Description:
The final component we need for vibrato is resonant space and relaxation. I’m bundling them together because the two tend to go hand in hand. So far we’ve worked our way up the instrument, first from breath, then to cord compression within the larynx, and now we’re in the resonators: primarily the throat and mouth, which filter the sound wave your cords have created and hugely impacts your tone.
Allow me to quickly demonstrate the difference in sound with more or less resonant space. By the way - every time I use the word resonance, you can think vibration. First I’ll sing with my soft palate low or depressed, and I’ll gradually raise it up to create more space. Now I’ll sing with my jaw at different levels of openness. Remember how I said that resonant space and relaxation go hand in hand? When I relax my jaw, it created more space in my mouth for that resonance or vibration to occur.
I can still add vibrato in a closed, constricted space [demonstrate], but it’s way easier, not to mention prettier, with adequate space. Just a side note - if you’re a pop or rock singer, you might be thinking: this sounds like opera or musical theater, and I don’t like those styles. The reason it sounds that way is because opera and musical theater use a lot of vibrato, where jazz, pop, and rock, use vibrato as a stylistic effect, not an all the time thing. So relax; we’re isolating vibrato here. Let yourself sound a little more classical today. We can learn from different techniques to strengthen our voice over all and be more versatile within our style of choice.
We’re allowing extra time on the highest note to let some vibrato go. I want you actively thinking about these two things: (1) breathe into the feeling of a yawn (to create space), and (2) relax the jaw as you sing. This is the hardest thing for beginning singers! But look at my face; look at your face in a mirror; and don’t be afraid to open your mouth!
Together now, let’s sing!
[Exercise: YUH 1-5-4-3-2-1]
Lessons:
Instructor: Abram Poliakoff
Abram Poliakoff is a singer, guitarist, pianist, teacher, conductor, and composer. He received a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Arts from USC’s Thornton School of Music and has been teaching music for 8 years. He is currently both the Associate Artistic Director and a tenor in the L.A. Choral Lab, which recently released its first studio album Sonic Visions in the fall of 2019. Abram teaches and performs a wide range of genres including Classical, Jazz, Folk and Popular music in the Los Angeles area. He has also sung with the San Francisco Opera and Pocket Opera in the Bay Area. His teaching mission is to help his students utilize vocal technique to find their authentic and healthy voice while maximizing genre flexibility and a naturalness of expression.