Vibrato
Another expressive technique which is common to both singers and instrumentalists is vibrato. This is a method of altering the quality of a note once it has been sounded.
It generally occurs on longer sustained notes and can be heard as a slight wavering of the pitch and volume of a note, that may be fast, slow or anywhere in between. The speed and width of vibrato are a matter of personal taste and often depend on the musical situation.
There are several methods of producing vibrato with the voice. These involve movement of the diaphragm, the throat and the larynx in various combinations. The easiest way to begin developing vibrato is to imagine you are your favorite singer and to imitate the sound of their vibrato.
It is a good idea to exaggerate at first, but once you have control of it, don’t forget to ease off, as singers who over-use vibrato can be very irritating.
Vibrato is a very personal thing and can add a lot of character and warmth to your voice but it may take some time to develop. It is probably a good idea to work with a teacher when you are learning vibrato, as it can be difficult to obtain a good sound at first. One of the most important aspects of learning is listening.
You can learn a lot about vibrato by simply listening to singers you admire and imitating their sound. By this stage in your development, you should be listening to albums featuring great singing every day. Listen to the following example to hear the effect of vibrato and then try it yourself. The note begins with no vibrato and the vibrato is added while the note sustains.
