Vibrato

Paulius Volkovas

I have a hard time developing my vibrato. My 2nd finger vibrato is getting better, but i have trouble developing my 3rd finger fast vibrato, especially around 10-12 fret.
I want to know how you use fast 3rd finger vibrato around 10-12 frets. Do you change the technique compared to 2nd finger vibrato? I feel i could do fast up down motion instead of twisting-a-door-knob type motion (that Stochelo teaches), but i feel that would be cheating , because it is totally different motion. Its too bad Stochelo only shows 2nd finger vibrato in his Rosenberg academy lesson.

Buco

Doesn't Stochelo use up and down vibrato a lot?

wim

I also want to know the secret to the Django vibrato sound .. it's so strong and great! I can't seem to replicate it

Matteo

I one heard a folk musician, a violinist, explain for a concert audience that the vibrato isn't anything you learn technically. It must come from within. He went on by telling a story about how his teacher instructed him to read a certain poem (about the death of a folk musician) and then the vibrato would sort itself out. It obviously did. This is perhaps a pretty romantic view of things, but there might be something to it anyway. At the French jazz manouche forum, they used to joke about how Tchavolo, at a gypsy jazz guitar workshop, calmly explained the mysteries of improvisation with the words "play from your heart". A third example is Miles Davis. As a young trumpeter he worried about not being able to hit those very high notes that Dizzy Gillespie did. Someone told him not to worry, he would be able to reach those notes once he could hear them clearly inside his head. And this was apparently the case. A bit later, when he had wholly internalised the sounds of those high notes, he could also produce them on his instrument! I'm not saying that this is always how it works. But in some cases it seems to be a question of patience and letting subconscious processes inside have effect. And one day the thing you strived for is suddenly there, without you knowing exactly how your technique took that jump.

Jazzaferri

In Trumpet there are high notes and then lead trumpet high notes, basically those above concert C above staff. Beyond that requires specialized technique and huge diaphragm control. Many lead players have suffered multiple hernia's from playing really high.

In guitar there are two vibrato techniques. Moving string across the fretboard and moving finger parallel to string tensioning and relaxing string. (Classical technique)

Scoredog

I have spent a lot of time working on vibrato and there are so many types, to saying there are just two is over simplifying things. Referring to non classical as classical does have one type (I agree there), there are many different kind of bending vibratos and certain ones take more practice than others to achieve. A Blues or BB King vibrato is way different and faster than a heavy metal, or deep rock vibrato. A great controlled vibrato takes practice of the wrist. A vibrato using a finger to bend is generally imprecise and I generally don't suggest going that route. If you have control of your wrist you can generally change speeds of your vibrato. The best way I have found to practice vibrato is to grab a guitar and watch baseball. As you mindlessly watch the game, place your thumb behind the guitar, place either your 2nd or 3rd finger on the string you wish to vibrato and have the other finger or fingers support the vibrating finger. Very slowly push with your wrist up and down (your wrist should be turning). the sound initially should sound like you are seasick in the ocean but once you get comfortable with the movement you can start speeding it up. Also be very aware you can be pushing up with the string with your wrist or pulling down the string. These two both take practice. It's important to practice both ways. This is a good way to get a rock vibrato and a good way to control your sound. If you watch Joscho, especially on low notes you see how it relates. If you have enough strength to vibrato on low strings higher strings will generally be easy. BTW once you get the motion you will find the faster GJ vibrato's easier to play than slower deeper rock ones.

If you can't get a baseball game you are probably out of luck.

anthon_74

Overall vibrato is definitely a "feel" thing, coming from the wrist and palm near the thumb area, and not the finger itself. First and foremost, you need to have that feel down.
As far as DJango's vibrato I believe the secret is to press the string much harder while you vibrato. When I started doing this, my vibrato came to life.

Anthony

Jazzaferri

Yes @Scoredog, I diid not write clearly. What I meant to write is there are two ways to change the pitch of a note ...1. stretching the string, usually transverse motion but can also be done pressing down on high frets or 2 decreasing and increasing string tension in line with the strings (which is how it's usually taught in classical guitar)

My apologies for any confusion I may have caused. Both work both have different results. Stretching aka bending the note sharpens and then comes back to pitch. Tensioning method the pitch flattens and comes back (it may also go a wee bit sharp too) to pitch.

Scoredog

np..always good between us.

Buco

Matteo wrote: »

I one heard a folk musician, a violinist, explain for a concert audience that the vibrato isn't anything you learn technically. It must come from within.

True but isn't it the same with all of music?

Vibrato is a skill that's underestimated, it takes great amount of practice. When asked about his vibrato, Joscho rolled his eyes almost in agony and his answer was that he basically put in a lot of dedicated practice into vibrato only.
So while yes it comes from within because it's a very expressive form and can be your own personal stamp, nothing will come out of your fingers unless you have a solid technical footing.

To get back to OP comment, I started using straight up and down motion lately precisely because I noticed Stochelo doing it and I copied him.

And also, really, there's something very, very special in Django's vibrato. It's so musical, I can't explain it. Stochelo, Joscho etc... are all masters of it but still it doesn't make you swoon like when Django does it. That could very well be the hardest "lick" to learn from him.

Matteo

As far as DJango's vibrato I believe the secret is to press the string much harder while you vibrato. When I started doing this, my vibrato came to life.

Yes, it definitely looks like he is pressing down the string hard in the film clips that are available.

In the 1930's jazz musicians in general used fairly large vibratos. It was perhaps more natural to adopt that kind of sounds back then?

Among the jazz manouche guitarists who are active today, and that I have heard, Antoine Boyer is the one who, for me, has the most striking vibrato.