Quick "vibrato" rant

[Gas-man]

Just listening to some pedal sound clips.

Must every other danged note be throttled with vibrato? :NUTS

What did the note ever do to you, anyway? You can just let it sit there and enjoy a little peace? You have to shake the crap out of it? :messedup

Is that what "playing with soul" means? :jo

Let the note be! :puh

Rant over.

[realityczech]

Esp. when demoing a tremelo pedal with a Strat thru a vintage Fender amp using both the Vibrato and Reverb eh?!?

[darth_vader]

One of the biggest things I've learned so far about playing guitar is when NOT to use vibrato. I actually picked it up from singing when my teacher pointed out that if you put vibrato on every note or word, it completely loses its impact. Now I've transferred that over to my guitar playing and it's made a HUGE difference.

[decay-o-caster]

I can't decide whether my mosquito-like vibrato on the minor 3rd of the scale that I always use no matter what, or whether it's the one stupid little lick I seem to be unable to stop playing every 8 seconds in any solo in any style, but one of those two things is the most annoying thing about my playing. :( I'm thinking it's the vibrato.

[BadCat]

this is a bad habit that I can't seem to shake, makes me cringe whenever I listen to a recording of myself

[drfrankencopter]

If you can't give up vibrato entirely, then there's the option of trying to make it different...use it as the expressive device it's intended to be. Fast, slow, shallow, wide, rythmically pulsed, steady, accelerating, decelerating.

Try classical style vibrato where you can make the note go flat instead of only sharp.

I tend to use too much vibrato too...but I only really notice it when the vibrato that I've chosen doesn't mate up well with the part of the song that I'm playing it in.

Cheers

Kris

[BIGGERSTAFF]

Just listening to some pedal sound clips.

Must every other danged note be throttled with vibrato? :NUTS

What did the note ever do to you, anyway? You can just let it sit there and enjoy a little peace? You have to shake the crap out of it? :messedup

Is that what "playing with soul" means? :jo

Let the note be! :puh

Rant over.

I don't have a problem with vibrato. I DO have a problem with bad vibrato.

[rwe333]

Using the same vibrato sound/approach over-and-over is as distracting as having no vibrato or having poor vibrato. Be musical, phrase intentionally, vary approaches...

[greggorypeccary]

It's funny, whenever I see these vibrato threads I realize that vibrato is something that I never even think about, and I rarely notice it in the playing of others (unless it's really obvious, like shaking every note really fast.)

Hmmm, makes me wonder if mine is "good" or not.

[SGNick]

Angus Young.... MMmmmmmm....


Sorry, any discussion about vibrato immediately sends me on a mental journey through the AC/DC Catalog...

[jaycee]

It's funny, whenever I see these vibrato threads I realize that vibrato is something that I never even think about, and I rarely notice it in the playing of others (unless it's really obvious, like shaking every note really fast.)

Hmmm, makes me wonder if mine is "good" or not.

You have to hear a recording of yourself in order to really get it. When i first noticed my 'over-vibrato' technique i was mortified. It's just something you have to realize and then be conscious of. Then you can take control of the note instead of it controlling you!

[Ed DeGenaro]

Just listening to some pedal sound clips.

Must every other danged note be throttled with vibrato? :NUTS

What did the note ever do to you, anyway? You can just let it sit there and enjoy a little peace? You have to shake the crap out of it? :messedup

Is that what "playing with soul" means? :jo

Let the note be! :puh

Rant over.
Because unless we talk mondo gain and/or compression the actual physical motion of the vibrato, the "bowing" the string against the fret keeps the note going longer, that's why. What you do with it is anothe story.

[greggorypeccary]

You have to hear a recording of yourself in order to really get it. When i first noticed my 'over-vibrato' technique i was mortified. It's just something you have to realize and then be conscious of. Then you can take control of the note instead of it controlling you!

So I guess if I don't notice it, it mustn't be too bad then.

[snacker]

guitarists seem to forget that vibrato is meant to shape a note, which means varying the speed and depth of a finger vibrato - think.....elvis costellos voice

[6Tones]

More importantly can you ask the opera singers to spot vib. every note first! :puh

[jtm622]

As far as modern electric guitar playing goes GOOD finger Vibrato is what separates the men from the boys, IMO. GOOD finger vibrato is MORE than just shaking the sh#t out of a note while one bends it slightly "sharp", and it takes years of practice to get it right. That said, OVERUSED and really BAD finger vibrato seems to be everywhere these days... "Nervous and consistently tonally sharp" seems to be the norm for vibrato - not the exception. Give me some Old School Schenker - he does it right, IMO.