Sept. 1, 2013: Vibrato Issues: Part 1: The Diaphragmatic Vibrato Have you ever observed a singer sustaining a high note with a pulsating or shaking body, usually connected with a false or incorrect vibrato response? Did you ever wonder why a singer would not know what the problem is or how to fix it? This is a common problem, mainly amoung larger-voiced singers. Some call it a pulsing diaphragmatic vibrato, which can distort pitch, shorten the breath line, disturb legato singing, create a gag reflex at the tongue-root, and basically shorten a singer’s healthy years of singing. I remember hearing a dramatic tenor in a production several years ago and every high note was flat and out of tune. His entire body pulsated wildly, yet he seemed powerless to control his voice and anchor into his body. There are many singers out there who do this only on occasional high pitches, especially in sustaining them. An out of control diaphragmatic vibrato is a terrible problem for the singer, robbing them of healthy vocalism and beating on the vocal self-esteem. The cause of the diaphragmatic vibrato can be multiple (1) confusing support with locking the solar plexus (2) locked tongue-root, which in turn locks the glottis, making balanced breathflow impossible (3) forward thrust of the jaw, which disturbs healthy phonation, therefore inviting the body to go into a panic reflex by locking the solar plexus area (4) being taught this most dysfunctional way of ‘creating’ a vibrato (5) the larger-voiced, smaller-bodied person reacting to trying to ‘support’ a larger voice with a smaller body (6) lack of laryngeal tilt, which causes the tongue to lock the glottis, forcing the singer to push more and more air pressure to phonate (7) transitioning into dramatic repertoire too early in development and (8) lack of lower abdominal engagement. Large-voiced male singers are especially prone to this most disturbing vocal issue. When any singer develops it, he/she seems to be cluless as to how to fix it, so the problem becomes larger and larger. I once taught a tenor from Mexico who had sung in many larger opera houses. At age 35 (when the voice should be at its peak of maturity) he developed this pulsating vibrato. His upper body shook violently when trying to sustain higher pitches, and he came to me desperate to fix this problem. We accomplished fixing this problem using one of the exercises explained in the paragraph below. The solution: The solution to the diaphragmatic vibrato is quite simple, but it can take time and patience to correct. Lindquest used two floor exercises to equalize the body resistance so that the even airflow could be realized when phonating. The first exercise involves lying on the floor face upward with the knees bent to protect the lower back. As the singer vocalises, he/she is to feel a slight pressure in the lower lumbar region, as though the lumbars are slightly pressing into the floor. This helps to accomplish the vital coordination between the lower abdominals and the lower lumbars. This helps to regulate the slow even upward motion of the diaphragm, which should be realized when singing. NOTE: ANY locking of the solar plexus area disturbs the upward natural swing of the diaphragm.) The second exercise Lindquest used was similar only facing downward toward the floor. He had me ly on the floor face down with my hands under my forehead. Then when I sang, I could feel the perfect antagonistic pull between the upper and lower abdominal wall, which evens the outward flow of air. We sing on the perfect little airstream, not a lot of breath pressure. Usually one of these two exercises works, but probably the ‘face downward’ exercise will work most efficiently with a singer who has a history of a diaphragmatic vibrato. The Locked Solar Plexus: There is quite a destructive type of instruction I call the ‘fist in the stomach’ approach to creating body resistance. It absolutely destroys healthy vocalism and if you know any teacher who teaches this concept, I advise that you avoid them at all cost. When the fist is placed in the middle of the solar plexus area, it causes the middle of the solar plexuse to knot or make a fist. This locks healthy diaphragmatic motion and therefore locks the tongue, placing direct pressure on the vocal folds. Healthy airflow is completely distorted and the singer begins to suffer from almost every vocal problem you can imagine. The PROPER way to deal with the solar plexus is to accomplish the EAST-WEST stretch of it (the obliques). I have the singer place hands directly below the ribs and feel and east-west stretch at phonation while sustaining the musical phrase. It may take the singer time to accomplish this, but he/she will find an even airflow and and a release of the solar plexus when it is accomplished. This is a flexible stretch, NOT a locking of the muscularture. I tell singers that ALL support is elastic and IF it ceases to be elastic, it is too much pressure and leads to throaty singing. Dramatic Soprano: Several years ago, I taught a dramatic soprano who developed a diaphragmatic vibrato, basically from singing too heavily with too much breath compression and not enough release. She was a career singer and wanted very must to solve this uncomfortable issue. We worked for 6 weeks, working slowly and methodically. She stabilized her airflow using the east-west stretch of the solar plexus area. She began to learn that more sound did not mean locking, but it meant more controlled airflow, increasing it with elasticity. This was a meaningful time for her, because she removed the push reflex from her body. I once heard a Birgit Nilsson master class when Ms. Nilsson said, “Even in the loudest phrases I only give 90% of my volume. I save 10% of my voice for myself, ALWAYS!” Listen to the large voice of Melchior. He never used a pulsating or diaphragmatic vibrato, even in his later years. I you have suffered from a diaphragmatic vibrato or know a singer who has, it can be solved. But the singer must be instructed in how to think directionally. Have a nice day! David
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:22:33 +0000
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