Vocal Music Advice

Stuart, 58, asks:  I have sung in school and church choirs hit and miss since 1968. Other than that, I am an untrained baritone. Vibrato has always been an issue for me as far back as the late 1950s when I could “manufacture” it. However, until about my late 40s, I sang only in straight tones. These days, I suppose my voice has matured to the point where vibrato will kick in involuntarily without effort. However, vibrato is a little narrow and uneven at times. I hope that I’m still not manufacturing it so to speak and, I know that it’s supposed to appear when voice placement is proper. My question is, how can I improve so that my voice placement is stronger and more balanced? Thank you.

Answer: Dear Stuart,

In answer to your question, the way to improve so that your voice is stronger and balanced … and has an even vibrato is to sing under the guidance of a voice teacher for a while, someone like yours truly.

However, given the distinct possibility that a voice teacher is out of the question, what I would suggest is that you begin to focus your attention on “when the vibrato is present – identify and memorize HOW IT FEELS.”  To the extent that you can become aware of what feelings you experience —vibrations, balance between breath support and tone, etc. —when sound is good and attended by vibrato, reproducing those feelings will be key to your becoming more consistent with energy.

You need not worry about the vibrato being “narrow”.  When it takes place evenly and fast – THAT is when you need to memorize the feeling.  Don’t expect quick or automatic results … perseverance will help you develop consistency.

As I began … the best way to improve is to study with a teacher for a while.

Best wishes.

Andrew, 24, says: I’ve studied privately in the past before, but I currently can’t afford a tutor. Lately, I’ve been noticing that it’s much harder to maintain an even, easy vibrato when I descend down a scale. I often briefly go into a straight tone, though I can usually maintain my vibrato if I concentrate. Can you tell me why this might be? Thanks!

ANSWER: Andrew, your question is a good one, however, it is one that can only be answered with any assurance of being appropriate for you personally by a voice teacher who sees and hears you in person.  So, what I offer you below may sound a bit “academic” and you will need to sift through to see what, if any, applies to you.

A consistent pleasing (fairly rapid) vibrato is normally a result of good coordination between the muscles related to phonation (making sound), and the mechanism of respiration.  If you find that on the descent to lower notes there are some tending to straight tone, then the likelihood is that there is an imbalance taking place.  Be aware, that as pitch descends, so also should respiratory support and vocal resistance – incrementally – little by little in a continued “balancing act” of vocal coordination that at the same time does not diminish clarity and resonance.  A tendency of many young untrained singers, or singers beginning training is that once the high note has been achieved, they seem to “freeze in place” maintaining the same energy and space with nothing changing on the descent to the lower notes again.  But in fact, we singers have to learn to stay flexible and ease up on support slightly as pitch descends as well as allow our oral space to diminish.  In other words, when we’ve revved up our physical engines to 3,000 rpm for the high note … we need to lower the rpm incrementally for the notes an octave lower, thereby keeping the balance and energy consistent.  Besides applying the principle of incremental energy per pitch (the higher the more, the lower the less), I’d suggest that you “memorize the feelings” you experience when you have that pleasing vibrato … and then work to reproduce those feelings throughout your range.

While I would not be overly concerned about what you have described, it does cause me to ask whether or not you are and have been staying physically fit.  (You don’t need to tell me.)  If you were once “in shape” but now live a sedentary life style, this will affect your energies … and your vibrato.  Even 40-minutes of exercise (that gets the heart pumping to 120+/minute and the sweat glands open) every day will help the process of keeping everything else in better working order.

You possess a sensitive perception of your own sound Andrew, having made note that you occasionally lose vibrato.  However, I’d like to encourage you not to become too “introspective” or “paranoid” about the little anomalies.  If you are singing a quickly moving descending scale passage … the sense of “slipping into straight tone” may be just fine.  Perhaps a good thing to do would be to have a well trained singer listen to you to confirm or deny the validity of your concern.

One last tidbit: the answer may be as simple as you performing some flexibility (fast moving) vocal exercises on a daily basis for a period of time, until you find yourself negotiating similar passages in the literature with the same energy.

I’d be interested to know if any of the scenarios “rang a bell” with you.

Best wishes.
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PS. Since your personal response to me … I can now say … you’d do better to be singing when you are refreshed and full of energy … not late at night when you’re already tired and spent! 

I am 19.  I vocalize everyday and have NO TRACE of vibrato! I am very sad, that people tell me once I sing with no strain my vibrato will come, but I see so many singers out there sing with their chest voice too high (straining) or really bad technique ( you can even HEAR it) yet they HAVE vibrato? I have an open throat, proper breathing, wide range, I am a baritone, but not ANYWHERE in my range do I have a SINGLE trace of vibrato, and I can sing completely tension free throughout my range. Some people tell me “it will come” others tell me “you have to be born with it” …. I love vibrato! I do not have it! what should I do?? And also thank you for letting people ask questions in this blog it is really helpful!

ANSWER: Dear Jorge,

Please bear with me as I attempt to address all that you’ve said.

You obviously love to sing, and that’s wonderful.  I understand your frustration in not being able to perceive any vibrato in your voice when you sing.  At 19, you are at the right age and stage of vocal development to find a trustworthy voice teacher and study with that person – taking private voice lessons.  I encourage it, partly because vocal development, including the commencement of vibrato in one who has not experienced it is probably best done under the guidance of a good voice teacher.

