Vibrato practice piece. Take the first step toward becoming a great singer!
Among karaoke lovers, many people are probably thinking, “I want to become a better singer.” While researching how to improve your singing, quite a few of you may also be thinking, “I want to master vibrato.” Vibrato refers to a singing technique that oscillates pitch and/or volume up and down, and it enhances expressiveness in your singing.
In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of songs that are perfect for practicing vibrato.
Different artists and songs feature various styles of vibrato, so study many performances and use them as material to help you improve.
We look forward to the day you showcase your wonderful singing.
- Songs that make it easy to practice vibrato / Recommended songs for those who want to practice
- Vibrato practice piece. Take the first step toward becoming a great singer!
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- I want to sing songs that use a lot of falsetto—tracks that are also good for practicing falsetto at karaoke.
Vibrato practice pieces. Take your first step toward great singing! (21–30)
Roses and Rosesakaiyuu
Released in 2010, this is one of Yu Sakai’s signature songs.
It’s an R&B-flavored mid-tempo ballad that’s easy to groove to—some of you may have heard it before.
The melody has pronounced contrasts—narrative lines, bouncy phrases, then sustained long tones—making it easy to focus on adding vibrato to the tail ends of notes.
The smooth, distinctive transitions from chest voice to falsetto are notable as well, along with a technique of gently shaking the voice.
If you sing while really feeling the groove in your body, vibrato should come naturally.
In fact, leaning into the groove a bit exaggeratedly might be just right!
I LOVE YOUkurisu haato
Chris Hart’s “I LOVE YOU” has a constant, overall vibrato feel.
It’s a great match as a vibrato practice piece! Because the range is very wide—from A#2 to D5—if you adjust it to a key that suits your voice, you might master vibrato just by mimicking the vibe as you sing.
In general, when adding vibrato in higher ranges, you need to use more breath and diaphragm support than you think, so it will likely be difficult at first.
That said, the gently entering melody line in the first verse has vibrato at the end of every phrase.
Start by consciously adding a slight wobble right as you land on the note, and try to “place” your voice as you sing.
fireworksSandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
A mid-tempo ballad with themes of bittersweet love, the end of summer, and lingering aftertaste.
There are many long notes at the ends of phrases, and the structure naturally invites vibrato.
As expected, compared to upbeat songs, melancholic ones bring out a more breathy quality in your voice, so a relaxed ballad is recommended.
When singing, lean slightly forward; it helps release tension in your shoulders and lets your breath flow more easily.
Keeping a gentle singing image is important too.
Try using more breath than you think you need and aim to sing with a beautiful tone.
Lamp of HappinessTamaki Kōji
I think Koji Tamaki is characterized by his deep voice.
In fact, a deep-sounding voice uses a lot of breath, which generally makes it easier to add vibrato, so his songs are highly recommended.
Overdoing a voice imitation can make vibrato difficult, but being somewhat mindful about using breath also helps you relax.
Rather than simply extending the ends of phrases, if you imagine placing the voice and letting it gently waver, you’ll get a slight tremble and a nice vibe.
Try not to belt too much—sing gently.
ALONEB’z
A smash-hit single released in 1991.
Its abundance of long tones, the way the melody sustains, and Inaba’s vocal phrasing all make it a perfect song for practicing vibrato.
Compared to other B’z tracks, there isn’t much shouting, so it seems easier to sing straightforwardly without over-imitating.
The chorus is full of long tones, but instead of adding vibrato right away, it pairs well with the song to hold the note straight for about two seconds, then gently introduce a breathy vibrato.
Since it’s rock, be mindful of the vibrato width, too.
If it’s too wide, it starts to sound like enka-style kobushi; a moderate width—not too small, not too big—is best.
BeautifulSuperfly
A track from Superfly’s fifth original album, WHITE, which was released on May 27, 2015.
Although it wasn’t released as a single, it topped two categories in RecoChoku’s “RecoChoku Awards Monthly Best Songs, June 2015”—the Download (Single) and Chaku-Uta (Ringtone) categories—and also hit No.
1 on iTunes, making it a major hit.
Over an up-tempo, grandly arranged backing track, you can enjoy Shiho Ochi’s very dynamic vocals.
In the relatively soft-sung A melody sections, she skillfully uses a vibrato technique that wavers the pitch over a comparatively broad time axis.
In the chorus’s long sustained notes, she frequently employs straight, powerful high tones, so listen closely to the contrast there.
Personally, I was especially impressed by the use of vibrato on the long tones right after the instrumental break, where the arrangement gets a bit quieter.
If you can master this use of vibrato, your expressive range as a singer will surely expand greatly!
LA・LA・LA LOVE SONG with NAOMI CAMPBELLKubota Toshinobu
It’s Toshinobu Kubota’s 16th single, released on May 13, 1996.
Since it was chosen as the theme song for Fuji TV’s drama “Long Vacation,” which was especially popular even among the massively hyped Monday 9 p.m.
time slot shows of the 1990s, many of you have probably heard it.
In this track, Kubota delivers a masterful vibrato technique—keeping his voice consistently projected while skillfully wavering the pitch on long tones.
Try practicing so that while you let the pitch of your long tones oscillate, your actual vocal production doesn’t become weak.
It may be a slightly advanced choice, but it’s an ideal song for mastering vibrant, high-register long-tone vibrato.