Karaoke Forums

OK, I finally have a place to ask the questions about vibratos that I have wondered for so long.

1. Why does it seem like any given singer with a strong vibrato is always labelled as really really good, even when the rest of their singing isn't that great? Has anyone else noticed this?

2. Do most people fake it or is it natural? Is there a way to tell? Should it matter? Should I try and fake it? I'm afraid people will be able to tell!

3. How the hell does one develop it? Lessons, time, or genetics?

I think the ability probably comes naturally but it is still a forced sound. I've never been fond of it so I've never tried it before. It can sound good in strategic places in some songs, but I find it irritating when someone does it all through a song. I knew a guy who used to do it all the time. It always sounds fake to me.

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Too soon old......too late smart.

This is what I found on a site somewhere:

everyone is born able to do it (you can hear it when a baby cries). It is usually most noticable when the singer is holding a note and occurs when the head, neck and throat are relaxed and voice is being used naturally.

Some people are fortunate to have a particularly lovely vibrato which can be heard throughout their vocal range, others can sound too wobbly or harsh.

Although you can learn how regain your natural vibrato and reproduce it for effect, its sound depends largely on your voice. Like the voice itself, the control and tone of the natural vibrato can be improved with time and practice but theres no guarantee that it won't sound naff!

There are some tips and exercises for learning/improving vibrato at the vocalist.org.uk site:- http://www.vocalist.org.uk/exercises.html

Don't expect it to happen overnight! The exercises should help but it can take many repeated attempts before you relax enough for the effect to be heard.

As you start to hear vibrato make a note of how you were standing/sitting, the position of your tongue, mouth, jaw etc., practice adjusting these and noting how that affects the sound. Once you are aware of how producing the vibrato feels, you can begin to apply this to a simple song. Feeling confident, relaxed and singing naturally is the key!

Hope that helped

I'm already loving this!!! Thx you guys....I love the information I get from this site.

Hmmm...what does "naff" mean?

Tigger, I started taking vocal tuition purely because I had no vibrato and had no idea how to produce it. (I'm very lucky, I'm being taught to sing by an angel) Once I learned how to breathe properly, the vibrato came in naturally, much to my delight. I agree that you can have too much of a good thing and that nothing sounds worse than the whole song being sung in vibrato. On long notes, I am working on keeping the note pure, then bringing in three or four vibrato waves at the end.

The most common way people fake it is by shaking their head. That always looks fake.

A good way to develop it is to make sure you breathe fully into your stomach (shoulders shouldn't rise when you breathe in) and use your diaphram to support (push) all the air out when you reach the point where you think it's all gone (it hasn't).

Wannabe: We have a lady who sings at our regular karaoke night who has vibrato right through the whole song. She has a great natural voice but the vibrato irritates me. I used to believe that vibrato was a fault, and always made sure I only sang pure notes. Now I've had to learn how to do it.

Ritisroo: That's interesting info. TY for that. I'll check out that website.

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Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves  
Snoopy

Hey guys! I'm new to posting but I've been lurking for months! heh heh

I'm one of the dumb clucks who couldn't figure out how to post.

I love this topic...I've always been confused about it also.

Here's something else that was on the internet I thought was interesting:

One way to understand vibrato is to listen to other singers, especially classical singers. Almost every classical singer has vibrato. Listen to the pitches as the singer holds them out to hear the variation of the tone. After you spend time listening to others, record yourself singing a song that has slow or long pitches. Listen back to the recording of your singing. Notice the variations of your tone as you hold out the pitches. You may find that vibrato was there all along and you just didn't know it or didn't know what it was called.

Have you ever listened to Lee Greenwood sing? I think his vibrato is what is called tremolo which is vibrato that is too fast. I don't like it at all, but some people might. Somebody who knows this stuff please correct me if I'm wrong!

Looking forward to more posts on this!

Now I think I better go introduce myself since I know how!

OH....other fast vibrato-ers: Dolly Parton, definitely Belinda Carlisle, and Stevie Nicks to some degree. So, from the info Ritisroo submitted, perhaps we are all born with our own distinct vibrato? Perhaps not everyone is blessed with a naturally appealing one (in some opinions of course)?

Welcome aboard Miss Milo! (I've seen your posts in Karaokeland)
That sounds like good advice. I'm going to get out my Michael Crawford CD and study that. I'd love to be able to sing like he does.

Tigger: If and when the budget allows it, I can't speak highly enough of getting vocal tuition. There are so many techniques (and tricks) to singing that most people are simply unaware of and it's like riding a bike, once you've learnt it, you have it for life.

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Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves  
Snoopy

OMG I could not agree with you more!

I started singing a year ago seriously, and just for the last two months I have taken lessons, and man, do they ever help! (just make sure that you get a good coach though, or they can do more harm than good).

I have learned so many more techniques, and have so much more confidence now........I feel as I can sing anything

You would be amazed as to what they can teach you

Ohhhh, so that's what vibrato is. Someone told me I was using too much of it on one song. I didn't even know what the heck it was. I wasn't faking any of it, that's just the way I sing.

Guess most of the time I'm doing ok, cuz I've gotten one complaint out of about 20 songs I've sub'd.

Well howdy there Snoopy. I thought that cute little puppy looked familiar! Except you're not dancing...heh heh. I hope I've been behaving myself over there...you just never know who you're going to run into, do ya?

