Learn How to Play Guitar

You might have noticed while you learn how to play guitar some guitarist seem to make the note almost sing out. It has been said that B.B. King could say more in one note than most guitarist can say in a thousand. In this next series of guitar lessons, we’ll explore the technique that really makes the guitar a tool of expression: Guitar Vibrato.

Vibrato is a slight variation of pitch of a note. It can be played narrow or wide, and quick or slow depending on the effect you want it to have. To give you an idea of what vibrato is, picture a straight jump rope lying on the ground: a note without vibrato. Now imagine you shook one end of the rope back and forth, causing the rope to move like a snake: that’s a note with vibrato.

In these free guitar lessons, we’ll look at the two different ways to play vibrato.

Learn to Play the Guitar: Lateral vibrato

The technique in this learn to play guitar series, teaches how to play guitar true vibrato: where the pitch wavers both above and below the note.

This requires a good solid fingering of the string. We’ll start with the first finger, though this technique should be worked with on all fingers. Your fourth finger is the weakest fingers, and therefore the hardest finger to play consistent sounding vibrato with, but don’t neglect practicing this technique with this finger.

Lateral vibrato is accomplished by fretting a note and moving your finger parallel to the string on the fingerboard between the frets. If you apply enough pressure with your finger, when you pick a note and slide your fretting finger towards the soundhole, the pitch should slightly lower: you’re making the length of string between your finger and the bridge less tense, therefore lowering the pitch (ever so slightly).

When you move your finger back to its original position, the note returns to the original pitch. Then moving your finger towards the headstock of the guitar, you’re tightening the length of string between your finger and the bridge which raises the pitch (once again, ever so slightly).

When done in rapid succession, you’ll have a quick biting vibrato tone. Done a little slower, you’ll achieve a smoother mellow tone.

Below is how vibrato is notated in guitar tabs:

The first two measures show a slight vibrato, and the last two measure notate a wide vibrato.

Learn to Play the Guitar: Vertical vibrato

The next in this series of how to play electric guitar features vertical vibrato. The vibrato in this guitar lesson differs from the vibrato in the previous lessons as it only raises the pitch of the string on which the vibrato is played.

This is accomplished by moving your finger parallel to the frets. Fretting a note (let’s use G: first finger, second string, eighth fret) and picking the string you’ll heard the unaffected note. Sliding your finger towards the first string increase the tension on the string and raises the pitch.

Returning you finger to the original position returns the note to its original pitch.

Now, moving your finger towards the third string also increases the tension on the string and raises the pitch. Returning your finger to the original position returns the string to the original pitch.

Note: regardless of which way you bend the string, it increases the pitch.

As with these guitar lessons’ lateral vibrato, the vertical vibrato can be played fast or slow, narrow or wide, however it is only capable of raising the pitch.

Learn to Play the Guitar: Review

The vibrato in these electric guitar lessons helps you and your guitar to replicate the human voice. Good vibrato technique can really warm up your tone, and give your amplifier something beautiful to reproduce.

The lateral vibrato is are more typically used in classical and Jazz, where you’ll rarely find (or use) vertical vibrato. But rock, blues, and metal music are almost exclusively the realm of the vertical vibrato.

Vibrato is difficult to play on past passages, but adds personality and beauty to notes that are held longer. Try applying the vibrato on long notes imitating your favorite singers, with a slight delay before bringing it in. Good work!