Penny, the vibrato for voice is very misunderstood. (And as you point out, not all voice teachers are good teachers. I've repeatedly quoted my teacher at the Mudcat until people are probably tired of reading about her.click here .)

There is a natural vibrato for the singing voice, and each voice is unique in its vibrato. It is not a wobble or tremble of the voice, which is a forced vibration. For example, you have seen a violinist or guitar player add vibrato to a tone (rapid variation of the pitch) caused by rapidly moving the finger that is pressing down on the string. For a singer, the vibrato is a more natural tremulous effect, since it isn't a deliberate change in pitch like a trill, or as I stated earlier, a wobble or tremble of the voice, which you don't want. Whether with a voice or with an instrument, vibrato adds an expressive richness and depth to the quality of the tone. Whatever you do, you don't want to force an artificial tremble in your voice. Just keep singing, use good breath support and keep the sound from going nasal, sing music in your natural range, learn as much good vocal technique as you can, and eventually you will find your natural vibrato. Here is a website about The Singing Voice (click here).

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