Listen to your lead playing. Are you the guy that pulls off a great sounding, cleanly played, tasteful run that sounds like it's about to summon Odin himself to give you a high five, only to SHIT ALL OVER IT at the end with horrendous, Eddie Money style 500-mph vibrato that sounds like a swarm of wasps trying to invade your eardrums?
Is that you? If so, do us all a favor - STOP THAT SHIT. Vibrato doesn't mean "shake the fuck out of a note as fast as you can". Vibrato is RHYTHMIC. If your fucking tempo is 100bpm and your vibrato is 386.5bpm, guess what? Your vibrato SOUNDS LIKE CRAP.
Pay attention. It's as important as legato, phrasing, and everything else you motherfuckers are working on. Practice your vibrato assholes, and stop ruining otherwise great lead lines. :squint:
That moment of crushing realization when you find out your favorite guitarist has horrible vibrato is like finding out King Arthur had Erectile Dysfunction.
Years ago, I played in a death metal band (lol), and I had a 6 string tuned down to B standard. I used 9-42 still. I used to get all nervous and extra-hyper when we played live. My vibrato was like 4 semitones.
In terms of vibrato I've always looked at 2 people as role models. BB King and Yngwie. Although completely different techniques, styles and genres, they both have pretty phenomenal vibrato. Yngwie with that wide, open vibrato and BB with that subtle, close vibrato.
And yep, I'm one of the 'great vibrato but shit chops guys too'. Oh well, practice, practice!
In terms of vibrato I've always looked at 2 people as role models. BB King and Yngwie. Although completely different techniques, styles and genres, they both have pretty phenomenal vibrato. Yngwie with that wide, open vibrato and BB with that subtle, close vibrato.
And yep, I'm one of the 'great vibrato but shit chops guys too'. Oh well, practice, practice!
For a long time, I never used to like BB King's vibrato. I saw it as not hugely different to someone like Kirk Hammett's. Nowadays, I like it. It feels way more appropriate in a blues setting than, say Malmsteen's.
I even don't entirely hate on that Hammett style weak vibrato from time to time. Like lots of things in playing, I don't think you should aim for one type, but several types of vibrato, and employ each where suitable. Sometimes I think that weak type can sound quite good. Especially after listening to a lot of late 60s and early 70s stuff.
For me, bending and vibrato are the two most important parts of lead playing. Because even if you have shit chops, you can still write some tasteful, awesome sounding leads.
Well said. I think that's what I've always fallen back on in many ways. I've never had the sheer chops that some people have, probably never will. I just don't have the co-ordination or skill to pull off those 'face-melting' licks. Maybe that's why I've always been a big Blues guy.
Good vibrato is just essential, no good vibrato = no excitement, no soul. Don't care how fast someone plays, if they end it with shit vibrato, you remember the shit vibrato.
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