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Re: Vibrato pedal for a cello..



At 11:04 PM +0000 9/18/02, ernesto schnack wrote:
>I guess this is why the vibrato bar is mostly referred to as a "tremolo
>bar" even though it has nothing to do with tremolo.  Even Steinberger
>refers to theirs as the Trans-TREM. Funny how names stick.


It's probably a good idea to avoid the term "tremolo" altogether 
because it has several different definitions depending on musical 
context. Here's a pretty good explication:

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 
http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Tremolo

Tremolo is a musical term with two meanings:


*       A rapid repetition of the same note, or an alternation 
between two or more notes.
*       A rapid and repetitive variation in pitch for the duration of 
a note. This is more usually called vibrato.

A fuller discussion of the second sense given above can be found at 
vibrato. The rest of this article is concerned with the first meaning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tremolo is the rapid repetition of one note in music or a rapid 
alternation between two or more notes. It is sometimes called 
tremolando, especially when referring to a rapid repetition on a 
bowed string instrument, one of the most commonly seen uses of the 
technique. Tremolo on a violin or similar instrument is sometimes 
combined with playing sul ponticello (over the bridge of the 
instrument), which gives a thin and reedy effect, often perceived to 
be "ghostly."

Another common use of the technique on one note is in the playing of 
the mandolin. Once a mandolin string is plucked, the note decays very 
rapidly, and by playing the same note many times very rapidly, the 
illusion of a sustained note can be created.

Tremolo on two or more notes is most frequently seen on the piano or 
other keyboard instruments. The composer Franz Liszt often calls for 
the technique to be used in his piano pieces. When used on the piano, 
tremolo can create a seemingly louder and larger sound, which can be 
sustained indefinitely. Historically, its use on keyboard instruments 
can be traced back to a time before the invention of the piano? when 
harpsichords and similar instruments such as the spinet? were 
standard. These instruments could not sustain notes for nearly as 
long as a modern piano, and so tremolo was used to simulate a longer 
sustain, as well as being used as an independent effect.

Here are some other definitions:

 From Georgia Tech

Tremolo
The art of performing or singing the same note over and over very 
quickly, executed most commonly but not exclusively on bowed string 
instruments. Tremolo may be measured or unmeasured and has the effect 
of adding motion to the sound.

Vibrato
The pulsating or vibrating element of some sounds that is produced by 
a full, resonant quality of tone. Vibrato is a very slight 
fluctuation of the pitch of a note; it was known as early as the 16th 
century, but until the 19th century it was used mainly as 
ornamentation. Since the 19th century, vibrato has been used almost 
constantly because of its enhancement of tone.


 From Simon Frasier U.

Tremolo
A periodic fluctuation or oscillation in the amplitude of a tone, 
thereby being a type of amplitude modulation, and a limited version 
of a vibrato. It is used in various forms by instrumentalists but the 
optimum speed is usually regarded as being seven cycles per second. 
Tremolo is often heard with the vibraphone and certain types of 
electronic organ sounds.

Vibrato
A periodic fluctuation or oscillation in the frequency of a tone, 
thereby being a type of frequency modulation. It is also usually 
accompanied by a pulsation of intensity which affects the timbre or 
colour of the tone. Instrumentalists and singers use the effect to 
enrich their tone, and usually regulate the speed of the vibrato to 
the range of seven cycles per second.

And here are a few URLs to help you get REALLY confused:

http://www.vibroworld.com/magnatone/vibrato.html

http://members.iinet.net.au/~nickl/vibrato.html

http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/fl_tr3_1.html
http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/fl_tr3_2.html
http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/fl_tr3_3.html


http://www.co-mando.com/techniques/technique/tremolo.htm

http://www.jaybuckey.com/Mandolin%20Tremolo.htm

http://philiphii.com/articles/tremolo.html

http://www.guitarsite.com/tab/Classical/Tarrega/exercise.htm

-- 

______________________________________________________________
Richard Zvonar, PhD
(818) 788-2202
http://www.zvonar.com
http://RZCybernetics.com