Controlled vibrato
A single held note, made to oscillate slightly in pitch through small even movements, never going as far as a full bend. Vibrato is what separates two guitarists most clearly on a long note: too fast and jittery, it betrays tension; slow and even, it sings. The exercise isolates it completely, no chord, no scale, so you hear your own hand. The motion comes from the wrist rotating around the string, not the fingers pushing.
Tips
Count one oscillation per beat, slowly: a slow, perfectly even vibrato is harder, and more useful, than a fast blurry one.
Return exactly to the starting pitch on every cycle: if the note creeps upward, it's a bend in disguise, not a vibrato.
Try the same move on several strings and frets: vibrato doesn't respond the same on a tight bass string and a thin treble one.
Related sheets
- Improvisation — blues in G (Level 3)
- Three-note rolling lick riff — B minor (Level 3)
- C minor pentatonic scale — working the descent (Level 3)