GUITARHUBFind your level

Tone · Advanced · 5 min

Controlled Vibrato

Four long notes with vibrato that stays recognizably on pitch.

How to play it
  1. Hold each note for four beats and add vibrato after the first beat.
  2. Push the string up and let it return to the fretted pitch. Bend vibrato on a fretted string can only raise the pitch, so the note moves between the fretted pitch and slightly above it.
  3. Keep the rhythm of the vibrato even. Record yourself once to hear what the room hears.

What the coach checks: Whether each note stays within 40 cents of pitch. It cannot rate vibrato speed or width as good or bad.

Goal70 BPM · 80% accuracy
Your bestNo result yet
Rating–

Tab player

Hear the line

eBGDAE1234

Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.

100% is the goal tempo, 70 BPM. The speed presets climb from Learn to Goal about 10% at a time, and the practice slider below uses the same scale. Build a full ladder to your goal

Your practice room

Find each note

Single-note pitch feedback. Practice waits for each note; Play checks the sequence at your chosen tempo. This does not assess chord quality or fret buzz.

This checkpoint needs 70 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.

Exercise map · 4 targets
  1. 1. G4Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 2 · fret 8
  2. 2. A4Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 1 · fret 5
  3. 3. E4Bar 3 · beat 1 · string 3 · fret 9
  4. 4. B4Bar 4 · beat 1 · string 1 · fret 7

Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.

Target 1 of 4G4String 2 · fret 8

Play one note at a time.

Tune first. Audio stays on this device.

Why this drill

Vibrato is one of the most personal parts of tone. Wide and slow or narrow and fast are both good choices; drifting sharp and staying there is not.

Common mistakes

  1. Vibrato wider than the check allows

    Fix: The coach accepts notes that stay within 40 cents, less than half of a half step. Keep the width small and even here; wide vibrato is a choice for later.

  2. Starting the vibrato on the attack

    Fix: Play the note straight for the first beat, then add vibrato. A clean start sets the pitch before it moves. Vibrato that starts late and grows also sounds more vocal.

  3. A rate that speeds up and slows down

    Fix: Lock the vibrato to the click. Start with two pushes per beat, then try three or four, and pivot from the wrist rather than squeezing with the finger.

Tempo plan

100% is the goal tempo, 70 BPM. Each rung sits about 10% above the one before it, so every step up is one you can hold. The speed presets in the player above use the same rungs.

  1. Learn 53 BPM · 76%Slower here means longer notes, so this rung builds sustain. Hold each note the full four beats without vibrato first, then add it.
  2. Build 58 BPM · 83%Add vibrato after beat 1 and keep the same number of pushes per beat on all four notes.
  3. Push 64 BPM · 91%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
  4. Goal 70 BPM · 100%Four notes, four beats each, every one held within 40 cents. Record one pass and listen back for an even rate. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
  5. Stretch 77 BPM · 110%Run a few passes here, then return to the goal. Time above the goal makes the goal feel settled.

Build a full ladder to your goal with holds and back-off sessions, starting from the tempo you can play today.

Make it music

Vibrato belongs on the notes that matter: the last note of a phrase and any long held note. G, A, E and B all belong to E minor, so end any E minor phrase on one of them with this vibrato. Copy one vibrato from a player you admire, matching its speed and width; that is a direct route to finding your own.

Variation

Try delayed vibrato: hold the note straight for two beats and add vibrato for the last two. Then add vibrato on top of a whole-step bend.

Drills

Guides