How to Play Vibrato on Saxophone

I've already given advice on basic ways to improve your methods for playing and practicing the saxophone. When you know that you have the scales down, and you know that your sound quality is at a decent stage, no doubt you've become curious as to what the next step is. What else can I learn to enjoy my instrument more and maybe look for professional work? For many players a lifelong goal is to learn to play effective vibrato.

Vibrato is a musical technique that any instrument players, including vocalists, aim to achieve. It is heard in the professional strains of concert violinists and from recording artists worldwide. For people who play instruments, vibrato is one of the most challenging skills to practice and learn. The easy way to describe vibrato is a vibration. We hear music because of vibrations, but this is controlling the speed of the vibration. It is the creation of varying pitches between two notes by quickly switching between them, the effect of which is a smooth, undulating note coming from the horn. Trust me, you've heard it. And if you've been playing for years and are still no closer to achieving it yourself, you are not alone on your quest for vibrato.

For saxophonists the technique takes plenty of jaw and lip control. You must hone your embouchure skills to their maximum and then push yourself more. I've been practicing for several years myself. While nowhere near a perfect sound, I have covered a lot of ground since I first aimed to achieve saxophone vibrato. The way I learned and was coached is one of several techniques. Since it has worked for me I'm confident the system will work for others. To begin, know that you do need to have seasoned musical chops to begin vibrato training. Years of school concerts and summer sessions have given me enough time, so be sure you are confident with your own playing first.

To begin, you need a beat to keep time with. Get a metronome or tap your own feet to a slow, measured, paced rhythm. Start by playing a note, preferably one at the start of a scale. Play until you get a smooth clean sound. Now gently begin to move you jaw up and down while playing the note. Think of yourself saying the word "yawn" out loud as you do this, and the effect will be achieved. Unlike a real yawn, don't open your mouth wide; place your mouth and lips on the mouthpiece as you always have. Simply add in this "yawn" motion. Do not try to do this fast. Ease yourself into yawning motions that match the slow beat you have chosen. On each beat perform the motion, again and again.

You will not hear the voluptuous sounds of vibrato right away. Unless you are a prodigy, you will not hear something even close to perfection for a long time. What you will hear is the note you've been focusing on playing as perfectly as you can become warbled and possibly squeaky. This is to be expected, even for seasoned players. Don't feel down. Any new technique can seem to take you back to your earliest days of learning the saxophone. You are not as confident, and in all honesty, are trying something you have never attempted before.

Now you've moved your mouth and heard a strange wail escape your horn. What's next? Go to the next note of the scale you have chosen. Again, pick a slow beat, focus on making the next note clean and beautiful, and then match your "yawn" motions with the tempo. Keep going up the scale. Then down the scale. Don't start picking random notes. The exercise can get tedious, but know that with such focus progress will show itself soon.

I recommend doing these exercises during your normal warm-up routine, usually during tuning and before you will practice and play. Each time you continue to play vibrato, increase the speed of your tempo ever so slightly. When you have played and squeaked and warbled your way up and down all your scales and arpeggios at a multitude of speeds, form your own practice routine. Perhaps play slow vibrato for a week, then the next week practice faster variations.

Vibrato is a lot of work. Be diligent. You will hear progress. It is also important to know that you should not try to play vibrato during concerts or even during practice sessions until you are confident it will sound good. Do not practice your new technique that will make you sound like a more inexperienced player than the rest of your band or group. Stick with your strengths and practice the technique with a partner or alone during your ordinary practice time.

When you have played enough "yawning" notes to start hearing smooth vibrato escape your saxophone, remember that it is not like riding a bike. If you forget to keep practicing the work you have achieved will slip away with your embouchure in pursuit. Help other seasoned players learn vibrato basics, and learn to control your new skill. Just because you can place vibrato on every note in a piece or solo does not mean you should. Let it come naturally with the music, especially if the note is written to be played with vibrato. Practice does make perfect, and learning how to play vibrato on your saxophone is a skill you will be glad to keep perfecting.