So, I really encourage you all to learn vibrato properly right from the get-go.”

To learn more about the intricacies of vibrato and Richard’s three primary vibrato techniques, dive into this online violin lesson from Richard Amoroso:

Basic Vibrato with Richard Amoroso:

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Have you always wanted to learn how to play the classical violin? Through our comprehensive violin lessons online and Video Exchange Learning platform here at ArtistWorks, you can learn from internationally renowned players, like Richard Amoroso, and get personalized feedback on your playing.

Richard’s course starts with the basics and teaches everything from beginner violin to advanced performance techniques and compositions. So, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player, all levels are welcome and all students will grow and improve their skills as violinists and musicians!

Try out some free sample music lessons here and see what makes ArtistWorks courses some of the best online music lessons around!

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