Vibrato...

[1001gear]

I don't sing per se - songs lyrics etc. I do vocalize a lot; scatty guitarish mimicing if you will. I get vibrato by shaking my head slightly. Prolly looks strange but it's the only way I can produce the wavering. I'm thinking as the years go by I'll develop the deliberate pitch control. Wishful thinking?

 

Is vibrato a natural thing? Anybody "always had it" ?

 

[highmtn]

I had to "decide" to learn vibrato. Some of my friends I was in a band with had vibrato, so I asked them about it.

 

It took about a month of consciously and deliberately "trying" to add vibrato. After that it "became natural".

 

Once you learn vibrato, it is much more tasteful to only add it to sustained, longer notes, often at the end of a phrase. It's more tiring to listen to when the singer uses vibrato constantly. Many opera singers constantly use vibrato. In pop, rock, country, and jazz, vibrato is more of an "added to taste" kind of thing.

 

Some fast vibrato can be irritating. I personally don't care for the goat's wiggle vibrato of Stevie Nicks. She has sold a lot more records than I have, but that vibrato isn't something I like. The Bee Gees also had an overdone vibrato, both fast and overdone slow on some tunes, i.e. Lonely Days and Lonely Nights... but again, look at how many records they have sold!

 

I prefer the medium-speed vibrato. A well-developed vibrato can be a way to really relax into the note, and to oscillate into and out of some really nice resonance, which helps to sustain and somewhat amplify the note.

 

Once you get it, you'll always have it when you want it. Watch out, though... it's addictive.

 

; ^ )

 

Bob

[1001gear]

Very insightful. Thanks

 

I can only manage a very narrow and mild vibrato - similar to string players rocking their hands and tend to use it as a trailing embellishment. Should I start trying to produce it from the larynx?

[davie]

There are actually different types of vibrato. There's natural vibrato and there's fake vibrato. Natural vibrato occurs when you achieve an open throat with proper breath balance to allow the vocal cords to freely vibrate. On the other hand, there are also ways for a singer to create a fake vibrato, such as by bobbing the larynx up and down or by performing a sped up vocal trill. Though I think its okay to fake the vibrato from time to time for stylistic purposes, I would recommend against developing any kind of irregular vibrato, like the wide vocal wobble or shaking of the diaphragm. Those are usually signs of doing something wrong.

[kickingtone]

I find that vibrato can occur spontaneously when my breathing is near stalling point (just like a car, vibrating at that point). This would tend to happen more at the end of a phrase, just before the next ration of breath. So I can understand that it has something to do with the balance of pressure, probably sub and supraglottal. It is also the point of maximum relaxation in the breathing cycle, where I aim to empty the lungs, ready for the next breath.

 

I have not investigated trying to control the effect, or make it frequent or consistent, but I have had it appear unintentionally. So I guess it has a natural component.

 

It's one of those overrated effects that often works by superficial association: vibrato = "serious singer" as in wearing glasses means "clever".

[1001gear]

Thanks guys. Great info. I started listening carefully and there is indeed a slight pitch and/or amplitude wavering during the the conditions detailed. With me it's less a musical effect than it is weak tone. I've also found I have no control over it. It's almost built into the way I sound. More details to work on. I love it.

[davie]

Interesting. I'm really intrigued to hear your vibrato. Maybe you could post up a clip if you get the chance.

[1001gear]

I suppose I could post some long tones but it really isn't debut time for me. I wouldn't hold my breath for sure. I can tell you that when humming falsetto or singing a big note in my baritenor, I do the shake my head thing with smooth, musical results (to me) and as I mentioned that open toned natural vibrato you both spoke of also appears albeit in a lame state.