Wrist With Vibrato Options

[steve25]

I was just wondering whether you guys thought it was totally necessary to use your wrist with every type of vibrato that you do? I only use my wrist now and then usually on the higher frets when i'm using like 3 fingers to do bigger bends and stuff but other than that i mainly just use my finger muscles.

I noticed that people like Marcus use the wrist all the time. I had a look at how he was doing vibrato on the first lead of the nocturnal vision lesson and the first note on the G string he was using his wrist a lot. I also noticed that guys like Zakk Wylde do the same but i just can't seem to be able to do that. Or at least i can do it a bit but its hellishly slow, i can do it fine using my fingers but i just wondered if this is considered bad practice for whatever reason

[jacmoe]

Use your ears!

How you do it doesn't matter.

But, of course, it doesn't hurt exploring the options.

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Using the wrist is a must for a nice natural, wide, good controlled vibrato. It's all about technique there, and therefore practice. Approach bending like every other practice you do, and vibrato will come out very nice.

[steve25]

I'm not sure about how i'm meant to be moving my wrist. I've tried watching players wrists as they do it but it just doesn't seem to work with me. Sometimes i'll move my wrist and the string doesn't move at all. How can i make sure i'm using my wrist and if you use your wrist are you not supposed to use your fingers at all?

[Muris Varajic]

Go for the wrist as often as possible,
with fingers only you cannot get that steady vibrato.

[steve25]

Ok well i will practice it but i don't know where i'm doing it right or not. I've tried doing vibrato with just the wrist and the string doesn't move the finger just goes upwards somewhere. Are you meant to do vibrato with both wrist and finger?

[Scott Gentzen]

Go for the wrist as often as possible,
with fingers only you cannot get that steady vibrato.

Angus doesn't have a steady vibrato?

Ok well i will practice it but i don't know where i'm doing it right or not. I've tried doing vibrato with just the wrist and the string doesn't move the finger just goes upwards somewhere. Are you meant to do vibrato with both wrist and finger?

I haven't gotten my vibrato where I'm happy with it yet. But I do have something to add here...

With the wrist motion, I think you need to keep your fretting fingers in place relative to your hand/wrist rather than the strings and frets when you're doing this. If you're moving your hand around but your fingers are staying where they are, you're not doing anything. Vibrato raises and lowers the pitch, so to do it you need to get that string moving.

[steve25]

I see what you mean now, with a little messing around i noticed that especially on the lower frets (around 5th) i have to stretch my arm out away from my body so that my wrist and fingers are straight, is this normal? That way it seems to move. However i also notice that the more fingers you put on the harder it is to do this, with just one fingers its ok but i can't do it very fast at all, any excersises i could try?

[Muris Varajic]

I see what you mean now, with a little messing around i noticed that especially on the lower frets (around 5th) i have to stretch my arm out away from my body so that my wrist and fingers are straight, is this normal? That way it seems to move. However i also notice that the more fingers you put on the harder it is to do this, with just one fingers its ok but i can't do it very fast at all, any excersises i could try?

Just like that,your arm has to go a bit out
specially at lower frets to do good vibrato, no worries there.
On the other hand I found it much easier with more
fingers on the string,feels like powerful stand.

[steve25]

Just like that,your arm has to go a bit out
specially at lower frets to do good vibrato, no worries there.
On the other hand I found it much easier with more
fingers on the string,feels like powerful stand.

Sorry Muris what i meant was when i have more fingers on it is harder to twist my wrist in that direction. Also should i be twisting my wrist round as if shaking it left or right or should my wrist be going outwards away from me. So when i'm doing wide bends and vibratos should i be pushing up with my fingers as well?

[Muris Varajic]

Sorry Muris what i meant was when i have more fingers on it is harder to twist my wrist in that direction. Also should i be twisting my wrist round as if shaking it left or right or should my wrist be going outwards away from me. So when i'm doing wide bends and vibratos should i be pushing up with my fingers as well?

Up and down vibrato is actually like few small bends
so focus to rotate your wrist like when you're doing bends.
Maybe it's frustrating for you atm but it'll come natural after a while.

[steve25]

Up and down vibrato is actually like few small bends
so focus to rotate your wrist like when you're doing bends.
Maybe it's frustrating for you atm but it'll come natural after a while.

Before when i did bends i wouldn't use my wrist i just pushed my fingers up, it seemed to work fine but if using my wrist will benefit me then i'll try and get out of the habit.

[Déjà vu]

I am still trying to perfect my vibrato... But, you said yours was a bit slow. I would practice with a metronome... That really helps build strength and speed, although speed isn't something you really want to "overdo" with vibrato. Using a tuner is also a good tip to make sure that you get the right sound you desire. You would use the tuner to make sure the height of the bend isn't too much or too little.

[Muris Varajic]

Before when i did bends i wouldn't use my wrist i just pushed my fingers up, it seemed to work fine but if using my wrist will benefit me then i'll try and get out of the habit.

Always with wrist, my 2 cents

[steve25]

Yeah i'll try using just wrist from now on, going to be difficult taking out the old habits though. I'll need to start slowly but does your wrist sort of naturally get strongers over time? Using my wrist doesn't allow me to do very wide or fast vibrato which i like to play

[Muris Varajic]

Yeah i'll try using just wrist from now on, going to be difficult taking out the old habits though. I'll need to start slowly but does your wrist sort of naturally get strongers over time? Using my wrist doesn't allow me to do very wide or fast vibrato which i like to play

It surely takes some time,just like everything else,
just don't give up and work hard.

[Marcus Lavendell]

does your wrist sort of naturally get strongers over time?

Definitely! Don't worry about that!

[Oxac]

there's a nice video on Youtube where Jani Liimatainen "duels" syu from Galneryus. There you can see and feel the difference from Jani's "finger vibrato" and Syu "wrist vibrato". Imo, Jani's vibrato is dead, Syu's alive

[steve25]

there's a nice video on Youtube where Jani Liimatainen "duels" syu from Galneryus. There you can see and feel the difference from Jani's "finger vibrato" and Syu "wrist vibrato". Imo, Jani's vibrato is dead, Syu's alive

Cool oxac i'll search for that video in a minute unless you have the link?

I was looking on the net last night for some tips to getting a better wrist vibrato and so i'm starting to write myself a practice schedule for this. I was thinking something on the lines of using first finger on first fret and doing vibrato up and then down on all the strings (exceptions being E) and then moving up a fret at a time and doing the same thing. Then do the same with 2 fingers then 3 however its only going to be shallow vibrato because i can't do big bends with my wrist, only with my fingers. Good idea or not?

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Muris is right, just practice a lot of bends and vibrato will come in hand in hand with that.

Also while practicing be sure to make your fingers steady and not curve the fingers. Keep them solid, and get as much support from other fingers behind it as you can. Also when practicing, first see where you are vibrating too, wetter it is half step or whole step, and then VERY SLOWLY go up-down, up-down, while keeping the fingers steady.