Re: [Harp-L] vibrato vs. tremolo

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

When I said Iâm taking a historical perspective on the use
of the terms âvibratoâ and âtremoloâ I mean a really long view. Both words have
multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings, and most of these meanings are instrument-specific. This leads to confusion and a not-seeing-the-forest-for-the -trees problem. A little research in HDM ((Harvard Dictionary of Music, specifically the 1968 edition edited by Willi Apel, which is still the best-regarded edition) illustrates my point.



What does HDM tell us about the term "tremolo"?
Wel, it does have one meaning that is not insturment specific, but which bears no resemblance to chan ges in amplitude. In this meaning, tremolo is "rapid alternation of two notes of a chord,
usually a third apart." This is something like a shake between two
notes such as Draw 4 and 5 on a diatonic harmonica (which is NOT a trill, which
is either a semitone or a whole tone â now, thereâs a real example of harmonica
players misusing a musical term).



On the violin, tremolo refers to rapid repetition of a note by
rapid up and down movement of the bow. This produces its effect mainly through rapid re-articulation of the note, not by changes in amplitude of a sustained note. This meaning dates at elast as far back as 1617.


In harmonicas and accordions (but evidently not in concertinas, where double
reeds are practically nonexistent) tremolo refers to the beating effect when
two reeds are tuned just a few hertz apart and sounded at the same time. This meaning dates to perhaps 1830.

HDM states that "in keyboard instruments the tremolo is of much less importance." But then it goes on to describe several variants.

In organs, a tremolo effect is produced âby the tremulant stop, which changes
the steady wind pressure into a pulsating one.â 

In pianos, tremolo is the use of quickly repeated octaves, or a rapid alternation of a note and the same note an octave above. (this appears to date from the 19th century, though no specific dates are given).



But hereâs the real kicker: âIn singing, 'tremolo' means THE
EXCESSIVE VIBRATO THAT LEADS TO DEVIATON OF PITCH.â (caps mine). âIt usually
results from lack of breath control and faulty control of singing muscles.â



So it appears that the more recently accepted idea that tremolo consists of pulsation
caused by changes in volume is derived from one instrument-specific definition
"of much less importance" while ignoring several other long established ones (about 400 years old for
violins, about 170 years old for harmonicas and accordions; times for organ and
vocal definitions are not given in HDM).



By the way, instrument-specific language is nothing new and has long been
widespread in classical music. Therefore it is no shame for harmonica players
to have instrument-specific terms. Itâs only when we misuse established terms
that have widely accepted meanings (like trill) that itâs bad. But the word
âtremoloâ has had widely diverging meanings for specific instruments (including
harmonica) for hundreds of years.



And these diverging, and even contradictory meanings, coupled with the fact
that harmonica already has a very specific meaning for the word, leads me to
avoid it in describing the pulsation that results from changes in amplitude.



So what does HDM have to say about vibrato? That in stringed instruments itâs a
âslight fluctuation in pitch produced on sustained notes,â while in singing
âthere is some uncertainty as to what vibrato actually means, as well as some
confusion of it with tremolo. According to some authorities, vocal vibrato is
the quick reiteration (usually eight times per second) of the same pitch
produced by a quick intermittent stream of breath with fixed vocal chords. This
effect corresponds to what string players call âtremolo.â Most singers use the
term âvibratoâ for a scarcely noticeable wavering of the tone, an effect that
would correspond with the violinistâs moderate vibrato, since it increases the
emotional effect of the sound without resulting in a noticeable fluctuation of
pitch.â



You can see how thoroughly confused the two topics are in the world of
classical music (and Iâm leaving out additional instrument-specific historical
sidebars).



Given the above, I feel that itâs best to admit that:

1) the feeling of pulsation in a sustained note can be produced in at least
three ways (changes in intensity, changes in pitch, and changes in tone color)

2) all three methods produce effects that, while distinct in sound, are functionally
identical..



Therefore, I feel that this set of practices is best clarified and described by
unifying them under a single name, which is better than making the distinction
between vibrato and tremolo because:

1) Harmonica and accordion players already use the term tremolo to means
something else, and a double meaning can only cause confusion, and 

2) because this distinction fails to recognize the third method of producing a
pulsation (i.e., changes in tone color).



Winslow

Â

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

Resident expert at bluesharmonica.com

Harmonica instructor, jazzschool.com

Columnist, harmonicasessions.com

--- On Mon, 8/23/10, wr richards <wrrichards@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: wr richards <wrrichards@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] vibrato vs. tremolo
To: "Harp L" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, August 23, 2010, 8:20 PM

On Aug 23, 2010, at 5:56pm, Doug H wrote:
> Tremolo is the name of one of the original and still very common effects for electric guitar. And that effect is purely a variation in the volume.

Tremolo on an amp like on my fender vibro champ is fluctuation in volume.
But the 'trem bar' or tremolo bar on a guitar is affecting pitch.

It SHOULD be called a vibrato bar, but it is not. 'Whammy bar' wisely dodges the issue altogether.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whammy_bar

BillR


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