Syn's Vibrato Technique. I Just Can't Get It 😞

[Jak Angelescu]

I’m so glad he sent that inflection video because one of the things I admire to replicate of his, is his insane vibrato. It really shines on The Stage, and I’ve watched that little lesson video a dozen times watching his hand.
I just can’t get mine to sound like that. I can’t pull and destroy the string like he does. Is it finger strength, wrist strength, type of string, fretboard wood? I thought mine was going good but he has so much control over it and it’s just… wow. So much attitude, movement, depth and just… something. And he can do it on every string, any fret, any finger.
I play on Ernie Ball 10s. Any tips on getting a vibrato like that?

 

[Ed Seith]

Strength (mostly finger, I think, but some wrist), experience, callouses, and “touch.” Now, Syn plays 10-52 strings, but he plays FOR A LIVING, and so even though I envy how much time you get to play, he gets to play more. I tried 10s, and ultimately settled on 9-46 (lighter top, heavier bottom) for my strings.
I do not believe fretboard wood plays into it, though some insist fretboard RADIUS does – I don’t notice it. Most of my fretboards are rosewood, but I do have a maple board, too, and I don’t notice a difference in bendability.
The last video I watched of you – the 4 clips starting with Scream – I noticed how much your vibrato had improved, so maybe you’re being too hard on yourself?

 

[idssdi]

I’m not Pro in this(I’m not even sure my vibrato is any good even though I believe it is) but it seem like it is finger strength and wrist strength/movement to me.

 

[Jak Angelescu]

Thank you guys for your feedback!! @Ed, what’s fretboard radius?

 

[Ed Seith]

Curvature of the fretboard. See here for explanation with pictures n shit!
What Is Fingerboard Radius?

 

[Dominik Gräber]

I think it is Syn that makes his Vibrato so special. Different player different tone/style. And as Ed said, he’s doing it for a living and plays A LOT. So I think that you will develop your own style of “perfect” vibrato over time, it will come naturally (when having some focus on it). And you will achive that for sure when sticking with it, I mean, look at the progress you’re making!
But I’m not sure if you will ever get to exactly copy his vibrato because this is really the point that seperates great players tonally. Everybody gives his/her playing his/her own touch with vibrato.

 

[Jak Angelescu]

Thank you so much Ed! That explains a lot! And @dominik thank you so much for the kind words. It’s really encouraging and inspiring! What I’ve gathered from this is I need to practice more. @Ed thank you for giving me a reality check about being hard on myself. I didn’t really feel like it’s improved much so I really do appreciate hearing that obviously it has. I’m going to focus a little more time on that specifically to try to get it stronger. Thank you all so much!

 

[Noah Berends]

Beyond string gauge and fretboard radius, whether or not a guitar has a Floyd Rose will also affect bends. Generally bends on a Floyd require notably more strength and distance because as you pull the note up you’re also giving more string tension which pulls the tremolo in the direction of a divebomb. So you gotta compensate and push it farther. It’s a lot of factors, but ultimately it’s just endless repetition in personal style. Everyone’ll do it slightly differently.

 

[Ed Seith]

True story, Noah! I forgot about that! Part of why Zakk never used a Floyd. Messed with his signature vibrato too much.

 

[Hiroshi Nakauye]

I found what helps me get my vibrato more expressive and controllable is using the edge between the thumb and index finger as a pivot point against the neck and turn my wrist. Instead of a straight up and down movement across the fretboard, which felt very uncontrollable and sounded like a hamster having a fit. Plus it seemed to help my bending. Using my wrist strength to bend the strings vs my fingers.