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Some people say that vibrato is a gift acquired by birth while some say vibrato has to be practiced and gained before puberty. Once puberty (10-12 yrs) is attained, and the male voice changes to a low pitch one, vibrato is no longer achievable.

I am 22 years old, and have an intense need to improve my vibrato. How do I do it?

Also, in the world I need to perform in, we need to recite for more than 35 secs in a loud voice in a single breath. At present I can hardly do that for 15 secs. Please help me increase my breath volume by suggesting some routines and exercises.

Thank you

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    This is really two different questions. How about editing this down to one question (about vibrato) and asking about breath volume in a separate question?
    – Andrew
    May 22, 2012 at 17:16
  • I'm a 16-year old boy and I was told that vibrato strengthens a note, and, it really does, especially when I sing high notes. It really improves my tone.
    – user8876
    Dec 27, 2013 at 3:41

4 Answers 4

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Well, I don't think the first claim is true. I didn't know how to do vibrato until I was 19. I'm 23 now and I'm still improving it. And I have a very low pitch voice. My dad learned how to do vibrato only in his 50s.

But, I don't really know how I really learned it. I was experimenting with my voice one day, and it got easier the more I played with it. It's like riding a bicycle, once you get the hang of it, it gets easier.

It sometimes happens automatically when I'm running out of breath. But I can trigger it at will too, but I don't really know how technically. But it's definitely important to use your belly breath (instead of chest).

Now, on how to increase breath volume, I swim. Swim without re-breathing as long as I can. But, I also realize that singing alone helps too. So, if you can do 15 seconds now, try do it longer next time. Challenge yourself, until you can smell your lung (it happens, it smells like fish's gill).

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  • thanks for replying. But could you please suggest something other than swimming. I don't have access to it.
    – Tabrez Ahmed
    May 23, 2012 at 9:35
  • I know swimming works because I tried, and it works. Other things like running or any cardio exercise and abs/core exercise should help too, but I can't guarantee you the effectiveness. Have a look at [this] (wikihow.com/Increase-Your-Lung-Capacity)
    – Sufendy
    May 23, 2012 at 9:49
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    and this wikihow.com/Increase-Your-Lung-Capacity-for-Singing
    – Sufendy
    May 23, 2012 at 9:51
  • Vibrato is a natural phenomenon of singing without tension. Some people sing this way naturally, others have to be taught or coached. David's answer below correctly addresses this issue.
    – DallaLiyly
    Feb 23, 2014 at 1:45
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Vibrato is more or less a natural phenomenon once you are singing with nice support and a relaxed larynx. It's absurd that you would have to learn it at some given age: it more or less comes with a well-tended voice at whatever age.

Vibrato can be produced somewhat artificially by conscious breath and throat actions but that is rarely convincing and often is more of a wobble with more of a pitch variation than appropriate.

Basically vibrato should not be much more than the absence of forcing a "straight" tone. While there are different degrees of acceptance in different music styles, it's one of the things that are easily overdone, particularly in the form of the continuously controlled wobble.

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  • This is the correct answer, unfortunately it hasn't been accepted as such.
    – DallaLiyly
    Feb 23, 2014 at 1:44
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I am 14 years old and I absolutely love singing, but it seems like everyone in my class has a better vibrato than me. Vibrato majorly increases your singing performance, so I HAD to improve.

What I usually do is get to a note that I am comfortable with. Since I am a first-soprano, a comfortable note for me is probably the C one octave up from middle C or anything higher. I will start with an easy note and make sure my vibrato sounds good. Then I will slowly move down or up from that note, still keeping my vibrato. I do that everyday and it has helped me greatly.

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As a singer and devoted swimmer I love vibrato, however I have been told that to much vibrato is more than a good thing.

So, I try to limit the amount of times I use it in a song, in order to make a greater impact.

What is vibrato? For me, it is wobbling my voice (on pitch). In certain sections (phrasing) this can be very favorable, as it can intensify the meaning of the story you are telling.

If you are anything like me; then wobbling can be a great addition to your singing talent. Good luck.

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