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Essentials in
Singing Skills
Vibrato is part of our sound
Jim DeBusman looks at a natural result of good vocal production.
Updated: 8/18/2004 4:39:00 PM
By Jim Debusman, Music Specialist
This article is long overdue for barbershop singers who have asked the question; “do we allow vibrato in our style?” The answer is a resounding yes.
Vibrato is a normal phenomenon of a good breath support and a freely produced, well-supported resonant tone. In our style, some vibrato in the voice, especially in the lead voice, can be quite effective by enhancing the emotional content of the music we sing. However, too much vibrato either in its’ rate, excessive pitch, or volume variation can take away from the quartet’s overall sound.
As stated before, you can control the speed of your vibrato by using good breath support. I’ve worked with many men and women of all ages, including some well up into their late 70’ and 80’s, who have eliminated their wide vibrato with nothing more than rediscovering good breath support/management, thus, freeing up their tone.
Johan Sundburg, a noted authority on this topic states; “vibrato consists in part as a small but regular frequency modulation about a central pitch.” Dr. Jim Richards goes on to say that you might think it could have a negative impact on the lock and ring of a justly-tuned chord. However, even though the instantaneous frequency is constantly changing, a spectral analysis of the sound shows that the central pitch remains fixed, but is accompanied by a set of “side band” frequencies which surround the central frequency. These side bands give the sound “width” and higher music interest.
Other issues that could cause an unacceptable vibrato are poor posture, tension in the singer’s throat and/or jaw area. Any form of tension can affect a singer’s vibrato.
One way to help a poor vibrato is to put your hand in front your mouth and blow a column of “warm air” (humidify, if you will) on your hand. Now, sing a tone supported by that warm air. It will make a difference in the speed of the vibrato and it width.
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