Also Jorge, at 19, while it is all right for you to be aware of the absence of vibrato, don’t panic about it.  Forgive me if I receive your self assessment “I can sing completely tension free throughout my range” with some doubts- unless that is the assessment of your experienced voice teacher.  My experience is that young singers don’t have an accurate knowledge of their own production without first having studied rigorously for some time.

First to allay your fears, let me also say that it is just as important that others perceive a vibrato in your voice – that is unobtrusive.  I say that because many young folk are simply not aware that they sing with vibrato.  If your own vibrato is obvious to your ears, the likelihood-frequently-is that there is too much.  So, don’t fret.  The extent and rate of vibrato should be the subject of another note.

Vibrato is normally an indication of good coordination between the breathing mechanism and the voice (the larynx where you make sound).  Still, having said that, in the course of 35 years of teaching, I have had two students who either 1) preferred the straight tone and resisted anything else, or 2) retained too much tension (poor coordination) to produce vibrato and thus always retained the straight tone sound.  Obviously, you are not in the first category.

Until such time as you are studying with a teacher, let me offer a couple of suggestions to “break the ice” that may be keeping you vibrato-less.  First of all, play with your voice.  Be willing to make funny sounds and do odd exercises with it.  Lose your vocal inhibitions.  Then,

1.      my first recommendation is to begin voice lessons with a reliable voice teacher so that you can be assured that you are singing with good coordination and good habits.

2.      Practice trilling.  Choose two notes that are a whole step or a half-step apart (in the middle of your range).  Begin, singing on a vowel, alternating between the two notes very slowly.  Then double the speed of the alternation, then double it again.  You’ll reach a speed fairly quickly at which you will not be able to keep the tempo accurate.  When this happens, intentionally maintain the “shake” between the notes as fast as your voice can perform them.  Interestingly, the word “shake” is what the Italian masters originally called a trill.  Repeat this exercise on different neighboring notes throughout your range.  Do this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes each day.  What you are doing by this exercise is introducing your brain, psyche and muscles to the possibility of swift (playful) alternation of notes.  This is not the end product, but there are useful feelings to get used to when this happens.

3.      Place a hand on your epigastrium (the area immediately below your breast bone and above your navel).  First “laugh” the way you would imagine “Santa Claus” would laugh with a good “Ho! Ho! Ho!”  Notice that there is large-muscle movement there at that time.  Then, while keeping your hand on your “tummy” give a good hearty laugh – the way you would when you’re laughing uninhibitedly with your friends.  Notice that while the muscles experience some tension, the movement is much smaller and faster.  Now, if you were, the third time, to imitate a girl’s giggle (tittering), the coordination between body and voice is even faster.  You may or may not discern any movement in the epigastrium area.  This too is not the end product.

4.      Over a period of weeks as you practice these two exercises, you should notice that both can happen simultaneously.  However, the “movement” and “sound” should not be large or slow … the movement may not even be discernible and the sound of the vibrato barely a shimmer.  Frequently, young singers experience this first on the LAST note of a sung phrase. WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE/HEAR IT – welcome it!  Memorize how it feels.  Notice, I did not say “reproduce the sound.”  No, memorize how it feels.  Then, reproduce that feeling every time you sing.

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I am a 15 year old guy who has been singing in choirs for about 8 years. I have come to find that my voice can fluctuate pitch. To my understanding this is called Vibrato. However, people that have heard me sing cannot agree whether it is Vibrato or not. Some say it is and some say it’s not. Some argue it is too slow or thick and some say it’s fine. How can I tell for sure that what I have is Vibrato?

Answer: (Before hearing Roy): I’ll only be able to answer definitively after hearing you sing. However, let me get started with a response prior to that time.

First let me say that it is great that you’ve been singing in choirs for eight years already! Keep it up.

Second, let me also add that finding that your voice, at 15, has the capability for some flexibility as well as a “shimmer” (vibrato) is not unusual. It is also not unusual for there to be some feelings of vocal insecurity during this time in your life. That’s OK. The time of vocal insecurity is not permanent.

Now, a word of caution since you’ve brought up the subject: Don’t be overly concerned with vibrato at this stage in your vocal development. In fact, don’t be concerned about it at all. Especially don’t attempt to “create” it or “make sure you hear it.” Vibrato will, usually, take care of itself when you are using your voice well. I speak from experience in this. I was a teen whose voice changed at 13 or 14 from soprano to bass-baritone. However, long before it changed I was concerned about “sounding mature” and “created my own vibrato.” Unfortunately, I had no voice teacher to turn to for advice and set in some habits that were difficult to undo later when I did study. Beyond this, my experience as a teacher has demonstrated that youngsters (younger than you) who study voice and are forced to “sound mature” prematurely, typically have problem vibratos by the time they are college age (18-21) and require careful remedial training, in some cases without much success because of the damage done to the voice due to overworking it at such a young age.

(After hearing Roy): Roy: That took fortitude to sing and record for a one-person critical audience!  It’s clear that you are developing well.  You have a lovely lyric (“barry-tenorish”) sound right now that is going to develop significantly in the next decade—and especially in the next 5 years.  Vibrato is indeed present in the sound. It is not consistent yet – but don’t worry.  [In the very middle of the song recording (Caro Mio Ben) as you begin the “Il tuo fedel” phrase – there is a moment of uninhibited free (fast) vibrato on the first “Il”!! When you can capture THAT feeling all the time, you’ll find yourself singing with increased freedom.]  However, none of this is anything about which to have anxiety.  Continue to enjoy singing – and along about the time you might normally begin college, find a wonderful voice teacher that will instruct your development.  I think you have a fine instrument.
Best wishes.