| Author |
Topic: Vibrato |
Rich Young
From:
Georgetown, TX, USA
|
Posted 4 May 2001 6:16 am |
|
I've been playing about 3 years now. I've always used the back and forth vibrato (I can't think of a better way to descibe it) I've been playing around with the rolling vibrato.
I was wondering what type others are using. I play mostly old style country, like Byrd on the Hank Williams stuff, with plenty of slants, or swing - Leon McAuliffe, Joaquin Murphey, Herb Remington are a couple of my personal favorites.
I know I have to use the back and forth on slants, but what about the rest?
Thanks |
|
|
 |
Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
|
Posted 4 May 2001 7:12 am
|
|
I use both methods you describe, to limited success. It's such a delicate maneuver and hard to nail down with the proper finesse. Practice, practice, practice...
Sometimes using the back-and-forth technique I actually move the bar in little circles, especially on slower tunes, ballads. Seems to make things a little smoother. Takes some practice, and the circle pattern really tiny. I've found that it helps to think "circle" while I do it, instead of really concentrating on the movement...Does that make sense? Anybody else do this?
I'm amazed when I hear Jerry Byrd's vibrato. Pure finesse.[This message was edited by Chris Walke on 04 May 2001 at 08:12 AM.] |
|
|
|
Rich Young
From:
Georgetown, TX, USA
|
Posted 5 May 2001 8:55 am
|
|
I really like Byrd's vibrato, very smooth, and he gets that same smoothness on forward slants, which I can't even get close to.
I also dig Herb Remington's vibrato. I have some stuff he recorded on an obscure Houston label around '51, and he hits some notes - wow! I have those Remington videos, and he demonstrates his vibrato, which is back and forth, but it's also a lot different than his older sound. Maybe all those years of playing pedal steel changed it. I do notice most of the pedal players I play with (I usually play guitar in bands) use a rolling vibrato.
2 completly different sounds, but they're both great. |
|
|
|
sliding bill
From:
UK
|
Posted 5 May 2001 9:14 am
|
|
I always thought that "less is more" when it came to vibrato - I tended to "fudge" my poor slants with lots of bar sliding (I use a Scheerhorn bar as I play Dobro too).
So - lots of effort on staying in tune !
I have however been inspired recently after a class with Stacy Phllips who demonstrated "Sol Hoopi type" vibrato.
I am finding this a strange thing to master.
The rolling movement seems to come from the wrist ? Just fingers don't seem to be fast enough.
I suppose it's practice practice etc. -- anyone else mastered this ?
Confused and frustrated Bill
------------------
Aspiring to mediocrity |
|
|
|
C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
|
Posted 5 May 2001 7:54 pm
|
|
Vibratoing like many things tends to be quite subjective.
But after years of observing many of the Greats like JB and BE, one does find a general pattern more or less.
These tips are worth checking out:
1. Don't make the bar look like you are having a nervous twitch! 
2. Don't vibrato while you pick, but let it begin AFTER the note is picked. This is a hard habit to get into. But well worth it.
3. Let the vibrato be gentle and be equa-distant on both sides of the fret.
4. Do NOT be afraid to use a wide vibrato if the song is embellished by it. Watching JB taught me this many many years ago. It is nothing to see him sweep a full 1/2" inch or more on either side of the fret.
5. Let the vibrato be tempered and timed by the music. In other words don't use the same vibrato rate for different tempo tunes. Another difficult thing to learn. Buddy Emmons is one of the world's greatest at this.
6. Don't let the vibrato sound like a phaser. Some are just toooooo slow. In other words a listener should NOT be aware that you are doing it ULESS you stopped doing it. Again a very hard thing to learn. But practice alway brings it about if you observe the greats.
7. Use the vibrato to increase sustain. Yes indeed. I have seen Jerry Byrd do this many many times. He exerts a slight pressure during his vibrato that can actually excite the strings into a louder sustain. Not easily mastered but worth practicing.
In other words a vibrato is the Key to a good left hand. Over done, such as "nervous quivers" is NOT getting it. Overly slow vibratos that are noticable (to the listener), is NOT getting it. Vibratoing while picking is NOt getting it.
But a sublte yet definite controlled vibrato can mean soo much. One of the best ways to learn this is to vibrato with the right hand in your pocket. In other words practice JUST the vibrato. Look at what you are doing without being hampered by your picking hand. If possible take a video of your vibrato. Then compare it to what the greats do.
Once you get a smooth unconscience movement going add the picking hand. And then often look at your vibrato to see if you have fallen into bad habits.
Buddy Emmons said he sometimes looks and has to remind himself to do the vibrato correctly lest it turn into a quiver.
practice, practice, practice.
And it WILL come.
God bless you with your efforts,
carl |
|
|
|