I would love to find a good vocal coach for lessons. You all have inspired me. I've been playing around with tapes and stuff, but I need to be sure I'm doing everything right!

Anyone: I'm still wondering, should I just fake a vibrato or wait for it to develop?

Also, who here can tell me if stars fake it, even American Idol people.....

Tigger, I don't think you should fake it. Develop it! Trust me, when you start breathing correctly, it WILL come by itself. I don't believe stars fake it. As for American Idol (and Australian Idol for that matter), I find it hard to believe they would get to the finals without genuine vibrato. Simon Cowell (and our Dicko) would see through that straight away. Develop it gal!

** News Flash: I just found out tonight that one of my vocal coach's students has just won the Australia wide Wintersun Karaoke contest final held on the Gold Coast (Queensland). Maybe there's hope for me yet???

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Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves  
Snoopy

This is a great Topic...loving it too!! Thought I'd offer my two cents, and see if I can get any feedback on my thoughts. Remember, I don't consider myself a singer, and I only know what I have been told...so TELL ME MORE people!!!

Quantity - (re: Luly's feedback)

I'm not sure there is a good rule of thumb for how much is too much. Seems like a "I know what I like when I hear it" kinda thing. Personally, I like to be teased a little bit...some vibrato here and there and then POW on the climax, or big moments or big notes, of the song. That's just me. (you sound great Luly - no doubt!)

Quality -

Regarding Pace: Is it supposed to be paced to the beat of the music at all? I know that too fast sounds a bit silly and too slow can sound a bit overdramatic, cause I've been accused of doing both.

Regarding Depth(the amount of volume and pitch shifting): Both are an element of the vibrato (right?). A nice shallow vibrato seems to convey a peaceful easy feeling (great song btw) and is less attention grabbing. A Deep Vibrato really grabs - which if done correctly blows my doors off!!! I've heard so many of you do this expertly BTW.

I have heard it said that the wavering pitch of a nice vibrato tends to make it easier to 'hold' a tough note - not sure if that is true...heck - doing nice vibrato is cursed hard work sometimes.

For a great example of a terrible vibrato, find any song by Mrs. Miller...she was an "Aunt Bee" lookin' woman who sang worse than Tiny Tim!

She was so bad they let her record more than one album!

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Keep on Rockin',

Ken


USMC '82-'85, 0811/5711
"UNITED STATES MARINES, WHEN WE DO OUR JOB RIGHT, PEOPLE SHOOT AT US!"

My take on it is it is no different than just a style, effect, or accentuation a person adds to a song. Imagine how boring music would be if everyone sang the same song, or if they all used the same effects. Music is about variety. What suits me maybe doesnt suit you.

Oh, Oh..... I know what music without vibrato is........RAP. or is that music?

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I'm Not Dead yet...... But every day Im getting Closer !

I don't know many "singers" personally... no one in life sings, except me... so I have never had the oppurtunity to hear a singer "fake" a vibrato. I have heard various brass players play with a vibrato, etc... but that is about it:)

I have been told that I have been cursed with an irritating vibrato....(lol, my husband hates it;) But I have always sung the same way, and am in no way forcing anything... I never noticed it before, until My husband pointed it out... I have recordings of me as a child singing the same as I do now... therefore some vibratos HAVE to be natural.... I do sing differently when I am nervous... (lol, I sing badly) and I don't think I sing with the same sound (vibratto-wise) so it is obviously something that comes with being relaxed, etc... at least for me. (mind ya, I NEVER sing for other people:)
So, when people don't like MY vibratto, they have to simply dislike my voice, because that is my distinct, non-forced, natural sound.... I think it must be similar to Natalie Merchants... because our voices sound NOTHING alike, but I constantly get compared to her... (does that make sense?)

BUT, i have heard many people sing with a beautiful clean, clear, pure note, without the slightest bit of vibratto, and I think that that is a wonderful sound, and don't see how someone would WANT to add vibratto to it... OOps, I am rambling... I forget what I was even thinking about. GOlly, new to this site, and I am already going to look like a doof.



Anyways, don't fake it, either learn how to do it naturally, or don't at all, and sing like YOU.... I vote for the sing like you part:)

Hey Gilly!

Nice to see you! I personally love your voice, and always will!

I know that I sometimes wish that I have more vibrato when I sing songs like Celine Dion's Power of Love, or Take My Breath Away by Jessica Simpson.

The only reason for that is that when I sing these songs, I always feel like I am just screaming.....the note seems real loud with nothing to back it up, if you know what I am saying??

Adding a bit of vibrato just seems to make these notes a little less harsh, and a little less like they are being screamed, if you know what I am saying.

I am slowly learning how to relax my throat when singing these songs, and the vibrato is slowly coming out naturally. But, I still do know how to stop it as well.

Nice seeing ya gal

Roo:) Hey ya:) LOl, you are an excellent singer... so what the heck are you WORKING ON!?

Anyways, vibratto or not, a person simply listens to what sounds good to THEM. Some people don't like it, some people do... but more important than a little "wobble", is to have a pleasant voice to begin with:) Mind ya, what is pleasant to ONE person is horrid to another...I can't stand my husbands style of music, and heck, LOTS of people hate my voice, which is fine with me:) Well, now I am off on a tangeant:) Ritisroo, is that what you remember of me?:), nice to know you didn't disappear, I mean, you are the one who (unknowingly) introduced me to the whole online singing community:)