Bud Angelotti wrote:...I'm talking early 20th century Folks heard vibrato on records/wax cylinder and thought that was the "proper" way to play....
Yes and later when old vinyl records were warped from being left near the window in the sun, they had a remarkable vibrato all their own. Nowadays, I can use heavy detuning on a Fulltone Dejavibe in the vintage vibrato mode for that warped record effect on guitar, sometimes with a MXR Dist+ to boost the output. Maybe I should try it on steel? Nahhh. The topic is who, what, when, where, how and why use vibrato. More stories that way. Oh wait it moved from Stories to Pedal Steel section now.
Location: back in Portland Oregon, USA (via Arkansas and London, UK)
Postby James Mayer »
Blake Hawkins wrote:Jerry Byrd has a section on "tremolo" in his course.
He considers tremolo and vibrato to be the same thing.
He says: "Tremolo is an important part of your style, so don't pass over it lightly."
Huh? Vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch and tremolo is a fluctuation in volume? Not the same thing at all. I know that my Fender Deluxe Reverb amp has a "vibrato" channel when it's clear that it's really a tremolo effect. I'm curious as to why these two effects were ever confused.
A medium-width, rolling vibrato is a technique I teach students to use to add warmth and sustain to a slow ballad type solo, and to inject a vocal quality to the notes. The human voice rarely hits a note square-on with no variation in pitch.
I also enjoy a fast sliding vibrato when I want to impart a Hawaiian sound to a swing solo, since I try to emulate Joaquin as much as I can. Playing a Murph-inspired ride and ending with a very high tonic note using a fast Hawaiian vibrato is characteristic of Murph's most exciting solos and it usually works for me as well.
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
I do as Herb teaches! The rolling technique is also described in a Bruce Bouton DVD I have.
James Mayer wrote:...Vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch and tremolo is a fluctuation in volume? Not the same thing at all...
Yes, tremolo is a cool modulation of amplitude instead of frequency.
Pumping the volume pedal yields tremolo. That, or pressing the bar down on the strings instead of across them. Bar bouncing stutter chatter is really more tremolo, not vibrato. I see kill switches are now available on Gibson guitars designed for Buckethead. Are steels going to have these buttons again too? Back to topic: Make that vibrato sing!
"The sustain, listen to it."
Marty DiBergi: I don't hear anything.
Nigel Tufnel: Well you would though, if it were playing.
Clete Ritta wrote:
... and later when old vinyl records were warped from being left near the window in the sun, they had a remarkable vibrato all their own.
Clete
I remember a group I was in where the guitarist played steel too, just as I play guitar too. His playing and knowledge of the steel was right in the same ballpark as mine, but when he played he used vibrato with much more feel than I did. Wow. It made his playing sound much nicer than mine. Since then I've tried to hone that skill. I think that vibrato and volume pedal are two difficult techinques that make the steel sound so cool, if done correctly.
Zum Encore, Zum Stage One, Fender 2000, Harlan Bros., Multi-Kord,
When 'folk music' was first getting its start on a truly national scale, Eddy Arnold and Red Foley both, were described as being "FOLK SINGERS"........
Eddy Arnold's steel guitar player Roy Wiggins, was easily recognizeable by his very distinctive style, wherein he used 'TREMELO" throughout many of Arnold's hit recordings. Roy continued to use them in later years when playing with George Morgan and his Candy Kids. THAT was at a time before the later comer-oners decided that they were the chosen few, appointed to rewrite the history books of time.
At that same point in time, JERRY BYRD with Ernest Tubb and later, BILLY ROBINSON, both with Red Foley on the Grand Ole Opry, were noted for their fabulous TONE and styling of which "VIBRATO" with the bar was their noted distinction. This was BEFORE what later was to become an over-used ectronic 'enhancer'.....'the REVERB.'
While I respect the view of everyone here on the SGF,
I find it extremely difficult to accept the theory that 'VIBRATO" is used to cover up fretting errors, etc.
Catch a balad by Herby Walace I think he uses a rolling viberato, It is as pretty as anything I have ever heard. Don't use a VCR because he is so ugly you will forget to listen to his playing! I try not to say anything good about Herby but, this time I will break my rule
Great thread!
When I had first been playing for a few months I was aware that vibrato was an important tool, and a strong stylistic identifier between players I heard on record. I had worked long and hard to develop what I thought was a smooth, well controlled and tasty vibrato.
Somewhere in there ('76/ '77-ish) I sat right in front of Buddy Emmons at a small club gig he played near me, and I was basically bitch-slapped with a crash course in vibrato. Some notes and chords without, some with, some added after a long moment, others immediately attacked with vibrato, changes in speed, width and pressure within the note... and little of it appeared to be conscious. Everything I heard that day enhanced or expanded on the musical ideas he was playing. None of it was "too much" or distracting- just musical.
I realized I had a long haul to improve on my rather one-dimensional approach, and I've never forgotten it.
Once again, thanks, Buddy.
JACK HEERN wrote:Catch a balad by Herby Walace I think he uses a rolling viberato, It is as pretty as anything I have ever heard. Don't use a VCR because he is so ugly you will forget to listen to his playing! I try not to say anything good about Herby but, this time I will break my rule
Laughed Out Loud! FWIW, Herby is a fine looking gentleman in my opinion.
As for Ray's comment, I think it's a well known fact that some fair to middling steel guitarists use excessive vibrato constantly to cover their mistakes. Professionals, on the other hand, use vibrato deliberately as an effect to convey emotion or excitement.
One of the hardest techniques I've had to learn was to apply vibrato while moving the bar. John Hughey was a master of this. It involves a coordination of hand and arm muscles that goes against my natural inclinations.
When I played Steel at my first show in Wisconsin Rapids...now, mind you i'd been playing for a long time but set it aside and Craig Davidson found out i played and there you are. My line to the audience was "my friend Arden Cook told me when I was learning steel...Steve roll your bar, don't shake it. Well today, I can't help it." It was nerves. But I have to say, those George Jones steel licks...weren't they memorable? Sometimes it needs to be said that way on the steel. When you play you're singing too.
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Currently endorsing Heritage Guitars (Kalamazoo, MI) H-555, Taylor 114CE, 98 Tele American Deluxe 3 pickup, Fender Custom 68 Deluxe Reverb Amp, GK 250ML, Three Strats, Two Gretsches and a partridge in a pair of trees.
Location: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
Postby John De Maille »
My take is, that, vibrato is a technique or effect, that, has to be learned to be used judiciously. Or, in other words, to use it or not. In a fast song, where you're ripping quick notes one after another, vibrato, to me, is almost useless. On the other hand, on slow tunes such as ballads, waltzes or shuffles, vibrato adds texture to your playing. I try to match vibrato with the beat or timing of the song. It seems to blend better, to me. I use both forms, that is, quivering and rolling the bar. I find that rolling the bar gives a more natural or vocal effect. Your mileage may vary, though.
Nowadays, I can use heavy detuning on a Fulltone Dejavibe in the vintage vibrato mode for that warped record effect on guitar, sometimes with a MXR Dist+ to boost the output. Maybe I should try it on steel? Nahhh. The topic is who, what, when, where, how and why use vibrato. More stories that way. Oh wait it moved from Stories to Pedal Steel section now. 
The rolling technique is also described in a Bruce Bouton DVD I have.
Back to topic: Make that vibrato sing! 
FWIW, Herby is a fine looking gentleman in my opinion. 
