Bend vibrato

BidleyBidley Frets: 2912
I just can't get a good vibrato when playing nice big string bends. Any tips?
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Comments

  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    In what way are they not good?
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • BidleyBidley Frets: 2912
    They sound off-key and I can't get a decent rhythm, if that makes sense? I'm fine with just regular vibrato. I use the 'wrist' technique rather than the classical or Vai technique.
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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700

    Bend slightly flat, then when you apply some vibrato you'll sound better than bending exactly to pitch and the adding vibrato.

    So instead of going slightly sharp (which usually sounds worse than slightly flat) when you add the vibrato, you'll add enough to get exactly to pitch. (Hopefully that made some sense).

     

    Or use a floyd

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • A good idea is to bend to pitch and make sure the vibrato comes from below the pitch you require. Try bending up a tone, then alternate between a slightly lower pitch and the target pitch. It's going above the correct pitch that makes vibrato sound bad (one of a few things actually).

    You can try practicing the components that make up vibrato. Try taking a note and bending it back and forth at a consistent speed and depth (slowly). Then experiment with different depths and speeds. Then you can try increasing the speed of the vibrato at a set depth, and then try increasing the depth at a set speed. 

    I tend to prefer a vibrato that becomes slightly faster and deeper as a note decays, for longer notes.

    Hard to explain some things in type, but I hope that helps.
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  • CatthanCatthan Frets: 355
    edited November 2013
    all great tips. smth else you can do is take an original vibrato lick of one of the players you like, slow it down and practice on top of it. do it until it becomes second nature. once you get grasp of the player's technique do this in your own licks. practicing vibrato on its own is obviously useful but it's good to do it in contex too imho. otherwise it may become boring and tiresome to the ears
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    You can't use classical vibrato on a bend, the string will slide back flatter.
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    Bend to pitch and then drop and rebend.
    Make it come from the whole arm.
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    My problem as well. I avoided it most of my life due to finger/nail problems, but having finally conquered the probs in my old age, I find that it is hard to get into. It sounds unbelievably sh*te when I try it. Bloody hard from scratch. I seriously need to get better, I just can't use it at all right now.
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  • @axisus

    You could experiment with lighter string gauges perhaps? Some of the most revered players used some startlingly light strings. Zappa had a period of using a 7 for his top E… Have a read of this article:

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  • Tony Iommi and Brian May had a 008" gauge for the top E too!
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    @thisisguitar

    I did try the lighter strings, but 9s was the lightest that I liked. Anyway, As I mentioned, the problem is 99% under control now, so it's just a case of learning bending vibrato within an old dog new tricks scenario.
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  • Is there a name for when you bend a string and play a stationary note on another string at the same time? Eg three fingers behind a bend on the B whilst yer pinkie holds a note on the high E at a parallel fret. These kind of bends are easier to hear your intonation than practising bending a single string and the same applies if you apply vibrato.
    A lot of guitarists don't rush into the vibrato. IIRC from an interview with Matthias Jabs many years ago he said he learned about bending and vibrato from copying Clapton - often bending slowly into the note and applying the vibrato after you have hit the note ( ie not wobbling into it).
    Having never had great vibrato technique I took succour from a lesson by blues great Ronnie Earl who pretty much said he just bends the string and waggles it as hard as he can.
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • @EricTheWeary

    "These kind of bends are easier to hear your intonation than practising bending a single string and the same applies if you apply vibrato."

    This does assume a fixed bridge though! 
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  • thisisguitar;95728" said:
    @EricTheWeary

    "These kind of bends are easier to hear your intonation than practising bending a single string and the same applies if you apply vibrato."



    This does assume a fixed bridge though! 
    I suppose so. I never play anything with a working trem so that never occured to me.
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • It's one reason why country players generally stick to Telecasters. Thought I'd mention incase the original poster had a floating bridge :-)
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    I can't seem to get it quick enough to get a suitable 'wibble'. At the moment it sounds like a frantic amount of bends in a row, some sharp and some flat!
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  • There is a video lesson on justinguitar covering this I noticed, might be worth a look.

    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • axisus said:
    I can't seem to get it quick enough to get a suitable 'wibble'. At the moment it sounds like a frantic amount of bends in a row, some sharp and some flat!
    axisus, send me a pm with your email and I'll send you a pdf of exercises from my old lecturing notes if you want to try them? There are five pages of A4 just in writing on the subject!
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