diaphragm and jaw vibrato technique

[sadist]

:oops: i'm kinda like a noob sax player learning from school band

i'd like to know how you do jaw and diaphragm vibrato... no one wanna teach me how

[The Martin]

With the jaws
Play a long note, relax your embouchure, tighten it, relax, tighten....

With diaphragm:
Just like saying HuHuHuHuHu, but without making a sound.....

The problem is making them sound neat...
Practice, practice, etc......

[Gandalfe]

To make them sound neat, start with long tones, one vibrato per beat, then two, then three, and then four and back to one. Don't try to do the vibrato faster than you can control it. Then move to the next note.

Once you have that exercise down, turn on some sax play along CD and try to emulate the vibrato of a pro. Then start to use it in your regular playing remembering that in concert band, a little goes a long way. My first vibrato was heard when I was competing to play a solo. I was so scared I couldn't keep from shaking. My band director was so impressed he gave me the solo. :D

[sadist]

ok i'll try...

diaphragm vibrato is realli hard tho... like the hu hu hu stuff... are there other ways to describe how diaphragm vibrato is done?

[Alan G]

well - I'll try ta 'splain it to ya...

Be forewarned that "diaphragm" vibrato is not considered the *proper* technique.

That said - I use "diaphragm" because of my oboe background. IMHO - it don't sound too bad. Not the "Nanny Goat" sound at all.

I find myself using it to give a softer effect - more of a tremolo sound.

I also use it when blow'n at FULL BORE - you know - with scream'n guitars...This is a very fast effect - almost like a chorus thing....

Now to explain how I do it. As others have mentioned, "diaphragm" may not be the correct term - but it is the way it is typically described.

It comes from deep in your guts. Try this:

Put your fist on your mouth - so that you can blow through it - but keep it closed. Blow - hard - but only let a little air through. You should feel the push from your bowl :shock: ahem - you might even pass some gas :?
(sorry 'bout that)

Thats the feel of air support that fills your body.

Now that yer blow'n ...umm.. yer guts out...start pumping the amount of pressure. This comes from the abdominal muscles..or "diaphragm". Start with a slow rhythym..then pick up speed.

Thats it. Note that it is NOT coming from your throat - or upper chest cavity. It's not a lung thing. It's a gut thing....

Now - put a sax (or oboe) in yer mouth - blow from the guts (thats the way to get great power, BTW) and start pump'n.

DISCLAMER: I am an Idiot. I have absolutely NO experience teaching. I actually suck as a musician....I'm barely tolerable...bad body order...halitosis....ummm pass gas in inappropriate settings.... :D

(I'll stop now)




Oh - I would welcome comments by the professionals who review this stuff. I was try'n to figure out how to describe the whole air support column thing. Is this a reasonable way to show it?

[Black]

I had learned and practised the jaw vibrato for bout half a yr.....(as i cant use the diaphragm method...). It works perfectly pleasant....But a question here..... Between jaw method and diaphragm method, which sound best?

[Jazzophone]

isn't that sort of an opinion thing ... like, if you get the diaphragm technique smack down, it'll sound better than the jaw, but if you've got the jaw thing going for yourself, you'll like it better than the diaphragm ... right? :shock:

[orions_belt27]

hm, this vibrato thinghy is very interesting~ i've seen both being demonstrated to me by the instructor.

I must say that while many consider the diaphragm vibrato the 'improper' way to go where sax vibrato is concerned, it certainly has certain advantages over the jaw vibrato. The diaphragm vibrato of cause takes a lot more effort to do than the jaw vib and is a whole lot more difficult. Initially, one will sound really bad doing it because it requires a lot of control of the air and the muscles of the abdomen will need to be really strong.

Certain passages just sound better with the diaphragm vib and not the Nanny goat kinda sound. In fact, if you used the jaw vibrato in place of the diaphragm vibrato, you cant get the same effect. As Alan puts it, the diaphragm vib gives a softer effect.

The diaphragm vib is definitely a good tool to have because it opens up a new style of playing a melody. Start doin more crunches. you gonna need them~ :lol:

[jazzbluescat]

diaphragm vibrato

Is this some sort of circus thing(?). :twisted:

[tubbycub]

When I play with vibrato (lip), some people say that I am either out of tune or sounded with little confidence.

What went wrong?
Is it that the people who commented do not know how to appreciate vibratos or that I am playing wrongly?