Vibrato: The Ugly Truth (Dramatic Sopranos) 

Thank you for watching! I'm glad you found it helpful. I will definitely plan on doing some more videos about vibrato!

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@@theon9575 Thanks for watching! ❤

Superb comment!! :))

@@mikaelb7735 It is so hard to hear a lovely voice that doesn't have the technique to match 😭

Isn't she amazing!?! Thanks for listening.

The first example is absolutely appalling - unlistenable 😮😂

@@paullewis2413 I know, it is devastating to hear a voice with so much talent deteriorate with technical difficulties! 😭

They are amazing, aren't they?!?!

Thanks for your comment and for watching my video! My experience is very different than yours. When I developed vibrato issues in my 20's, I was so lucky to find a teacher who worked and helped me to fix every bit of the vibrato action. That obviously hasn't been your experience, but that teacher saved my career! Thanks again for being here. I hope you have a lovely day! ❤

🤣She is FANTASTIC!!!! Thanks for your comment!

That is what I was told! And then when singers develop vibrato issues, teachers blame it on the repertoire, because most don't know how to fix it. Luckily for me, I found a teacher who helped me fix my issues! I wish more singers were as lucky!

Like the majority of singing teachers*, I do not have a sucessful singing career behind me, but with a lot of listening experience it seems to me that there is vibrato and vibrato. The first kind is a deliberate & practised vocal technique that a singer can use for effect and depends on solid breathing and vocal training. It goes in and out of fashion, too , so that an '80s singer sounds very different from now, 40 years later. Even before...try Conchita Superviva 😉. The second kind of vibrato is an involuntary unsteadiness in the voice which develops with time, or in an overworked singer, or simply with age with weakened control over the singing apparatus including the lungs and vocal chords which inevitably comes with time. *ps i confess to a prejudice against 'most singing teachers'. The idea of setting up oneself as an authority with dogmatic and rigid ideas about how to do something that one can't do oneself seems ridiculous to me. Watch an E Schwartzkopf masterclass, for example, or Marylyn Horne teaching etc etc or any successful singer, you will never hear her blaming the repertoire for poor vocal technique. LOL ....

@@theon9575 I agree completely

@@theon9575 Thanks for your comment! The thing about the typical pedagogy, is we tend to blame myriad sources for vibrato issues and forget that vibrato is a technique that can be trained. Age itself doesn't cause vibrato issues. Singing for a long time with insecure technique causes vibrato issues. So I wouldn't say it is "inevitable." It's all about technique which for me is the VERY BEST NEWS! That way it can be fixed ❤

Breath is so crucial, isn't it?!

@@evan-dunn It’s number 1.

@@4444marla Kristine Ciesinski used to say, "the mastery of the voice is the breath."

@@evan-dunn Без правильного дыхания невозможно правильное пение! Это самое главное. Когда я только приступала к занятиям вокалом, меня в первую очередь учили правильно дышать.

@@user-vt5qn2tl3o So true! I'm glad you had a good experience in your vocal studies. Thanks for your comment!

That is such a great question! Vibrato is a semi-reflexive action in the voice. That means it is like blinking in that you can choose to blink, not blink, blink fast, or blink slowly AND your body can blink without you thinking about it. The same is true for vibrato. A vibrato can just happen on its own. However, for most people that means that the speed isn't controlled and there can be glitches in the vibrato action. If you have a fully developed vibrato, you can speed it up, slow it down, and use it to release the tension in your voice. Keep working on it! Do you have a teacher who helps you with your vibrato work? I hope you are finding joy in your singing!

Thanks for your comment! The point of slowing down the vibrato is that when you listen to Birgit Nilsson at face value, her vibrato doesn't sound wide. This makes it easy to assume that vibrato SHOULDN'T be wide, when in fact, vibrato should be VERY wide. It just shouldn't SOUND wide. And it is true that singing the wrong rep, or pushing your voice can exacerbate vibrato issues. But most people don't realize that the vibrato issues already existed for most singers long before they started pushing the wrong rep. Just because the vibrato issues are small when a singer is young, doesn't mean that they have a healthy vibrato. Vibrato slows down with age NOT because a singer is getting older, but because they have been singing with a faulty vibrato for a longer amount of time. If you sing with a healthy vibrato, the vibrato won't slow down when you age! You just have to keep training it effectively. I hope this helps!

It is a challenging role, but it becomes impossible if the technique is struggling!

Goerke is disgusting. She used to be halfway decent. 2010/2011 onwards, she's hired simply because of reputation and name, doesn't matter how she sounds apparently.

​@@smurf902 Thanks for your comment! I understand your frustration. I definitely wouldn't say she is disgusting. She is a lovely person, with amazing leadership skills and a passionate artist. She has her vocal struggles, but I'm really glad that she performs despite any technical issues. That takes a lot of bravery too!

Thanks for your comment! The value of slowing down the vibrato is to show that there is more to Nilsson's vibrato than meets the eye. You are exactly right . . . she had a vibrato-less feeling to her voice. But that can be deceiving for singers who try to imitate a vibrato-less feeling in their own voices. When in reality, the healthiest vibratos are very wide, like Nilssons! It is just that if you aren't trained to hear it, then you won't know that what is happening. Hope this helps and I hope you have a lovely day! Keep singing!

@@evan-dunn understood. Thank you for your reply.

@@jjlungdoc7472 No problem!

Thanks for watching! Which singer in particular are you thinking of?

If you listen to it slowed down, you can hear that it is a similar width to Nilsson's. Perhaps a little wider, but similar. The main issue is the accent of the vibrato.

@@evan-dunn is the accent inverted, i.e., inverted vibrato?

@@danielhanson3200 Yes! That is a fair characterization.

It’s a wobble more than an inverted one

@@draganvidic2039 Thanks for your comment!

I'm not sure what you are asking. Are you asking if the terms caprino, tremolo, and bleat can be used interchangeably? If so then, yes, that is how I used them in this video. Tremolo refers to a technique used on string instruments where the instrumentalist repeats the same pitch with quick bow changes. It is fast, but the main issue for singers is the lack of width. There are many singers with quick vibratos who also keep it wide: ie Titta Ruffo.

@@evan-dunn tremolo is used in piano playing as well, often with octaves.

@@evan-dunn sorry, I was not clear. Until your video, I thought the three terms only referred to a vibrato action that is too fast, making it unpleasant to most listeners, not that the width of the vibrato not being wide or big enough.

@@danielhanson3200 That makes sense. Thanks as always for joining in the conversation. I appreciate you.

You fail to mention that that one soprano with vibrato issues is singing extremely flat.

Thanks for your comment! Sorry it wasn't very helpful for you. Understanding vibrato in depth has been a crucial part of my vocal development, and the development for my students. Hope you have a lovely day and keep finding joy in your singing!

Vibrato is so hard! Especially if you aren't lucky enough to get really good training 😭

@@evan-dunn She later on got an inverted vibrato and sings more flat than ever, a truly horrific voice nowadays.

@@draganvidic2039 😭

Your hating ass gets on my damn nerves 🖕🏻

CG needs a good year or 2 to completely rework her voice and someone who is brutally honest with her. And not sing ANYWHERE until that pitch is fixed. But of course she won't.

Hello! Thanks for your comment. I'm not sure if you are saying that you like Supervía and Olivero as singers. I love them! 😍 Regardless I hope you have a great day.