Requests?

[mmichaelson]

well I know with music, I would alter my vibrato depending on how slow the piece was or how much I was feeling it. It just all depended for me.

[lioness]

Originally posted by RC:
Yodeling...

classic!!!
i hope Dan plays that on Friday morning again.

[RC]

who was the lady that sang so beautifully/famously in Porgy & Bess? I tried to GOOGLE it but I get a million hits. She was VERY famous. OT...Where are you?

"Summertime" with that vibrato, to me, is perfect.

[lioness]

if you are talking about the film i believe it was Dorothy Dandridge.

[OperaTenor]

It's called vibrato, just like what you'd do on any instrument.

Proper vibrato is an indicator of good vocal technique. However, since the voice is such an arbitrary instrument, there is no real quantatative identification for proper technique. So what voice teachers rely on is the end product; the sound produced. In many instances, singers manufacture a vibrato artificially because they know it's supposed to be there if they're singing properly. If you watch someone like Sarah Brightman sing, as she sustains a note her lower jaw will wobble with her vibrato. True vibrato comes from the diaphragm, and is actually a fluctuation of air flow that occurs before the air reaches the vocal folds. So, any singer who wobbles their jaw is faking it. Sarah Brightman is a more blatant example, and most are more subtle visually.

Bottm line: A natural, correct vibrato is not irritating to listen to. When you hear one that is, it's usually bad singing.

[lioness]

hooray!!!

OT to the rescue!!!!

[Serenity]

What's that artificial speech box called that people who have had throat surgery use?

Can you do a vibrato with that OT? What would that sound like?

[piqaboo]

What is the normal note-spread for a vibrato?
I swear there's a lady in choir that covers 4 entire notes (if the goal is A, she vibratos from F to C). Its painful. We joke that she's always on pitch, because every note in the vicinity is covered.

[OperaTenor]

Serenity, you're making me think of Ned on South Park. I've now got this mental image of Ned trying to sing O sole mio. Oh man....

There should be NO note spread in a vibrato. A proper vocal vibrato doesn't vary pitch as much as it varies intensity - it may sound like a miniscule variance in pitch only because the placement changes ever-so-slightly with the change in air flow. Correct vibrato is only a change in air flow, not a change in the vibration of the vocal folds.

It's a totally natural oscillation produced by the body. That's why it sounds natural when it's done right.

When Ja-....uh, I mean, that lady wobbles like that, it's a wobble, not a vibrato.



<small>[ 02-15-2005, 07:39 PM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I think it's supposed to be 1/4 tone, or less. Ideally, at least in a soprano, I've been counselled that it should only be enough to enhance "color" and "richness" whatever the heck those are.

But then, I get counselled a lot.

[BigJon]

I was told I didn't need to put any vibrato at all in my solo. My nerves would do it all for me.

[RC]

tee hee *igJon. My first big solo was brilliant... once I got past the "vibrato" that shook me so hard I could barely keep my flute to my lip.

As OT says earlier, vibrato comes from the diaphragm (or should). There shouldn't be much waiver of pitch which you typically hear referred to as a "wide" vibrato. icky but better than a nanny goat sometimes.

The 6 pulses per second target helps a kid learn the difference between a nice sounding vibrato and a nanny goat sound. That is pretty typical for a beginner. It also helps train away from that nerves vibrato which has an identical effect.


And no, it's not Dorothy Dandridge I was trying to come up with. Crud. I meant to listen to it last night and of course... forgot.

[barfle]

I always thought vibrato was an alternation in volume and tremolo was an alternation in pitch.

My guess is that I'll get some education after that remark.

[RC]

Actually, thats a pretty good job barfle.

Tremolo can be a term used to define a very intentional and specific effect as well though. Alternating between two notes rapidly but not a trill... which is different.

You really didn't care about all that did you?


blather, blather...

<small>[ 02-16-2005, 08:56 AM: Message edited by: RC ]</small>

[Serenity]

Do sheep have a better vibrato than a nanny goat?

[RC]

I prefer a horse vibrato...the way it tapers off at the end and then a snort for flourish.

[Trumpetmaster]

RC,
Do you mean a Horse Whinny?

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by barfle:
I always thought vibrato was an alternation in volume and tremolo was an alternation in pitch.

My guess is that I'll get some education after that remark.

Actually, that's pretty darn succint statement. You nailed it, IMO. The alternation in volume comes from the alternation of air flow.

[Trumpetmaster]

To play with vibrato on the trumpet, all I have to do is move my hand back and forth on the tips of the valves.

[GreatCarouser]

Where's the late Tiny Tim when we need him?