I really want vocal vibrato?

Question:hey....my voice is really developing...it is very powferul and clear as well as in tune...but my one problem... i CANT get vibrato...I can''t figure it out...i am relaxed, i can sing very high, and my voice is not airy or anything like that. What am i doing wrong? please help...i feel like I'm in a rut...I am singing "Voi Che Septet?" by Mozart and "a Change in me" from beauty and the beast in a competetion in the spring and they really call for some good vibrato. I would really appreciate some help.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: hey....my voice is really developing...it is very powferul and clear as well as in tune...but my one problem... i CANT get vibrato...I can''t figure it out...i am relaxed, i can sing very high, and my voice is not airy or anything like that. What am i doing wrong? please help...i feel like I'm in a rut...I am singing "Voi Che Septet?" by Mozart and "a Change in me" from beauty and the beast in a competetion in the spring and they really call for some good vibrato. I would really appreciate some help.

there needs to be a distinct line drawn between the use of vibrato in pop singing, and the use of vibrato in classical singing. Pop singers use vibrato as a special effect ( holding out the long note, etc), whereas classical singers see vibrato as a natural by-product of proper breath support and breath flow management. For a really good technical explanation, I refer you to Dr. Robert T. Sataloff's book on Vocal Health Care. He gives you anatomically correct pictures, and some graphics that explain how and why the vocal cords move the way they do, and how that produces vibrato. ( Takes up a whole chaper of the book, which is why I'm not going into detail here)
Inshort, he says the reason we achieve vibrato is that the vocal cords are moving at an optimal rate, based on the reaction of the muscles and tisues to the air we are letting flow through them. Since these muscles are involuntary ( you have no direct control over them, nor do I) we need to school our sense of body radar or feedback so as to be able to hear when this happens. It takes time and further practice.
If you are still in your teens, it may take another couple of years to train in. Talk to your teacher, who, after all, knows what she's doing. She wouldn't have given you a Mozart aria to sing unless you were ready for it. Be patient and trust her, and realize that not all the things we do as singers happen overnight.
As far as waggling tongues and over adjustment of the soft palate goes for creating a vibrato in pop terms, I think that these methods are artificial, and force the vibrato in a mehcanical way that has nothing to do with healthy singing. The fellow who thinks it's over-used is right because it is artificial, and it gets boring.
Best wishes and keep on singing

To achieve vibrato... start singing softly ... ( you don't have to do this loudly )...
then concentrate on the musculature in the back of your throat.
Move the muscles up and down. Practice this until you get it right. Do it in the shower, while your just singing and doing housework.... just acting goofy. It is not hard to do.
Then practice getting louder and louder with it.
Practice with your favorite songs ... songs that you feel very comforatable singing and add vibrato to them at the end of certain notes....
Dropping your chin a bit will even change the sound of the vibrato...
It is a movement of the muscles in the back of your throat... your tongue should even vibrate a bit when you do it right.
Start out by closing your lips and humming. Then open your lips and keep 'humming'.

well, although vibrato sounds good, it's also there to help keep the pitch up at the end of notes. if it doesn't come naturally then you might not be needing it.

but, since it does add a certain style, you'll want to focus on it. the main thing is just to remember to try an waver your voice a *little* otherwise you'll sound off key. i'm sure you know that. but once you've conciously tried it out, it'll come more naturally.

Many professionals consider vibrato something that is WAY overused. It covers up for singers who can't actually land on a note. You're fortunate if you can hit the pitch you're aiming for without using any 'tricks'. However if you INSIST, use your diaphram.