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is my vibrato wrong?

jeffhx
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jeffhx
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06/24/2006 11:38 pm
ok i have always wondered why i cant seem to do the vibrato like how everyone else does...i realise everyone moves the whole wrist when they do it...i just use my fingers to pull and push the strings up and down...no wrist action at all...is it okay if i stick to it? or will it affect my playing?

oh yeah and i find it hard to do the way most people do it....for some reason...i cant do it as fast...i cant believe that i have been doing a weird vibratos for the past 8 months or so...
[FONT=Impact]grooviest tunes ever [/FONT]
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# 1
pure
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pure
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06/25/2006 12:22 am
i don't think there's a 'wrong' way to vibrato, as long as the pitch changes.

if you do it like everybody else you'll just be another clone. and in a guitar competition where everybody's doing the same exact vibrato, yours will sound real good to the judges.
Originally Posted by: schmangeugly fat chicks
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# 2
Blues_Man
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Blues_Man
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06/25/2006 12:28 am
Originally Posted by: jeffhxok i have always wondered why i cant seem to do the vibrato like how everyone else does...i realise everyone moves the whole wrist when they do it...i just use my fingers to pull and push the strings up and down...no wrist action at all...is it okay if i stick to it? or will it affect my playing?

oh yeah and i find it hard to do the way most people do it....for some reason...i cant do it as fast...i cant believe that i have been doing a weird vibratos for the past 8 months or so...



I have an idea of what your vibratos look like.... I dont think it's a really good idea to do that myself. If you do it yourway you probably wont be able to do it as fast or as smoothly as normal people because fingers normally arent supposed to do that kind of a motion. In my opinion, to get a great vibrato you have to use the wrist. It works smoother, and you will just never get a nice "Wailing" vibrato out of doing it your way. Although it really just depends on you, if its comfortable to do it yourway and you can do it just as good as other people then so be it. but if you cant ever get it to sound right, you know the reason.
I am Comfortably Numb... :D

Oh yeah...STICK IT TO THE MAN!
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# 3
jeffhx
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jeffhx
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06/25/2006 12:48 am
yea i think ill pick it up..but i never knew it was harder than i thought...maybe not as hard if done on the elctric...but with an acoustic it can be a pain..my finger tends to slip off alot...pivoting the side of my wrist against the neck is also a pain..yea i know im a pain...wat about the classical guitar way of vibrato? why are there special kinds? why cant everyone just stick to one style? geez...
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# 4
Mark Pav
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Mark Pav
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06/25/2006 1:04 am
I do vibrato slightly differently on bent notes compared to non-bent ones. How I bend effects the vibrato action, too, because it's kinda the same motion, just smaller and faster.

To bend, I pivot my hand on the first knuckle of my first finger (the one right at the palm). I twist my wrist, too, like I'm turning on a tap. You really don't wanna bend just by pushing your fingers up.

When I'm vibratoing a non-bent note it's much the same action, but my fingers do a tiny bit of the work as well.
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# 5
jeffhx
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jeffhx
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06/25/2006 1:23 am
yea i saw that on a video in youtube too...i find it hard to pickup...im still practising...cant seem to get good speed and motion...i keep slipping off the string...it gets trickier when i try doing it at the 1st string...i can do it better with my middle finger...i slip off easier with my first finger...is vibrato really that hard to learn or is it just me? im really thinking its the latter...
[FONT=Impact]grooviest tunes ever [/FONT]
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# 6
alucard0941
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alucard0941
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06/25/2006 1:50 am
weird vibratos sound awesome when the timing is just right.
__
/--\
o-/-||-\-o
o-/ -||- \-o
o-\ -||- /-o
\___/
|--|
|--|
|--|
:eek:


My Music
whoooo hoooo !!!!
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# 7
pure
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pure
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06/25/2006 2:26 am
i like to vibrato with one finger and bend with at least 2.

one finger lets you vibrate faster, fluently, and finger the right spot faster too.

its hard to get 2 fingers on the position you need really fast. but with bends, it takes alot less effort to bend with 2.
Originally Posted by: schmangeugly fat chicks
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# 8
jiujitsu_jesus
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jiujitsu_jesus
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06/25/2006 2:40 am
I only use my fingers when I vibrato as well, Jeff, and people have told me that my vibrato sounds fine. I think it's just a matter of building up your finger strength. You could get used to doing it with your entire wrist, or you could just keep doing it with your fingers and practicing it consciously - whatever you prefer.
"It's all folk music... I ain't never heard no horse sing!"
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# 9
pure
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pure
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06/25/2006 3:04 am
well i can say using the fingers to vibrae takes alot less movement than shaking your whole hand.

a wise man once told me speed is the absense of unnecessary movement.
Originally Posted by: schmangeugly fat chicks
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# 10
suicidalmoose
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suicidalmoose
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06/25/2006 7:24 am
just make sure ure not screwing your fingers up by doin it your way. that's the only problem with developing "original" technique, it might cause injury. I remember doing bends with my fingers :P that wasn't such a wise idea.

Other thing is make sure it doesn't hamper your progress, if you feel like doing it your way is kinda a half assed way of doing it then it might screw you later on when you're trying to do stuff faster or crazier.

That said i'm workin on my vibrato right now and i think i'm gonna do it the way the pro's do from the start so i have no problems later on, because knowing me i always slack on these sorts of things.
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# 11
jeffhx
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jeffhx
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06/25/2006 10:17 am
meh...i guess ill stick to the right way of doing it...ive been wokring on it anyway..cheers for the ideas guys
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# 12
ren
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ren
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06/25/2006 11:38 am
You should be using your whole arm for vibrato... like the others said, you can use your own to be different, but I can imagine you injuring yourself putting that much stress on your fingers...

Check out my music, video, lessons & backing tracks here![br]https://www.renhimself.com

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# 13
pure
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pure
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06/25/2006 4:22 pm
well then i guess i have strong fingers cause i don't feel alot of stress doing it my way.
Originally Posted by: schmangeugly fat chicks
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# 14
Mark Pav
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Mark Pav
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06/25/2006 4:52 pm
Originally Posted by: purea wise man once told me speed is the absense of unnecessary movement.


True, but vibrato isn't all about speed. ;)



Like I said, I use slightly different techniques depending on whether I'm vibratoing a bent note or not. You really don't wanna be bending and vibratoing by pushing your fingers, especially not at a live gig under hot stage lights. You be guaranteed to slip at some point. Quite embarrassing in the middle of a solo. :o
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# 15
pure
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pure
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06/25/2006 6:11 pm
Originally Posted by: Mark PavTrue, but vibrato isn't all about speed. ;)

I was hoping nobody would catch that
Originally Posted by: schmangeugly fat chicks
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# 16
magicninja
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magicninja
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06/25/2006 6:28 pm
Vibrato is easier with your wrist than fingers because your wrist has way way more strength. It allows for more accurate vibrato with LESS effort. It seems like your wasting motion but you're not.
Magicninja
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# 17
jeffhx
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jeffhx
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06/25/2006 6:49 pm
altho i agree my wrist gives me more strength and speed...but i keep slipping off...and gets trickier when i go up the strings...the higher i go, the harder it is for me to pivot my finger to the neck...vibrato with 3 fingers gets harder as well...damn...
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# 18
pure
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pure
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06/25/2006 6:53 pm
jeffhx i think when you go into a vibrato, your fingers are perfectly perpendicular to the strings. you have to go into it at an angle, like your fingers going diagonally towards the strings, or else even if you use your wrist it will cause stress
Originally Posted by: schmangeugly fat chicks
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# 19

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