Vibrato

shaunm

He is the only person I've seen do it that way. I tried it and I just can't get any control that way.

xSkarloey

MatthewShreddery said:

It's one of the hardest techniques to master.

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!

String gauges around 9/10 help.

Be sure to allow your fretting hand thumb to come over the top of the fingerboard - baseball bat grip - this will enable you to squeeze the neck by opposing the thumb with the fingers, making bending easier.

I've always found myself instinctively doing that 'thumb over the top' thing too. It helps no end. 

I think practising certain phrases and licks that incorporate vibrato on a bend will help a lot. It helps train the ear and develop 'muscle memory' I suppose. 

Paul Kossoff was an absolute master of the technique you describe. it might be worth you hunting down a few Youtube vids of him with Free to get inspiration/ ideas, assuming you like the music. 

Clarky

viz said:

Clarky said:

Gurthie's technique demonstrates the method is pointed out in my previous post..

bending and vibrato come from a rotation of the wrist

Exactly. It reminds me of one of those executive toy stainless steel galloping horses that rock on a plinth. Clapton's method of letting go of the neck and pulling down almost from the elbow is really odd and uncontrollable, it reminds me of someone bouncing on a tightrope. I like doing Vai's method, it reminds me of how my dentist used to tell me to brush my teeth.

imho, one of the things that really sets apart the guys that sound really polished and "pro" and those that don't is bending / vibrato.. the other thing is timing / phrasing..

I've seen Satch fan legato shredder types make an instantaneous leap from expert to noob as soon as they either hit a long note to bend / vib, or drop out of a solo to riff.. all that "ooooh.. aaaahhhh... wowwww.." just comes tumbling off in a heartbeat..

shaunm

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Skarloey;659247" said:

MatthewShreddery said:

It's one of the hardest techniques to master.PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!

String gauges around 9/10 help.Be sure to allow your fretting hand thumb to come over the top of the fingerboard - baseball bat grip - this will enable you to squeeze the neck by opposing the thumb with the fingers, making bending easier.












I've always found myself instinctively doing that 'thumb over the top' thing too. It helps no end. 

I think practising certain phrases and licks that incorporate vibrato on a bend will help a lot. It helps train the ear and develop 'muscle memory' I suppose. 

Paul Kossoff was an absolute master of the technique you describe. it might be worth you hunting down a few Youtube vids of him with Free to get inspiration/ ideas, assuming you like the music. 

I am a massive fan of Kossoff. Frankly his playing on "come together in the morning" is amongst the finest playing I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. A lot of that playing has to do with the way he uses his vibrato. He is a perfect example of where A few choice notes can sound so powerful.

Clarky;659252" said:

viz said:



Clarky said:

Gurthie's technique demonstrates the method is pointed out in my previous post..bending and vibrato come from a rotation of the wrist







Exactly. It reminds me of one of those executive toy stainless steel galloping horses that rock on a plinth. Clapton's method of letting go of the neck and pulling down almost from the elbow is really odd and uncontrollable, it reminds me of someone bouncing on a tightrope. I like doing Vai's method, it reminds me of how my dentist used to tell me to brush my teeth.





imho, one of the things that really sets apart the guys that sound really polished and "pro" and those that don't is bending / vibrato.. the other thing is timing / phrasing..I've seen Satch fan legato shredder types make an instantaneous leap from expert to noob as soon as they either hit a long note to bend / vib, or drop out of a solo to riff.. all that "ooooh.. aaaahhhh... wowwww.." just comes tumbling off in a heartbeat..

I could not agree more! I am not really into the shred type players but you are so right.
A lot of players concentrate on the solos and the tricks and when it comes to the basics such as chords and riffs it all comes tumbling down. String bends and vibrato is

Clarky

haaaa... count the minutes in the live set that you spend soloing.. and then count the rest when you ain't..

then consider what's really important to be good at first and foremost..

shaunm

A really satisfying moment today - the practise is starting to pay off.

My bends are getting smoother (not every time yet) and my vibrato on those bends is improving.

I am finding that I do better when I almost shake to guitar on those vibrato bends as well as bending from my wrist.

As a result of this practice my vibrato on normal notes seems to have become a touch more controlled.

thomasross20

The only problem I ever have with vibrato is when I read threads like this and then over-think it! 

shaunm

I guess I am going through the practice enough so that I don't have to think about it phase.

thomasross20

I don't think I ever practised it - unfortunately one of the only areas I've not had to think lol

shaunm

I never did until I really slowed down my playing and picked on the small details.

shaunm

So to practice this I've been playing Need your love so bad over and over tonight.
It's really easy to hear my vibrato flaws on this track. So it's great to try and get this song clean. Its also a great track for practising my phrasing and timing.

