How to Develop Voice Vibrato

Simply put, voice vibrato is a variation in the pitch, very slight, due to the freely oscillating vocal chords. If that was not simple, then – vibrato is caused by the two opposites working together – an open throat and closed cords. Imitation in childhood could also lend a voice vibrato. Different cultures encourage different kinds of vibrato. For instance, some Asian cultures desire a slow and wide vibrato while French pop singers use a faster and tighter vibrato.

1.     Work on the Body: A number of musicians have defined a good voice vibrato in their own ways. In order to develop a good vibrato you must keep some things in mind. The production, regulation and maintenance of voice vibrato is deeply intertwined with breathing and bodily support that you can provide to your singing. With good training of your body, a good posture and sufficient tension, you will be able to use Vibrato to your advantage.

2.     Different Cultures: Interestingly the desirability of voice vibrato depends heavily on culture. Where some western choral singing may not desire it at all, traditional Japanese and Chinese songs have a high and slow but extremely controlled voice vibrato. It takes time and practice to develop a good voice vibrato. A good alignment of voice comes with discipline that develops a good choral vocal blend. A singer with a good voice vibrato would automatically know what his body is trying with this pitch oscillation and would also possess a good balancing support.

3.     Avoiding Wobble: A few problems to look out for when you are developing a good vibrato include the wobbly vibrato. This is when you may lack tonal focus or discipline in the vocal chords; this causes the tone of the song to quiver. A fast vibrato is owing to abundant pressure at the base of the tongue causing a displeasing sound. At the same time, a straight tone does not have any vibrato at all.

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1.     Holding the Pitch: Since a vibrato adds incredible expression to your song, every beginner wants to adapt to it quickly. Though it is not that hard to learn, most beginners end up making one crucial mistake. With a good vibrato, the pitch of a held tone is slightly alternated with perfect timing, clarity, precision and without any irregularities. The number one mistake that all beginners make is to rush it! This only leads to an unpleasant performance. Unfortunately, most beginners practice vibrato like that, singing it quickly, hoping that it would change with practice!

2.     Getting the Right Sound: Remember that the use of the vowel ‘u’ must be kept in the pharynx. This happens as you gain proper balance in your support muscles. The vowel ‘u’ allows use of the vocal chords without much pressure on the glottis. Produce the ound without bunching the tongue at the back but with a wide palate and you will create the most beautiful and resonant vibrato!

3.     Find the Waver: The key to doing vibrato right it to start slowly and alternate the pitch until you feel secure in executing the right ‘waver’ in the tone. Once you have mastered this, slightly speed it up to perfection. If you’re still at a loss and don’t know where to begin, you need to look for a teacher or a guide to learn from.

Learning to sing vibrato requires a lot of patience, making it important to embrace the process of learning it slowly rather than rushing for the end result from the start.