In 2019, Kim Hyuk Gun (김혁건), the vocalist of THE CROSS (더크로스), gave vibrato its own section in the "vocal technique" chapter of his doctoral dissertation, after bel canto and modern scientific vocal technique. And he wrote this conclusion to that section: with steady vocal practice you become able to control the breathing muscles, and vibrato comes on its own.
This is the fifteenth part of the series. It sets out how vibrato works — what trembles, and why it comes with practice. How to actually practice vibrato continues in Part 16.
01.Vibration and Vibrato Are Different
The dissertation first distinguishes the two words.
| Term | The dissertation's explanation |
|---|---|
| Vibration | The vibration itself — the ringing of the vocal folds, that is, sound |
| Vibrato | In musical performance, the technique of making the voice or an instrument waver regularly |
Vibration is in every sound. As seen in Part 5, sound is made only when the vocal folds vibrate. Vibrato is the technique of making that sound tremble by a regular rule. Where vibrato is made also differs from instrument to instrument: on string instruments it comes from how fast the finger moves on the string, and on wind instruments from the control of the breath, the dissertation writes.
02.Tremolo and Vibrato
| Tremolo | Vibrato | |
|---|---|---|
| The dissertation's explanation | A technique of repeating one note. 8 beats, 16 beats, 24 beats, 32 beats and so on | The technique of making the voice waver regularly |
| In classical singing | Distinguished from vibrato | An important singing technique |
A footnote in the dissertation explains tremolo as a way of playing that repeats a note or chord quickly, as if trembling, used mainly in instrumental music. The description of the lesson paired with this part uses the expression "8-, 16- and 24-beat vibrato." The dissertation gives 8, 16, 24 and 32 beats as examples of tremolo, while also writing that vibrato, too, adjusts the beat to the rhythm of the song. This series uses the two terms as the dissertation distinguishes them.
03.What Vibrato Does in Singing
The dissertation names vibrato as an important technique in singing and explains its use like this: adjusting the pitch and beat to the mood and rhythm of the song, and to the emotion of the singer.
In the dissertation's experimental lessons, too, vibrato was covered in session 3, "vocal technique," with lesson 1-4, "Vibration, vibrato" (Part 1, section 05).
04.The Body Always Trembles
The dissertation uses a pencil to explain why vibrato is not hard. The human body is always vibrating and trembling, so just as it is very hard to draw a perfectly straight line with a pencil, making it tremble by a regular rule is easier than making sound with no tremble at all.
Not creating a new tremble, but giving a rule to the tremble already there — that is where vibrato starts, as the dissertation explains it.
05.Vibrato Comes as the Result of Practice
"With steady vocal practice, you become able to control the breathing muscles, and vibrato comes on its own." So the dissertation writes where to look first when vibrato does not come.
| When vibrato does not come | The dissertation's explanation |
|---|---|
| What to check | Suspect whether the breathing muscles are too tense |
| Practice ① | Adjust loud and soft in time with the beat |
| Practice ② | Move the larynx and diaphragm |
The dissertation's background chapter points the same way: the diaphragm enlarges the vibration of the vocal folds, regulates its width and helps create varied, rich tones in singing. Vibrato follows once you can control the muscles that handle the breath — that is the dissertation's conclusion.
06.Today's Practice
Turned into points to check while you practice, what the dissertation and the lesson highlight looks like this.
- Check for tension — If vibrato does not come, first check that the breathing muscles are not too tense (section 05; dissertation p.113).
- Loud and soft in time with the beat — Try adjusting the loudness of one note in time with the beat (section 05; dissertation p.113).
- Listen for vibration versus vibrato — Lesson Ep. 4 explains vibration (vibration) and vibrato (a singing technique) separately (video description).
The lesson to watch with this part is Season 1, Episode 4, "Vibration and Vibrato." Its description lists the distinction between vibration (vibration) and vibrato (a singing technique), and 8-, 16- and 24-beat vibrato. The beat expressions and the dissertation's distinction between the terms are set out in section 02.
07.Where to Go Next
The course from bel canto to scientific vocal technique is in Part 14 · From Bel Canto to Modern Scientific Vocal Technique, and how to practice vibrato and girare, turning the sound, continue in Part 16 · Vibrato Practice and Dollyeonaegi. The songs THE CROSS newly recorded for its 20th anniversary are in THE CROSS 20th Anniversary Project: Poem of the Wind. Lesson videos are in Korean.
The body is already trembling — vibrato comes when the breath gives that tremble a rule.