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  • Vibrato tips

    Hi all!

    I've been playing for about 11 years and only recently have I started to notice the importance and power of a strong vibrato (I know, it's about time). With that, I came to notice how weak mine is!

    Does anyone have any tips or decent exercises for building a strong and uniform vibrato? This goes for both slow and wide ones and for the more butterfly type. Also for bending + vibrato which seems to be extremely hard for me although other players seem to do this effortlessly.

    Right now I'm literally just starting with a metronome and shaking the string really slowly and slowly building up my speed. It helps and it builds a good slow and wide vibrato, however my butterfly vibrato has not changed, still weak and inconsistent.

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions, tips and replies in general!

  • #2
    Re: Vibrato tips

    Sounds like you’re doing the right thing.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Vibrato tips

      Too many guitarists go into 'vibrato autopilot' and end up vibratoing every note that they sustain for more than a second. Pick and choose when to use your vibrato and it has a lot more emotional impact. Also, don't just start vibratoing right away when a note is played . . . let the note ring out for a bit and ramp up your vibrato at the end, this gives a much more vocal sound.

      Not that I'm particularly good at either, but these are things I've been trying to remind myself lately. :P
      Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

      Originally posted by Douglas Adams
      This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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      • #4
        Re: Vibrato tips

        Originally posted by GuitarStv View Post
        Too many guitarists go into 'vibrato autopilot' and end up vibratoing every note that they sustain for more than a second. Pick and choose when to use your vibrato and it has a lot more emotional impact. Also, don't just start vibratoing right away when a note is played . . . let the note ring out for a bit and ramp up your vibrato at the end, this gives a much more vocal sound.

        Not that I'm particularly good at either, but these are things I've been trying to remind myself lately. :P
        I am totally guilty of this-guitar AND vox.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Vibrato tips

          Originally posted by GuitarStv View Post
          Too many guitarists go into 'vibrato autopilot' and end up vibratoing every note that they sustain for more than a second. Pick and choose when to use your vibrato and it has a lot more emotional impact. Also, don't just start vibratoing right away when a note is played . . . let the note ring out for a bit and ramp up your vibrato at the end, this gives a much more vocal sound.

          Not that I'm particularly good at either, but these are things I've been trying to remind myself lately. :P
          This happens a lot. I'd listen to good singers, instead. Not Broadway or Stevie Nicks 'electric goat' singers, either.
          Administrator of the SDUGF

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          • #6
            Re: Vibrato tips

            Nice thanks for the useful tips!, will bear this in mind! But in terms of developing the muscle memory of a good vibrato in the first place, do you know any exercises or routines that can come in handy?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Vibrato tips

              DON’T do it like Zakk Wylde.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Vibrato tips

                First thing about vibrato is there are no rules. Different players do it different ways & the players who are known for having great vibrato (Yngwie, Blackmore, Marty Friedman, Angus Young, BB King etc..) always have a distinctive vibrato of their own (different from each other's) that's often a big part of what makes them sound like they do. It's there to accentuate what your'e playing...ie make it more musical & expressive and to hopefully give it a more personal stamp.

                I kinda find it hilarious when I hear of people trying to mentally count/time their vibrato like tap tempo of something. There's no better way to instantly sound wooden/clinical imo..but eh, to each their own. Unfortunately that's the sad state guitar playing has got to these days..you get everything else out a book..so why not vibrato? Well too bad, but it doesn't really work that way.

                The best thing to do is to genuinely feel what your'e playing. Develop one's ear so it's sensitive to pitch & the notes being played 'cause good players aren't thinking about their vibrato (as they play) at all..it just happens naturally...

                Don't know what styles you're into but jamming the blues is a great way to get your'e feel quotient up...vibrato, bends and all.
                Last edited by Phantasmagoria; 12-19-2019, 06:03 AM.
                "Less is less, more is more...how can less be more?" ~Yngwie J Malmsteen

                I did it my way ~ Frank Sinatra

                Originally posted by Rodney Gene
                If you let your tone speak for itself you'll find alot less people join the conversation.


                Youtube

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                • #9
                  Re: Vibrato tips

                  Originally posted by formula73 View Post
                  DON’T do it like Zakk Wylde.
                  Unless of course you want to sound killer.

                  Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

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                  • #10
                    Re: Vibrato tips

                    Originally posted by Demanic View Post
                    Unless of course you want to sound killer.

                    Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk
                    To each his own. I think ZW is like the guitarist version of a professional wrestler.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Vibrato tips

                      Originally posted by formula73 View Post
                      To each his own. I think ZW is like the guitarist version of a professional wrestler.
                      And no one likes professional wrestling.

                      Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

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                      • #12
                        Re: Vibrato tips

                        Originally posted by Demanic View Post
                        And no one likes professional wrestling.

                        Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk
                        Lol point taken.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Vibrato tips

                          Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                          This happens a lot. I'd listen to good singers, instead. Not Broadway or Stevie Nicks 'electric goat' singers, either.
                          Or Michael Sweet.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Vibrato tips

                            Originally posted by Demanic View Post
                            Unless of course you want to sound killer.

                            Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk
                            Agreed...I think his vibrato is awesome. Not for every single application mind you, but awesome nonetheless.
                            When you hear it you automatically know who the player is.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Vibrato tips

                              Zack seems to get a lot of crap online. But I like his sound, he's got good stage presence and he knows how to poke fun at himself.

                              Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

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