Vibrato
Any tips to help students who have tried the techniques in the vibrato lessons and are still having difficulty playing the vibrato? Thanks.
Hello David. When I try the vibrato, I bend the note and can't seem to hold the bend and start the vibrato. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Alright, we're getting there Lou. So you're trying to perform a vibrato (not a throat tremolo) and when bending, say down to 3' (3 draw half step bend) you're unable to hold the 3' at pitch when starting the vibrato process?
If this is the case, then focus on the following three things...
1) The throat tremolo must continue while trying to create the vibrato (the standard tremolo... where your vocal folds are opening and closing)
2) The back of your mouth (throat and back of tongue) must remain relaxed so that they can be influenced by the changing pressure in your mouth created by the throat tremolo (this is what causes the pitch to change in a vibrato)
3) Focus on producing, and holding, the bend with the middle-front of your tongue so that the back of your mouth is relaxed.
If any of these elements are not there, then the technique will fail.
I recommend you focus on the tremolo first, this way you only need to focus on keeping the throat tremolo going while you hold a bend. Extra tension with your tongue is no longer an issue since you're not focusing on changing pitch for the vibrato. After you have a reliable throat tremolo in a bend you can then focus on relaxing the back of your mouth to start experimenting with the vibrato.
Thanks David.
Sure, keep me posted
Hello Lou. What can I specifically help you with?