The role of vocal vibrato in a world where volume and large theatres are not a problem

Question

I have had singing lessons for a while now. My teacher has said on numerous occasions ‘don’t worry about your vibrato, it is fine’. I still have to work the technique don’t get me wrong, but it is there.

I can’t help but notice, naturally, other singers vibrato.

Some are very fast, it sounds like an engine, I think this sound is better to be honest, and some are more looped, like you can hear the actual waves within the vibrato pitch more clearly. Opera singers I have found tend to have this ability. To really make it sound as whole and as full as possible.

Everyone’s voice is different yes, but should all vibrato be the same? Is a quicker vibrato used for certain songs or styles? Likewise the other way round? What is the goal for vocal vibrato in a modern world where volume and large amphitheatres are (broadly speaking) no longer a problem.

Answer 1

If you don't believe your teacher, it isn't likely you'll believe some strangers on a forum who never even heard you.

Vibrato is not an active technique but a result of a certain kind of relaxed vocal production. It is not an "effect" to plan for but something that you accommodate eventually. It is a trait of a voice surfacing under training. One learns one's individual boundary conditions producing the best results for one's given voice for certain kinds of music.

So listen to your teacher: don't worry about vibrato. If it comes around and makes a mess of your singing, you'll be working with your teacher to address it and learn to control it in a manner working with your voice. If it's not there, it's premature and even counterproductive to worry about it. It's usually more work for a trained voice to keep it in check rather than produce it in the first place, so actively trying to produce it when it's not there by itself is going to make you do things that are a bad idea.