Guitar vibrato control: narrow, wide and on a bend
A slow blues phrase with a long note at the end of each bar: a narrow vibrato on D, a wide one on A, vibrato on a note bent up a whole step, and a wide one to finish. Vibrato is the player's voice on the instrument, the thing listeners recognise first, and controlling its width and speed, rather than shaking the note, is what makes it sound intended.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 70 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 70 bpm
- Starts at
- 42 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4, swung
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Rock the note from the wrist, as if turning a door handle, with the thumb over the neck as an anchor; keep the speed even.
Two quarter notes and a half note with vibrato in each bar. Bar 1: G and E on the B string, then D at the G string's 7th fret with a narrow vibrato. Bar 2: C and D on the G string, then A at the D string's 7th fret with a wide one.
Bar 3: A and C on the high E string, then G on the B string bent up a whole step to A, and vibrato on the bent note. Bar 4 runs down G, E, D and C in swung eighths to a wide vibrato on A.
The tab draws vibrato as a wavy line over the note, wider for a wide vibrato. A narrow vibrato moves the pitch a little either side; a wide one pushes it about a half step. Keep the speed the same for both and match it to the tempo.
Mistakes to watch for
- A vibrato that starts the moment the note is picked; let the note sound first.
- Shaking the note fast and nervously instead of in an even, slower rhythm.
- On the bent note, letting the bend drop between pushes, so the vibrato sits below the target pitch.
- Only moving the fingertip; vibrato comes from the wrist and forearm.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 42
- 46
- 49
- 53
- 56
- 60
- 63
- 67
- 70
That's 16 loops and about 5 minutes before you're playing at 70 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Vibrato control?
The goal is 70 bpm in quarter notes, which is 1.2 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 42 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
How do I get a good vibrato on guitar?
Make it from the wrist with the thumb over the neck as a pivot, push the string in an even rhythm, and match its speed to the music. Practise it slowly, like this exercise, until it's under control, then let it become part of every long note.
How do I add vibrato to a bent note?
Bend to the pitch, then let the bend down a little and push it back up, again and again, never going above the target. It's harder than vibrato on a fretted note because the bend has to be held while it moves.
More rock and blues exercises
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