I am writing to ask about my vibrato and how it is visibly apparent when I sing. I can clearly notice a pulsation underneath my chin when I sing, even to the length and pulse of any trills I do. It is also noticeable to my audience if they are close enough. It worries me, because I do know that excess tension can develop in the sublingual region if one does not use proper breath support (but I believe I do). I am 40 years old and teach voice also, and I have noticed this phenomenon with a few of my older singers – maybe this has something to do with decreased elasticity as you grow older? -Anonymous via e-mail
What is vibrato?
The acceptable vibrato, the factor that is heard as the ring and spin of the tone, is the result of the breath energy, the vibrator (vocal cords) and the resonance system all working together synergistically.
When does simple vibrato cross the line into a wide vibrato or wobble? Has anyone measured the speed or the “width” of a good vibrato?
Much research has been done on this factor. Richard Miller’s book The Structure of Singing addresses this subject in great detail. It is measurable on a spectrograph analysis. There is a measurable difference in the rates of various vibratos: i.e. slow, fast, wide, uneven, inconsistent, etc.
What are some early warning signs that a voice is headed for future wobble trouble?
The visible pulsation of the mylo-hyoid muscle (the muscle under the chin) is most often a result of root-of-the-tongue tension or sublingual tension. If you put your thumb under your chin and you can feel movement and tension in the mylo-hyoid muscle, that same pulsation will be evident in the tone – the physical touch will help you to be physiologically aware of the vibrato rate.
What is the real underlying cause for the wobble?
I don’t think the basic cause of the tension has as much to do with the cords not approximating correctly as the breath not being used properly. I like to picture a ping-pong ball spinning on a column of air. I once saw a vacuum set up so that the air was blowing out through the tube, with a little ping-pong ball spinning on top of the air. Since the air kept an even, consistent flow, the ball could spin all day long. Vocal tone is much the same, although it needs to be replenished with a fresh supply of air. If the pressure becomes forced, the tone is pushed off the column of air. If the air supply doesn’t have enough energy, the tone “falls down.”
Are there wobbles that cannot be fixed?
That would depend on the cause of the problem. Sometimes there are neurological factors involved. If the cause is simply misuse, it most often can be corrected if the singer is diligent. The muscles need to be retrained, and this takes time and effort.
Is there a difference between men and women with this problem?
Women seem to have this problem more than men. There is often a hormonal factor with women, particularly as the body ages and muscle tone is not what it was at a younger age.
How can singers avoid the problem?
Singers need to develop a reliable technique from the very beginning, which involves singing “on the breath” instead of “with the breath.” Another problem is singing the wrong repertoire, especially at an early age. The proper tessitura must be chosen carefully. Songs and arias that stay consistently over the second passaggio often cause muscular tension that tires the vocal mechanism.
Singing too heavily and carrying the heavy mechanism (thyro/arytenoid) process up through the mixed tone area will also cause the problem.
Some singers have not been judicious in their choices of teachers and/or coaches, and so they aren’t getting accurate feedback about their voices. How can singers, especially young singers, tell if they are getting the right training?
Listen to as many of the teachers’ students as possible. Some studios turn out singers that all sound the same. Instead, each voice should be as individual to that singer as their thumbprint.
What are the most common problems you see when working with singers with a wobbly vibrato? What do they tend to have in common?
Tight muscles in the tongue, tension in the mylo-hyoid, inflexibility in the neck, inability to move the head freely while singing. Jaw tension. Improper use of the breath.
What are other modalities singers can use to help speed up their progress in overcoming this technical problem?
I work with Anna Cagle, a wonderful speech therapist who understands singers’ needs. I also base much of my work on the Alexander Technique, which is valuable in learning to release muscular tension.
What are the most common mistakes singers make while they are working to overcome this problem?
Many singers with wobbles need to learn to stop forcing the tone. They need to learn to sing more freely and with better breath energy. Universally we hear teachers say, “Don’t make yourself sing, let yourself sing.” Many singers try too hard to “make it happen” instead of “letting it happen.”
What are some other recommendations you make to singers who are working on this situation?
Find an excellent teacher to guide you!
What are some of the exercises you use in your studio?
