Among Old Time fiddlers, I have heard discussions and
opinions being shared regarding the use of vibrato. Certain Old Time fiddlers are convinced that this particular style of fiddle playing
must be without any form of vibrato. Then again, depending on their regional
tradition, other Old Time fiddlers have a slightly varied idea allowing for
limited use of vibrato. I vividly remember the comments of an Old Time fiddle
judge at a contest: some of the contestants were using vibrato while playing
Old Time tunes and that was absolutely against the rules of Old Time
fiddling. Another Old Time fiddle judge,
with a slightly different fiddle tradition, was of a different opinion and felt
that some vibrato could be used, though sparingly. It goes without saying that these two judges
had very different opinions on the performance and the style in which the tunes
were played.
The question arising here is: are we discussing fiddle style or a violin approach to fiddling? Is strong vibrato impressive and does it indeed enhance the fiddle tune? I can't help but wonder. I have come across similar discussions regarding Baroque violin performance and it is my opinion that vibrato can indeed be used both in Baroque violin and fiddle music if used sparingly with a sense of enhancing the note or phrase. Jaap
Schrӧder mentions in his book, "Bach's solo violin works, a performer's guide": Vibrato has had an expressive function at all times;
its application in the “warming up” of long notes was basic to early vocal
training. One could say that the sound becomes ornamented, and indeed the vibrato, like the trill, belongs to a repertoire of ornaments.
In other words I believe it takes a lot of musical control and understanding to use vibrato in fiddling...I was not impressed with the vibrato use I heard in the fiddle contest. However, times and opinions change. It remains an interesting topic and I'd love to hear your thoughts...
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