RE: [Harp-L] Tongue (was throat) vibrato

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tongue and throat vibrato are two of the vibratos/tremolos available to
harmonica players, along with various hand vibratos.  As far as I'm
concerned, the all-time master of vibrato and tremolo as an expressive
device is Larry Adler.  Listen to any of his records all the way
through  and you'll hear every harmonica vibrato and tremolo imaginable,
employed perfectly when needed to bring out the emotional context of a
line.  It's a big part of the sound that made Adler such an electrifying
player.

Those who've never heard Adler before might want to seek out the jazz
sides that he made with Stephane Grapelli (violin and piano) and Django
Reinhardt (guitar) in 1938.  Adler's not a great jazz player -- in
particular, he doesn't swing very hard, and his lines are nowhere near
as mature as either Rienhardt's or Grapelli's -- but his tone on these
sides is ravishing and sometimes astonishing.

A more recent example of Adler's brilliance with vibratos and tremolos
is the Gershwin record he cut around his 80th birthday, with a very
distinguished list of sidemen.  Listen in particular to how he changes
his vibrato when he changes register.  This is a guy who thought hard
about tone.  

On a different topic, many players use vibrato to disguise a tone that's
otherwise weak.  It's a good idea to practice long-note exercises to
make your basic tone as smooth and strong as possible, right alongside
vibrato exercises. 

Regards, Richard Hunter
http://hunterharp.com