Why do I Need Vibrato?

Many singers who study with me who sing styles of music not associated with a full vibrato wonder why I insist upon developing a smooth steady vibrato in their lessons.  Why bother if they aren't every going to use it? This is an excellent question.  I can't remember who said it, but I love the analogy of vibrato being like the idle of the car.  If the car is idling too quickly or too slowly you know something is wrong.  

A good vibrato comes at a rate of approximately 6 to 8 beats per second. The actual cause of vibrato is a point of controversy among many vocal professionals, but we do all tend to agree that it is the result of a balance of air flow and cord closure in a vocal environment where the extrinsic laryngeal muscles are in a neutral posture. As I state often, when a singer is vocalizing, the style is completely stripped from the voice as we are building pure technique. Good vocalizing is essential for achieving and maintaining optimal vocal health and longevity.

If a singer is engaged in singing styles that do not use vibrato, this means that the style of singing is farther away from vocal balance than styles which use vibrato. It is imperative that these singers have a clear sense of what balanced vocal production is in order to know how far they can healthfully take their styling before getting into danger.

If a singer is needing to sing in a "vibrato-free" manner, I first want them to develop a balanced singing technique where the vibrato is spinning freely at a healthy rate. Then, rather than "eliminating" vibrato from the voice, I prefer that we begin to reduce vibrato to the point that it is almost imperceptible.  The difference in the presence of overtone frequencies and intensity of sound between a voice with vibrato and one with a straight tone is quite stark.  By reducing vibrato rather than eliminating it, a singer will maintain a healthy voice with much more resonance and power than a singer who strains to sustain pitches on a straight, flat tone.

Until next time!

Guy

Voice Lessons

How Long Will It Take?

The one question that wins out as the most frequently asked question of all is "How long will these lessons take before I can sing well?"  My answer is always the same: "I have absolutely no idea."  It really depends on many factors such as, the student's inherent talent, How well they practice, how deeply set their current vocal habits are, etc. 

The only thing a voice teacher can offer a student is the ability to assist a student in training themselves to operate the vocal mechanism as efficiently as possible.  Inherent talent cannot be taught, but skill can. Anyone can improve and get better.  What matters is that the student trains with a qualified teacher, that they practice every day, and that they practice mindfully. Also, I always recommend that a student who is serious about dumping bad singing habits fast abstain from singing along to the radio, CDs and MP3s.  Remember, what we are training here is habits.  If you practice your vocal exercises for 20 minutes a day and sing poorly along to the radio for 4 hours a day, which set of habits will win out?

All art-forms take great amounts of skill, training and practice to approach a level of mastery that rises above mediocrity.  A good singer is both an artist and an athlete.  They spend a good deal of time training and singing scales, practicing phrasing, analyzing lyrics and finding a balance between a solid vocal line, phrasing and emotional distillation of the pieces of music that they interpret. Singing is an art, a skill and a physical discipline.  Just like any artist or athlete, a good singer never stops training.

In popular music, there is room for many different types of voices. Traditional "vocal talent" is not necessarily a prerequisite for success. Barbara Streisand and Anthony Kiedis are each artists of high calibre. They are very different types of singers; yet each of them must be in good vocal shape to perform well.  Hayley Williams and Josh Groban each have demanding performing schedules regardless of the vast difference in the styles of their singing. Each has trained hard and continues to train.

The answer to the question, "How long will it take," is that it takes forever. Art has no end. There are no perfect singers.  All excellent singers keep improving and keep training.  And that's a good thing!

Voice Lessons

Frequency of Lessons

I do apologize for the tardiness of my blog post. I got back from a fantastic two weeks in Scandinavia and have finally shaken the jet lag!

I sometimes hear a new or potential student tell me that they, as beginners, would like to come in for a lesson every few weeks and then once they are more advanced bump it up to a weekly lesson. This is backwards. It is important to remember that a voice teacher is there to help you train your neuromuscular habit patterns. That is to say a voice teacher is there to correct and guide the student to the point where the technique becomes second nature.

Habits are the most powerful things there are. Singing is a very complex process. The only way that a good singer can stop thinking about their voice and start thinking about the songs they are singing is by training their neuromuscular habits to the point where healthy vocal technique is on auto pilot. Habits are developed very quickly. Therefore, a new student needs to be under proper guidance as often as possible, whereas a more advanced student who already has good singing habits established doesn't need lessons as frequently.

In the 19th century and probably prior, it was customary for a student to have daily lessons with the maestro. It was common that they trained daily together for upwards of eight years before the singer made their debut on the operatic stage. These days, we have the ability to record lessons on CD or MP3; and with these recordings the student can practice the specialized lesson plan the teacher has developed for them between lessons. These recordings make it no longer necessary for a student to have daily lessons; however, I recommend that a beginning student have a minimum of one lesson per week with a qualified instructor. Twice per week is ideal if time and budget can allow it. As the technique becomes more developed the student can taper off the frequency if desired, but only to the extent that they are able to maintain a healthy speech-level posture during singing at all times.

Until next time!

Guy

Voice Lesson