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A Plus course · 17 lessons

Let the wave come.

Vibrato is a gentle, regular wave in your pitch. It isn't pushed: it grows from an easy note, steady breath and a free throat. You start straight, learn what a wave feels like, let yours happen, then choose when to use it.

  • 17 lessons, about 3 minutes each
  • Under an hour in all
  • No reading music

Try the first lesson free See the lessons

Still water

By the end, you can

  1. Hold a calm, straight note, the way choirs tune their chords.

  2. Hear a straight tone, an even wave and a wobble apart.

  3. Steer a wave, slow and quick, wide and small.

  4. Let a natural vibrato come, and choose when a song wants it.

Three surfaces

Straight, a wave, a wobble

Straight A calm, steady line. It's how chords ring, and it's light, never a held throat.
A wave An even, gentle wave. Classical singers' vibrato usually runs about 5.5 to 7 a second.
A wobble Slow, wide and uneven. It sounds unsteady, and the course never calls it vibrato.

The app draws your voice as you sing, so you can see a wave you can't yet hear in yourself.

Calm water

Never force it

Vibrato grows by itself from an easy note, sung softly. Never force a wave, or shake it from your jaw or throat.

  • An easy volume, in the middle of your voice.
  • Jaw, tongue and belly still.
  • Steered wave drills about five minutes at a time, then a rest.
  • If your voice shakes when you speak too, that isn't vibrato. A doctor can check it.

Stepping stones

From a straight note to your own wave

4 units, 17 lessons

  1. Stage 1Unit 1

    Swing and settle

    Swing your voice, an easy long note, a calm straight line, and hearing the difference.

    1. Swing your voice Free
    2. The easy long note
    3. A calm, straight line
    4. Hear the difference
    5. Straight through a line

  2. Stage 2Unit 2

    Steer the wave

    Steer a wave: slow to quicker, smaller, echoing the guide, then on a tune.

    1. Slow to quicker
    2. Smaller waves
    3. Echo the guide
    4. Wave a tune

  3. Stage 3Unit 3

    Let it happen

    Let the wave settle on its own, on easy vowels, then in Shenandoah.

    1. The ghost wave
    2. Vowels and places
    3. Your vibrato
    4. The rolling river

  4. Stage 4Unit 4

    Choose it

    Choose it: start straight and let it bloom, on and off, and The Water Is Wide.

    1. Straight, then bloom
    2. On and off
    3. One line, two styles
    4. The water is wide

Wade in

Swing your voice

Softly, in the middle of your voice. Stop if anything tightens or hurts.

  1. Start here. Hum softly on "mm", at a comfortable note.

  2. Swing your hum slowly up a little and back down, like a gentle swing, a few times.

  3. Then settle on one easy note and hold it, calm and straight. Keep your jaw and belly still.

  4. If a small wave comes by itself near the end, let it. If it doesn't, that's fine too.

Lesson 1 draws your swing as a wave on the screen, then listens to your easy note and tells you if a natural vibrato showed up.

What the app listens for

The app hears how steady your note's centre is, how fast and wide any wave is, how even it is, and when it starts. Your jaw and belly are yours to check.

Each lesson earns up to three stars and XP, and on the steered drills a combo counts your even waves in a row. Wider never earns more.The same lesson shows the plain measure instead, such as "Straight for 7 of 8 seconds", with no stars or rewards.

Vibrato's first lesson, Swing your voice: a wavy line, and three steps: hum softly, swing up and down, then settle on one easy note. Vibrato's first lesson, Swing your voice: a wavy line, and three steps: hum softly, swing up and down, then settle on one easy note.
A calm, straight line: a held "oo" drawn flat along its target, and Hear yourself saying "Straight for 4 of 4 seconds." A calm, straight line: a held "oo" drawn flat along its target, and Hear yourself saying "Straight for 4 of 4 seconds."

Ripples

About the wave

On the bank

Before you begin

Who it's for

  • Singers whose long notes sound flat and lifeless, or shaky.
  • Choir singers who need a straight tone, and soloists who want a wave: you learn both.
  • Anyone who has wondered whether they have a vibrato, and what to do about it.

What you need

  • A quiet spot where you can sing softly.
  • A few minutes at a time: the wave drills are short on purpose.
  • No reading music: you see your voice as a line and the guide as a ribbon.

The songs

  • Amazing Grace Public domain hymn (words 1779, tune 1829)
  • Shenandoah Traditional, public domain
  • The Water Is Wide Traditional, public domain

Singing it safely

  • Keep your jaw, tongue and belly still: a wave is never shaken in. Sing at a medium volume, in the middle of your voice.
  • Stop if anything tightens, tickles or hurts. Don't practise when hoarse or ill.
  • If your voice shakes when you speak too, that isn't vibrato. A doctor can check it.

Questions

Questions

How long does it take?

17 lessons of about 3 minutes, under an hour in all. A natural vibrato can take longer to settle than the course does, so come back to the later lessons.

Is it safe for my voice?

Yes, sung softly. Never force a wave or shake it from your jaw, keep the steered drills short, and stop if anything tightens. If your voice shakes when you speak too, a doctor can check it.

Do I need to read music?

No. You hear each exercise from a guide and see your voice drawn as a line.

What if no vibrato comes?

That's fine. A calm, straight tone always counts, and many voices find their wave later, from the same easy note.

What does it cost?

Lesson 1 is free, with no account needed. The rest is part of Plus; saving your progress takes a free account.

Let it come

Let it happen

Lesson 1 takes about three minutes: swing your voice, settle on one easy note, and watch your voice drawn as you sing.

No account needed to try it. Saving your progress takes a free account.

Try the first lesson free See Plus

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