tremolo

Tremolo is mostly a music word. It describes a fast, trembling effect, often made by repeating a note very quickly or by making the volume rise and fall in a rapid, steady way. The result is a sound that seems to shimmer, pulse, or quiver.

You will see it most often in descriptions of instruments, singing, and musical style. Outside music, it can also describe a trembling quality in a voice or another sound, especially when the effect feels emotional, unsteady, or full of tension.

Tremolo refers to a fast trembling or wavering effect, especially in music. The word comes from Italian and is linked to the idea of trembling. In its most common use, it names an effect in which a note, chord, or level of sound changes so quickly that the listener hears a continuous fluttering or pulsing quality.

In music, the term is used in more than one way. On instruments such as the mandolin or violin, it can mean the very rapid repetition of the same note or the quick movement of the bow that produces a trembling sound. In electronic sound and guitar effects, it usually means a quick repeated change in volume. This is why people often contrast it with vibrato, which is mainly about changes in pitch rather than changes in loudness or repeated attack.

The word can also be used more loosely outside strict technical music language. A writer may describe a tremolo in someone's voice to suggest nervousness, fear, emotion, or strain. In descriptive writing, it may be extended to anything that seems to quiver or pulse in a delicate, unsteady way. Even so, the musical sense remains the main and clearest meaning.