Vibrato on string instruments (violin, viola,cello) is always flat/natural/flat natural...NEVER sharp. I have also researched a few other instruments like flute, saxophone, trumpet etc. and they are the same.
Why then do singers vibrato around the note : sharp/flat/sharp/flat ? Why is there this major difference between instrumentalists and singers with respect to vibrato ?
It is interesting to note that musicians often refer to a singer's technique as "death by vibrato". LOL Manda and musichy have given you some very good insights into a singer's vibrato. Just to add a couple more details: a healthy vibrato generally falls in the range of 5 to 7 Hz difference. Studies have shown that the famous tenor Enrico Caruso, when he got really excited or really emotional, revved up to about 8 Hz. Anything over that rate is perceived as unnatural or uncomfortable to the hearer, at the least.
As was pointed out, vibrato is a natural by-product of good breath flow management. We singers have no voluntary control over the intrinsic muscles of the larynx, and trying to iron out a vibrato ( as "required" by Baroque or renaissance stylists) actual means putting a damper on some of the other muscles of the apparatus, which is tiring to say the least, and damaging, to say the worst. People who do not have good technical breath management will find themselves trying to artificially create a vibrato.
those of us who getting on in years know that the voice ages with the body. There is no escape. As tissues lose elasticity, and the thyroid and cricoid cartileges start to ossify, we lose that fine tuning that keeps the vibrato within the 5-7 Hz range. It's only at that point that we refer to vibrato as wobble. the other extreme used to be heard in Baroque-type tenors, who vibrato-ed so fast that it earned the nickname "the bleat". Again, too much muscular tension, and not enough breath flow management.
For extremely technical specs, please refer to the works of Dr. Ingo Titze out of University of Iowa, and Dr. Johan Sundberg, out of the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. I define vibrato as a "slight variation of pitch resulting from the free oscillation of the vocal cords". This free oscillation of the vocal cords results from (1) an open pharynx or what many call the "open throat" along with (2) healthy "closure of the cords" (see article on vocal cord closure) I consider that vibrato is a result of these two opposites working together: open throat and closed cords. (3) Another major factor to be considered in regard to vibrato is the even sub-glottic breath pressure. This is regulated by the "support system" which involves the abdominal muscles, lower lumbar/upper gludial muscles, intercostal muscles and pectoral muscles.
Main Entry: vi路bra路to
Pronunciation: vi-br盲t-, v-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -tos
: a slightly trembling effect given to vocal or instrumental tone by slight and rapid variations in pitch
So in other words one you make the nosie your self and the other you have to make something else do it. They both can be hard to master. Voices and strings use "pitch modulation" vibrato, meaning the pitch itself changes up and down. Winds and brass use "amplitude modulation" vibrato, meaning the loudness of the note pulses.
I imagine that the flat-natural thing on strings is because of the way it's easiest to move the hand. I imagine it's easier to rotate the hand towards you, resulting in a lowered pitch. Singers can hit whatever pitch they want, so use the "sharp flat sharp flat" vibrato. Wind players don't normally use pitch vibrato, unless they nod their heads rapidly!
"Death by vibrato" is also known as Bel Canto, and as far as I know, the ridiculous vibrato that some singers develop is to make them audible above the orchestra. This became necessary during the romantic period when orchestras became very large and electronic amplification was not available. I personally can't stand that heavy vibrato. I'm no professional, but from what I've learnt so far (I play strings as well as sing), vibrato on string instruments is the result of a conscious effort on the player's part to 'sing' the tone and make it more expressive - and vibrato-ing sharp/natural just sounds ridiculous on strings because it makes you sound like you're riding sharp, while flat/natural sounds more natural (in the sense that you're singing the tone naturally). Not to mention it's easier to do as well - our fingers flatten/return to neutral position more easily that sharpening the note while pressing down the string.
Singers, however, develop vibrato as a natural by-product of proper support and technique - if you sing correctly and have control over your voice (am talking about proper control, not excessive control), you'll naturally get some vibrato. Hence 'natural vibrato' in the voice is not something that we can exactly control consciously. When singers try to manipulate their vibrato (by means of tension), it's usually for special effects and requires solid technique to do it without damaging our voices. When we have natural vibrato, our singing mechanisms do the 'vibrato around the note' naturally - it's not very explanable (at least not to me anyway), but is just a fact of anatomy. We don't get to control whether we do flat/natural or flat/sharp, unlike instrumentalists. Healthy vibrato is seldom 'wobbling all over the place'. Excessive wobbling is a sign that the singer lacks control over his/her voice, unless his/her natural vibrato is 'wide' to start with.
I think a professional singer would be able to answer your question more accurately. |