So much depends on the singer’s need and present technique. I start by having the singer relate the speaking voice to the singing voice. I most often start with a hum speaking it as if agreeing with something. Then I go to a descending spoken hmmm, then singing a descending five-tone scale on a singing hum. Next I have them add an /a/ vowel after the hum. I then have them speak /a/a/a/ with the thumb under the chin to make sure the mylo-hyoid is not tensing. After the spoken /a/ sing on one note /a/a/a/ sustaining the last note. Then speak ka/ka/ka/ka/ka. Be sure there is no jaw movement; only the tongue and velum are involved in pronouncing the /ka/. This gets the tongue working freely. I often check to see if the neck is free by moving the student’s head from side to side. With the index and third finger on the chin, gently remind the jaw to drop slightly back, (not down) sing /ka/ ka/ka/ka/ka/ on a descending five note scale. This is a vast subject, and each singerÕs needs are different. These are just a few of the vocalizes that seem to help the most.
Sometimes I may put my thumb under the chin and tell the singer to put the tip of the tongue on the upper lip and sing the exercise again. After several rounds of these five-note scales the tongue is more willing (or understands better) to release the root of tongue tension.
Another helpful vocalize is to put your index finger and thumb on each side of the thyroid cartilage (very gently please), then inhale on an imploded /k/, and feel how the larynx releases the tension and goes into a more lowered, balanced posture. Using a diminished 5th interval, speak (glide) on an /a/vowel keeping the separation between the thyoid bone and thyroid cartilage. Allow the larynx to stay free, open and balanced. Do not hold the larynx down either with the fingers or the muscles of the vocal mechanism, just allow it to stay in the posture of inhalation. When the tension releases and you feel only a vibration on the glide, not a jiggle or a wiggle, sing a 5-tone scale on /a/. Be sure to keep the compressed and energized breath flow at all times. It will take a bit of time to erase the old muscle memory, but in time this should help release the visible and audible pulsation and allow the tone to be more pure and vibrant.
I like to use the vocal fry looping with the breath up to a G5 (middle C is C4), and then down five notes on an /a/. The vocal fry tone doesn’t change pitch (it should be spoken at your optimal pitch level). Ascend by half steps. This helps to start the tone on the breath.
Have you heard of some ways of trying to fix the wobble that make it worse?
Trying to straighten the tone by stiffening the tongue to stop the shaking, or by tightening the throat muscles. This is what happens when choral directors ask for a straight tone. Straight-tone singing removes the vibrancy and warmth from the tone. Granted, we don’t want different rates of vibrato in choral singing, but pure tone is the result of the freedom of the vocal mechanism and the use of energized breath.
What are some of the phrases you like to use to help your students get the idea?
Let the tongue lie lazy in the cradle of the mouth. Think of the tongue falling forward from the back, not from the tip.
I’ve noticed that you spend a lot of time encouraging the singers, praising them, and asking them how each exercise feels.
It is important for singers to sing by what they feel rather than what they hear. Singers have different degrees of kinesthetic awareness, but they must learn to be more discerning in the sensations of resonation, vibration, tension, freedom and openness.
If a singer is 50 years old with a bad wobble, how can she or he know whether it is worth the time, money and frustration to fix it? How long should it take? Should the student see a doctor?
Again, this is an individual thing. It depends on the cause of the problem. Is it neurological, technical or physical? I most often send the student to an ENT with whom the speech therapist and I work. He sends me an evaluation, a recommendation and a copy of the scope. The singer also works with the speech therapist, and they send the singer back to me for therapy. Their combined evaluation helps me to know how to proceed. I try to help the student understand that the vocalizes are simply calisthenics we use to retrain the muscles to do their job correctly. Muscles have memories, so we must help them forget the old habits and replace them with the new. This approach seems to help the singers be patient.
Betty Jeanne Chipman was an Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of Utah for 30 years. Her students have sung at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and with many regional opera companies and symphonies. Her students have won the Metropolitan Opera and the San Francisco Opera Auditions, and four have been chosen to participate in the Merola program. Students have also been winners at state, regional and district levels of the NATSAA, the Federation of Music and MTNA. She is a charter member and past president of the Utah Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, where she also served as Utah governor. She has been a guest presenter, clinician and adjudicator for many music clinics, workshops and conventions. She now teaches privately but is not accepting new students
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