Bar shiver

Chris Dorch · From: Wisconsin, USA

I have been trying to find some good instruction/techniques for this but I am afraid that it has come with wide variations of opinons. So, let me as this question...

Would bar shiver be best attained by rolling or sliding?

Yes, I know there are other factors involved with acheiving this skill. Does anyone have a simple practice routine for the bar shiver?

Thanks...

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Rolling would be the "preferred" method, just a rolling is the preferred method for vibrato as you maintain your position and intonation at the fret.

However, do as I say, not as I do Cool

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Having no one to instruct me.........'correctly'.....

I merely stiff armed the bar with my left hand and then shook or shivered the entire wrist at whatever velocity I might choose........ Never had to practice any of this. It's only an affect....not a style; (or, is it?) Embarassed

Bill Howard · From: Indiana, USA

I have heard a LOT of Players that use WAY to much Bar shiver if you watch a pro notice nice clean notes bar shiver should be used on a slow sustain (in my opinion don't kill me over this).
To much bar shiver starts sounding like a Hawaiian Wedding dance, not used right it also can sound out of tune, it takes a LOT of practice to use it like John Hughey did. Bigsby tail piece on a guitar same applies

John Roche · From: England

I remember John Hughey saying that he did not roll the bar but slid it back and forth.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

absolutely and obviously...sliding..!

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Also sliding.And trying to use vibrato the way good singers do.

Brett Lanier · From: Madison, TN

I think it depends on the tempo of the song, and also the overall intonation of the band.

For learning, I'd try to pick up the technique from whoever you're trying to emulate the most. The best players seem to have a technique different from each other. It looks like Franklin strictly rolls the bar, Emmons rolls & slides a lot sometimes, and Lloyd Green has a pretty steady hand.

Chris Dorch · From: Wisconsin, USA

Thanks for all the advice...

I'll keep pluggin' away at it..

Cheers..

John Groover McDuffie · From: LA California, USA

I use shiver mostly in combination with sliding and pedal action for what I think of as the classic John Hughey lick, so it is of necessity sliding rather than rolling in that situation. If used in a static bar position it would really be a fast vibrato, but it still seems that sliding the bar is easier that rolling it for fast vibrato. For slow vibrato I like rolling the bar.

I notice that Hawaiian style players seem to use a sliding vibrato more than a rolling vibrato.

Jack Ritter · From: Enid, Oklahoma, USA

I do it the Hughey way .
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John Groover McDuffie · From: LA California, USA

Well can you decribe what the Hughey way is?

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

What Groover said
To my ear there are two types of bar shiver
We're NOT talking about vibrato here. Agreed, John Hughey was the master of that slow smooth, bar rolling vibrato. But what I THINK we're talking about is a very fast movement that (in the John Hughey case) is often accompanied by a descending chord movement -- for example, start at 18A+F --shiver while sliding down to 15 no pedals --shiver while sliding down to 10A+B -- all on 3,4,5 strings. That's one type -- and I've seen John play close up several times and he did GRIP the bar and shiver -- not roll. His vibrato was always rolled, as far as I could see.

The second type I hear often in contemporary country recordings -- it's kind of a signature Paul Franklin thing. Play 5,6 (or 5,4) and milk the A pedal while shivering. It's more punctuated and punchy but also requires gripping the bar which makes rolling the bar difficult if not impossible. You also hear Joaquin Murphey, Speedy West, and other western swing players shiver the bar.

Just my take on it. FWIW.

From what I've observed bar shiver is most always done by sliding, not rolling, the bar. Again, FWIW.
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Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

To me, "bar shiver" is what I get in the winter when I descend into my sub-basement music den, and pick up my freezing-cold tonebar, cover my body and legs with a blanket, and hope my fingers don't freeze before I can play any steel. Sad

That's one of the reasons I changed to a Tribo-Tone bar: it's plastic and it's always warm even in the coldest of weathers. Very Happy

Sorry for diverting the conversation.... Embarassed

Danny Bates · From: Fresno, CA. USA

In the old days my bar shiver got pretty bad if the gig was too early in the day. Amazingly, I discovered the correct medicine was a couple of strong Bloody Marys for breakfast... Pow!... feeling good and no more problem! Smile

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

I'll drink to that one, Danny. We can shiver in the bar together. Very Happy

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