Vibrato on Guitar is a subtle technique that almost always goes unnoticed to the passive listener, but you should familiarize your self with it because it is a great artistic tool to have. It can add warmth, depth, and sustain to a note. I suspect you probably already use this technique, but maybe never really thought about what it really is or how you can control it.
Vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch up and down. The amount of change is usually a very small amount just enough to make the note sound like it's shaking or vibrating.
Their are two ways you can achieve this while playing the guitar. The first method is called radial vibrato. This method involves actually bending the string up or down from the original note and back at a continuous rate. This type is most commonly associated with rock music and is the way most of us learn how to do it. The second method is axial vibrato. To use this method you have to rock your finger from side to side. It does not create as wide of a change in pitch as the radial method due to less overall movement, but it can be rather fun to experiment with.
Their are certain electric guitars I have seen that facilitate the use of the axial method. Electric guitars that have a scalloped fret board like that played by Yngwie Malmsteen allow the player to actually push down on the string to vary the pitch.
The effects of vibrato on guitar are subtle, but mastery of it can really bring out emotion in your playing. Practice it in your playing, but don't just throw it in there and move on. Experiment with what it would sound like if you used axial instead of radial or if you varied the speed a little.
It's time to shake it up!
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