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Post new topic Vibrato in tempo?
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Author Topic:  Vibrato in tempo?
Greg Vincent


From:
Folsom, CA USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2005 10:23 am    
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Hi folks,

Every once in awhile my vibrato sounds the way I want it to for a few fleeting, magical moments, then it's back to the same old deliberate, mechanical sound I'm used to. I'm trying to home in on what makes a vibrato good or bad. It should sound like a good singer's voice.

So I'm wondering this: should my vibrato be in tempo with the song --some multiple of the beat? Whether it's 8th notes, 16th notes, or some triplet multiple, is it important to have that movement correspond closely to the tempo?

-GV

[This message was edited by Greg Vincent on 12 January 2005 at 10:28 AM.]

[This message was edited by Greg Vincent on 12 January 2005 at 01:03 PM.]

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Rick Aiello


From:
Berryville, VA USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2005 12:00 pm    
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Probably more than anyone wants to know ...

Rhythmic Aspects of Vibrato ...

From the summary :

Quote:
An attempt to answer the question whether vibrato rate is adapted to tempo was made. A first indication of this relation is the confirmed relation between tempo and vibrato rate for instruments with a low vibrato rate. A second indication is the increasing vibrato rate towards the end of notes for all participants except the participant with highest vibrato rate (the theremin). Meter was found to be target of synchronization for the instruments that showed some scaling of vibrato rate with tempo.


But it makes good bathroom reading...

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Bobby Lee


From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2005 12:03 pm    
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Yes, vibrato should be in time. Usually 16th notes, but in shuffles it's 8th note triplets.
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Rick Schmidt


From:
Prescott AZ, USA
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2005 2:26 pm    
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Greg...this is all good advice! In my experience, the best trick for learning how to develope a great vibrato is to seriously concentrate on playing WITHOUT any vibrato at all for awhile. Whatever tuning method you employ all goes out the window when you start wiggling your bar. IMO vibrato should be used sparingly as an expressional tool, not as a constant fact of life in everything you play. I think the only real deliberate vibrato I use might be the occational extreme bar shiver an C&W ballads. Other than that, it's evolved pretty naturally. BTW, I've noticed that alot of what it is that other musicians don't like about the steel guitar is their stereotyped idea of our tendency to overuse vibrato.
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Klaus Caprani


From:
Copenhagen, Denmark
Post  Posted 12 Jan 2005 2:39 pm    
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I try to use a technique "fading" the vibrato in at low rate and gradually speed it up as the note wears off (and my volume swells), approximately as a routined vocalist would attempt.
I have the same "golden" moments which often coincides with the events where I succesfully manages to roll the bar instead of sliding it back and forth in a more slide-guitar like fashion.
Just my two cents. I'm fairly new to this so don't take my word for it.

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Klaus Caprani

MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4
www.klauscaprani.com

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Wayne Franco

 

From:
silverdale, WA. USA
Post  Posted 17 Jan 2005 1:04 pm    
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Listen to the drummers symbals (High hat ?) and time your licks and vibrato to that. Seems to really "cement" the rhythum in the band.
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Greg Vincent


From:
Folsom, CA USA
Post  Posted 18 Jan 2005 10:45 am    
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Thanks guys --great advice! I'm gonna pay more attention to the rate of my vibrato now.

-GV
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Scott Appleton


From:
Ashland, Oregon
Post  Posted 18 Jan 2005 8:49 pm    
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The Vibrato saves my life every night I play. if you dont use it you will be out of tune a bunch. Some of those uisons and chord variation just have to be wiggled into tune.
Can't play wtihout it .. wiggle that bar.

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Mullen S12 Almost Mooney
71 Tele, Regal 45
Sho Bud S10 NP
Line 6 Flextone 3 + JBL D130, Nash 112
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Rick Schmidt


From:
Prescott AZ, USA
Post  Posted 18 Jan 2005 10:05 pm    
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"The Vibrato saves my life every night I play. if you dont use it you will be out of tune a bunch"

Ok Scott...who do ya mean by "you" anyway??? Maybe we should meet over in the tuning thread for some real disagreeable fun.

As a weekend warrior surf dude, I can say if I lived as close to Maverick's as you do, I guess I'd have a bigger vibrato too.

Kawahwahwahwahwahwahwah-bunga
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Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 19 Jan 2005 6:25 am    
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If you pay attention to the greats you'll notice that rarely does the vibrato begin at the start of each chord/note. As Klaus says- when you decide to use it- fade it into the chord/note- don't start as soon as you pick the string(s). Also- I've noticed that usually it "optically" appears to be wider when actually seen than it does to the ears when "aurally" heard. For me - this is sometimes easier said than done (the old "do as I say, not as I do" routine).
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