Part 3: Vibrato usage in different musical genres
From: Foundations of Vibrato Part 2by Abram Poliakoff
Description:
Each musical genre has its own norms surrounding vibrato usage. Of course, individual singers within those genres vary, but following these norms keeps your interpretation stylistically appropriate. Imagine your favorite pop song with crazy vibrato, or your favorite operatic piece without it! It just wouldn’t sound right.
With the following exercises, we’ll move from the most liberal vibrato usage to the most restrained.
Classical and operatic music require the most vibrato. Although you might use straight tone for a fast passage or the beginning of a sustained pitch, you’ll generally always finish with vibrato.
Let’s practice letting our vibrato ring throughout this entire exercise. On a YOH, we’ll sing. Channel your inner opera singer, and let’s go!
[Classical exercise: free vibrato on YOH 5-8-5-3-1]
In most contemporary music, including pop, rock, country, and new musical theater, vibrato is typically reserved for the end of phrases. The default is straight tone, and vibrato is used to enhance the singer’s expression.
Let’s practice this with straight tone, ending in vibrato on the following pattern: [1-5-3]. Any vowel you like, but I’m singing on EE. Let’s try it!
[Pop/contemporary exercise: vibrato to finish the phrase on EE 1-5-3]
And finally, a straight tone exercise! Straight tone is used liberally in jazz, North American folk & Americana, Renaissance music, and choral works (both old and new). Sing on a staccato OO, and then we’ll smooth it out. Careful: no vibrato, even at the very end of the phrase!
[Jazz exercise: straight tone staccato 5-3-1-3 legato 5-3-1]
Great job!
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.