Should the soft palate always be raised while singing vibrato?

Question

I'm just wondering whether the soft palate should always be raised while singing vibrato?

Should it always be raised or just a times? I find it difficult to raise my soft palate while holding a note with it down.

Answer 1

That's the general rule for classical singing - we want to keep the soft palate from being too depressed in general for pleasing vocal "color" - BUT - we need to alter the soft palate for different vowels. So, Yes, it will change position from time to time. It's also dependent on the style of music you're singing. That being said, keeping a feeling of openness in the back of the throat is the general rule of thumb.

BUT - technically vibrato is a somewhat automatic oscillation within the larynx of the vocal folds in the absence of muscular tension that might prevent it. The vibrato is effectively a minor pitch variation above and below the pitch being sung. For a healthy and clear sounding vibrato, there should be some thyroid cartilage tilt. That is basically the same as your teacher telling you to "lower your larynx". When you think of singing with a ball or round fruit in the back of your throat (common image given), you'll often naturally tilt the thyroid cartilage at the same time. So they go "kind of" hand-in-hand. Another example of a secondary effect is when a teacher asks you to smile to brighten the sound - the soft palate (in most ppl) naturally raises with a smile!