To ask how the hell I do vibrato?

[ThenextJoanBaez]

Name change as I'm quite embarrassed to ask
But as it says i'm looking to be the next Joan Baez...

I can play guitar and (From what research I've done) I am a soprano. I'm 34 and definitely annoy my DD3 when I sing

I do it as a hobby, I try and copy Joni Mitchell etc and sing around the house

But I think I want to start doing it seriously, it's very relaxing, fun and honestly takes my mind off things.
I've found that when I try i'm fairly decent and I can hold a vibrato but only in that quiet, breathy type voice. (head? chest? I can't remember the difference.)
I want to learn to do it through my diaphragm/belting/talking type voice but Omg no matter how many videos I watch on youtube it's so difficult!!

Can somebody who is more advanced than me break it down for me like i'm a child (it's very technical for me) and help me understand how to sing beautiful vibrato notes???

Also when I try and attempt to do it I either have to push very very hard, thus creating a weird warble sound that only lasts for a second or two, or it suddenly switches to that breathy voice again without meaning to Arghh! I wish I was born with the talent to sing!!

Read the thread title too quickly and not what I thought this thread would be about

Noo!!!

Something tells me you'll enjoy this video of her singing for Bob Dylan OP
m.youtube.com/watch?v=i06LbpM-ccc

Sometimes it happens when you are exactly on pitch. It's like a resonance that's hard to stop. Also when everything is really wide open, resonance wise. I have to work to stop it- I'm not keen. But then I'm alto, so it's a different sound anyway.

Might be worth investing in a few singing lessons.
Just to check you've got the basics right?

Atm would be online only, I guess.

Ps am no singer myself so can't recommend anyone.

Arf at Shirley

You need a proper singing teacher, OP. Maybe a course of lessons as a Christmas present to yourself?

(Because no one on YouTube will tell you if faulty technique is damaging your voice. It's a delicate instrument.)

@ShirleyPhallus

Read the thread title too quickly and not what I thought this thread would be about

So did I. I know nothing about singing though. Not much about the other thing tbh.

I'm too shy for singing lessons I'll watch the video now, thank you

Seriously, get some singing lessons. As @PoulePouletteEternellement says, you could do irreparable damage.

I work with lots of singers and really don't like massive vibrato. I prefer much cleaner voices - Emma Kirkby has a beautiful voice and I love her interpretations of Baroque and Classical repertoire.

Technique. Then it happens naturally.

Avoid belting and forcing at all costs, though. And Melisma is like California Ghost Chilli Powder - don't put it in everything and if you do want to have some, don't use anywhere near as much as you think other people put in their cooking.

A few singing lessons will do wonders, yes the first one is excruciatingly embarrassing, but you quickly get used to it, and it's so rewarding! And singing teachers seem to be lovely people in general. Honestly, once you have an idea what you can and should be doing with your voice, it is all so much more fun, and so much easier.

Love that video She was so talented!!

Thank you!' I'll have a look for skype lessons

Just get some lessons :) It's fab, I've been singing all my life and just went back to lessons, there is always something else to improve upon, a good teacher will help you in areas you didn't even know could improve.

What kind of singing do you do? Classical or belt? I'm no expert but I used to take lessons and it's a different technique, I don't think you can vibrato properly when belt singing. But as I say, no expert. I intentionally looked for a classical singing teacher as an adult because we had access to belt lessons at school and it's not the route I wanted to go down.

@ShirleyPhallus

Read the thread title too quickly and not what I thought this thread would be about

Same here 😁

Was going to pop in to tell you about wiggling your wrist but realise that would just sound weird and not help at all.
(string player).

I thought belting was just another word for singing through your diaphragm

Get some lessons.

I classically trained when I was younger. I have natural vibrato, can’t turn it off. It’s good for some things, not good for others. You should always sing from your diaphragm, regardless of volume, to protect your vocal chords from damage. You might have heard the terms head and chest voice which are very confusing and falling out of favour now. www.vocalskills.co.uk/What-is-head-chest-voice.html

Have a listen to this particularly the chorus and how it varies throughout - some “head voice”, some “belting” but diaphragm deployed throughout - you couldn’t perform this 8 times a week otherwise!

@ThenextJoanBaez

I thought belting was just another word for singing through your diaphragm

That's always how you sing. Not utilising your core muscles and diaphragm is how you damage your voice permanently and sound like a strangled cat on a John Lewis advert

You will love vocal lessons.

I wouldn’t focus in trying to ‘do’ vibrato at this stage - it should appear naturally when you are singing with no tension. If I hold a note, I ‘lift’ (not the technical term!) it up so that it is straight and clean and then when I relax the vibrato comes through. Not changing pitch - just the richness and fullness. Have a play around with lifting up and down on one long note to see how it feels and where the vibrato is coming from. It should bring sweetness and warmth to the tone. Sometimes people try to fake it and make their voice vibrate and end up with a wiggly chin and jaw.

Vibrato comes from the tilting of the thyroid cartilage (part of the larynx) when is tilted forward, and stretches and thins the vocal folds. You have to tense the muscles enough to tilt the thyroid cartilage and nothing more.

This sounds a bit complicated but it should occur naturally! I’ve had vib in my voice since I was a child but the key is being able to take it out and add it back in as you choose rather than letting it ornament every note you sing.

At first it might be easier to get vib when your larynx is lowered
but it can be done in most of the voice qualities. So yes, you can get vib in belt - not as much as you’d use for a more lyrical sound but enough to stop it from simply being a yell! Sometimes big belt notes do have no vibrato at all which I guess is a more modern approach. Lots of vibrato can seem a bit dated or too classical but once you get used to feeling it you will be able to play around with adding it where you want it and also taking it out to create a straight tone. It’s a lovely feeling.

Is your ‘breathy’ voice falsetto? Because vib doesn’t tend to feature when you use falsetto. Breathy singing shouldn’t be done all the time, you want to try to have a clear tone and can then choose to add some breathiness for style or dramatic effect. Head voice is different, it’s a much richer lyrical sound.

This is the gist of what I can remember! Have a google and try and do attempt to understand the physiology behind what you want to do rather than trying to copy a sound or style you like. YouTube lessons are fine to get an idea and if it feels weird or unnatural - stop! Unless you are working at something specific, singing should be natural and instinctive, and unless you are with a teacher, never push beyond what feels easy and pleasant as it can be so hard to tell if you are getting into bad habits.

Definitely look at getting a singing teacher and consider doing an Estill Voice and Physiology course.

Probably just need to get some new batteries.

@ShirleyPhallus

Read the thread title too quickly and not what I thought this thread would be about

It seems that quite a few of us had the same thought.

I'm still not convinced there won't be a change of direction, though

There is a very obvious quip.

I wonder if one might improve the other ...