Dear Vocalist:
Vocal vibrato is a natural function of a well produced vocal tone.
It is not induced by the singer through any conscious method but it
may be suppressed through conscious control. Although the actual
source of vibrato is not completely understood by voice scientists,
the best theory is that vibrato or, as it is better called, vocal
vibrancy, is the result of a stasis between the muscle systems that
are in antagonistic relation to each other during phonation. When
this balance (stasis) occurs, the antagonistic muscles systems
develop an alternating pulse which is a reflection of the continued
energy levels required of them to maintain their equilibrium and is
necessary to maintain muscular health. A crude comparison would be
the effect all of us experience when we attempt to push or lift a
very heavy object and notice the periodic but constant shaking of our
large muscle systems as we use our them in a continued state of
"work".
When vocal production is not balanced (free?) vibrato does not occur
or it occurs in one of its aberrations; to fast, too slow, to narrow,
or two wide. As voices age, it is natural that the elasticity of the
vocal folds is reduced and the vibrancy does not occur as
consistently or as regularly as it would if the muscle tissue still
retained their maximum elastic properties.
Any extreme form of vocal production will eventually produce a
vibrato that is one of the aberrant forms. German style singers who
use an extremely lowered laryngeal position will eventually sing with
a slow, wide vibrato. High sopranos who have always sung with a
level of intensity in excess of that needed for their vocal
production will eventually develop a fast, narrow vibrato that
resembles a "bleat". Other examples can be given.
One of the most common misconceptions about vibrato today is the idea
that it is "added" to the tone. It is actually a normal part of the
tone. In much of pops singing vibrato is suppresser at the beginning
of a sustained note (which is, itself, not all that common in pops
songs) and allowed to appear toward the end of the sustained tone.
Suppressing and allowing vibrato is the proper method to achieve this
effect; removing vibrato and adding it later in the tone is the
improper way to achieve this effect and it is not healthful because
it induces undue tension in the vocal production.
Finally, vibrato is not an example of the voice imitating instruments
but, rather, the instruments use of vibrato is an imitation of the
voice. Singers did it first!
--
Lloyd W. Hanson
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