Description:
In addition to vibrato at the ends of phrases, you’ll also hear vibrato on sustained pitches. This gives life and emotion to a word that might otherwise fall flat.
Our first song example today is “Always” by Irving Berlin.
F Dm7
I'll be loving you, always,
C7 F
With a love that's true, al-ways.
Sustained pitches could include “I’ll”, “you’, “always”, “love” and “true”. Why are we focused on sustained pitches? The first reason is practical: vibrato needs a little bit of time to ring, and shorter pitches just don’t allow us to easily relax into our vibrato. The second reason is stylistic: if I use vibrato on every single pitch, at best I sound a bit too “classical” or “operatic” for a jazz song.
Try it with me this time!
F Dm7
I'll be loving you, always,
C7 F
With a love that's true, al-ways.
Second song example is one of my all-time favorites, “Someone to watch over me”. We’ll use the chorus, which sounds like this:
Ab Ab7 Db6 Dbdim
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
Ab Abdim Eb7 Ebdim
I hope that she turns out to be
A#m F7 A#m Fm6 Eb7 Ab C7 Db Eb7
Someone who'll watch ov - er me.
Feel free to release that vibrato on any lyric held long enough to do so!
Ab Ab7 Db6 Dbdim
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
Ab Abdim Eb7 Ebdim
I hope that he turns out to be
A#m F7 A#m Fm6 Eb7 Ab C7 Db Eb7
Someone who'll watch ov - er me.
In addition to the ends of phrases and sustains, I also consider the meaning of the lyrics I’m singing, when deciding whether to add vibrato or not. While using vibrato can add a sense of warmth and emotional engagement, singing with straight tone can be an effective tool to add some tension that vibrato will resolve, or to draw the listener’s attention in an unexpected way. Listen to the following:
[Sing with intentional straight tone at different spots]
Ab Ab7 Db6 Dbdim
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
Ab Abdim Eb7 Ebdim
I hope that he turns out to be
A#m F7 A#m Fm6 A#m7 Eb7 Ab C7 Db Eb7
Someone who'll watch ov - er me.
Please continue your practice with any song of your choosing, and I’ll see you in our final lesson of this series!
Our first song example today is “Always” by Irving Berlin.
F Dm7
I'll be loving you, always,
C7 F
With a love that's true, al-ways.
Sustained pitches could include “I’ll”, “you’, “always”, “love” and “true”. Why are we focused on sustained pitches? The first reason is practical: vibrato needs a little bit of time to ring, and shorter pitches just don’t allow us to easily relax into our vibrato. The second reason is stylistic: if I use vibrato on every single pitch, at best I sound a bit too “classical” or “operatic” for a jazz song.
Try it with me this time!
F Dm7
I'll be loving you, always,
C7 F
With a love that's true, al-ways.
Second song example is one of my all-time favorites, “Someone to watch over me”. We’ll use the chorus, which sounds like this:
Ab Ab7 Db6 Dbdim
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
Ab Abdim Eb7 Ebdim
I hope that she turns out to be
A#m F7 A#m Fm6 Eb7 Ab C7 Db Eb7
Someone who'll watch ov - er me.
Feel free to release that vibrato on any lyric held long enough to do so!
Ab Ab7 Db6 Dbdim
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
Ab Abdim Eb7 Ebdim
I hope that he turns out to be
A#m F7 A#m Fm6 Eb7 Ab C7 Db Eb7
Someone who'll watch ov - er me.
In addition to the ends of phrases and sustains, I also consider the meaning of the lyrics I’m singing, when deciding whether to add vibrato or not. While using vibrato can add a sense of warmth and emotional engagement, singing with straight tone can be an effective tool to add some tension that vibrato will resolve, or to draw the listener’s attention in an unexpected way. Listen to the following:
[Sing with intentional straight tone at different spots]
Ab Ab7 Db6 Dbdim
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
Ab Abdim Eb7 Ebdim
I hope that he turns out to be
A#m F7 A#m Fm6 A#m7 Eb7 Ab C7 Db Eb7
Someone who'll watch ov - er me.
Please continue your practice with any song of your choosing, and I’ll see you in our final lesson of this series!
Lessons:
- 1: What Is Vibrato?
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2:
Body Engagement
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3:
Cord Closure
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4:
Resonant Space
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5:
Relaxation
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6:
Imitation
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7:
Diphthongs
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8:
Recreating Natural Vibrato
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9:
Straight Tone & Vibrato
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10:
Slowing Down A Tremolo
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11:
Speeding Up A Wobble
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12:
Vibrato At The End Of A Phrase
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13:
Vibrato At The End Of A Sustained Pitch
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14:
Congratulations & Vibrato Focused Warmup
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.