Any other song ideas to work on this technique?

thomasross20

I applaud your effort on this. Maybe I should look at mine in more detail. 

I agree about people wanting to play fast flashy lines but falling apart with chords or slower lines etc... 

I don't mind a bit of flash but I'm getting less "turned on" by it as such. I'd rather evoke emotion than "wow"! (Not that I invoke much haha!)

xSkarloey

shaunm;661781" said:

So to practice this I've been playing Need your love so bad over and over tonight.
It's really easy to hear my vibrato flaws on this track. So it's great to try and get this song clean. Its also a great track for practising my phrasing and timing.

Any other song ideas to work on this technique?

Yes. There's another PG Mac track called "I loved another woman" which is straightforward to play but very hard to get 'right' and as sweet as he plays it with the vibrato and bends.

Clarky

shaunm said:

So to practice this I've been playing Need your love so bad over and over tonight.
It's really easy to hear my vibrato flaws on this track. So it's great to try and get this song clean. Its also a great track for practising my phrasing and timing.

Any other song ideas to work on this technique?

try to think of vibrato as being lots of small bends played one after the other..

the technique is therefore just the same for bending and vibrato..

rotation from the wrist with the part of your hand between the thumb and first finger being the fulcrum against the underside of the neck.. when you nail that, you'll find it easy to play all kinds of vibrato styles.. from shallow / quick to slow / wide.. and also, it's easier to apply 'timing' to the vibrato too.. like when you want it to be in 1/8 note time or triplet time etc..

using this rotation technique recruits far bigger muscles in the forearm to do the job.. this means that you have far more power available than is needed.. the outcome is far more / better control

axisus

My vibrato on a bent note is so embarrassing that I never do it! I had to avoid it totally during my formative guitar playing years as the pressure would cause my weak ring finger nail to separate from the nail bed. Very painful and at least 2 weeks to get over! 

In the past 5 years or so I have finally gotten over the nail problem (only took 25 years!). Vibrato on non-bent notes is OK, but to be honest the bent note thing just feels too much like old dog new trick to me now. I do marvel at the beautiful sound some people get though.

Clarky

axisus said:

My vibrato on a bent note is so embarrassing that I never do it! I had to avoid it totally during my formative guitar playing years as the pressure would cause my weak ring finger nail to separate from the nail bed. Very painful and at least 2 weeks to get over! 

In the past 5 years or so I have finally gotten over the nail problem (only took 25 years!). Vibrato on non-bent notes is OK, but to be honest the bent note thing just feels too much like old dog new trick to me now. I do marvel at the beautiful sound some people get though.

on the G-string, try pulling downwards rather than pushing up

on the B and E strings you have no choice but to push upwards..

use more than one finger together [like the 1st, 2nd and 3rd] so they support each other..

for upwards bends, cock out your elbow about a foot or more from the side of your body for better leverage and as you bend, whilst rotating the wrist, bring in your elbow a little towards the body.. more muscle involved = less effort experienced = more control

axisus said:

My vibrato on a bent note is so embarrassing that I never do it! I had to avoid it totally during my formative guitar playing years as the pressure would cause my weak ring finger nail to separate from the nail bed. Very painful and at least 2 weeks to get over! 

In the past 5 years or so I have finally gotten over the nail problem (only took 25 years!). Vibrato on non-bent notes is OK, but to be honest the bent note thing just feels too much like old dog new trick to me now. I do marvel at the beautiful sound some people get though.

shaunm

@axisus - what you have just described is what I have been trying to put right. I felt exactly the same.

I have just kept going because I know I am not a fast player, I'm not a technical player and I don't have lots of technique but the one thing I love is the sound of a great vibrato so I thought I'd try hard to nail that. Its coming along, I have to really concentrate to get it at the moment but it will grow up eventually.

I have also been playing 25 years.

thomasross20

Aha, here's one lot of my vibrato live - you can see my wrist rotating so I must be doing it the right way lol:

Clarky

from that vid, I'd say your bending and vib techniques look perfectly fine to me

from a personal taste standpoint, I prefer the vib in a rock / metal setting to be a little slower and wider.. "man vib"

thomasross20

I think Neil Schon (?) did the vibrato on that quite quickly so my excuse is I'm trying to emulate it... 

But I think really that's my vibrato! I do think I can do it nice and slow - will check next time I play - like I say, it's not something I think about.