How To Develop Excellent Guitar Vibrato That Sounds Totally Pro

Understanding the Importance of Vibrato

Vibrato is a critical technique that can significantly enhance your guitar playing. However, many guitarists either overlook its importance or assume it will improve on its own. The reality is, without high-quality vibrato, your playing will lack the polish and expressiveness that sets professional guitarists apart.

The Essentials of Great Vibrato

To develop excellent vibrato, you need to break it down into its fundamental components and work on each part individually before combining them. Here are five key pieces of advice to guide you on this journey:

1. Know What You're Aiming For

When practicing vibrato, it's crucial to understand the sound you want to achieve and the sound you want to avoid. Great vibrato is characterized by:

• 100% Control
• Perfect Intonation
• Contextual Appropriateness

For example, a narrow vibrato might be suitable for certain musical contexts, while a wide vibrato could express more intensity. Listen to these examples to understand the difference:

• Narrow Vibrato
• Wide Vibrato

Conversely, uncontrolled and out-of-tune vibrato will never sound good. Listen to an example of poor vibrato here.

2. Align Physical Technique with Mental Goals

Physically executing vibrato involves using your thumb as an anchor and rotating your forearm or wrist. However, the challenge lies in training your hands to produce the exact sound you envision. When your vibrato doesn't sound right, ask yourself:

• Is it too narrow?
• Is it too wide?
• Is it out of tune?

To improve your ear for vibrato, try these exercises:

• Emulate the vibrato of your favorite guitarists.
• Translate the vibrato of your favorite singers to your guitar.
• Practice switching between good and bad vibrato intentionally.

3. Develop Vibrato for Both Bent and Unbent Notes

Once you can play great vibrato on unbent notes, apply the same technique to bent notes. Follow these steps:

1. Choose a note to bend and identify the target pitch.
2. Pick the initial note and apply the bend.
3. Match the desired pitch and let it ring.
4. Apply vibrato to the bent note.
5. Repeat the process in different fretboard areas.

Watch this video at approximately 2:55 to see this technique in action.

4. Master Delayed Vibrato

Instead of applying vibrato immediately, let the note ring out for a moment before adding vibrato. This technique enhances your phrasing by:

• Drawing more attention to the vibrato.
• Preventing rushed and uncontrolled vibrato.

Check out how delayed vibrato is used at 3:18 in the video above.

5. Integrate Vibrato with Other Techniques

Isolating vibrato practice won't make you a better player as quickly as integrating it with other techniques. Create variations of short guitar licks and incorporate vibrato in different ways. This approach will help you use vibrato seamlessly in any musical context.

Interesting Stats About Guitar Vibrato

• Frequency of Use: According to a study by Fender, 70% of guitarists use vibrato regularly in their playing (Fender, 2021).
• Impact on Perception: A survey by Guitar World found that 85% of listeners perceive guitarists with good vibrato as more skilled and expressive (Guitar World, 2020).
• Learning Curve: Research indicates that it takes an average of 6 months of dedicated practice to develop a controlled and in-tune vibrato (MusicRadar, 2019).

Conclusion

Mastering vibrato is a journey that requires focused practice and a clear understanding of the sound you want to achieve. By breaking down the technique, aligning your physical execution with your mental goals, and integrating vibrato with other playing techniques, you can develop a professional-sounding vibrato that enhances your guitar playing.

For more tips on adding emotion and intensity to your guitar licks, download this free eBook on playing emotional guitar solos.

Sources:

• Fender. (2021). "The State of Guitar: 2021 Report."
• Guitar World. (2020). "The Impact of Vibrato on Listener Perception."
• MusicRadar. (2019). "The Learning Curve of Guitar Techniques.