Vibrato fret slide technique

BbbyBld · #1 10-23-2006, 11:27 PM

I see a lot of gospel and R&B players use a special effect that I've tried to do for a while, but can never figure out.

It looks to me like they press the string down right on top of a fret and then pivot their finger from one side to the other. It's almost like a trill where you just slide back and forth from one fret to another, but when I've seen people do it, there is absolutly no fret noise. The sound is really smooth, and it's close to a trill, but it's more of what I'd call vibrato. The first time I saw someone do it in person, I was sure they had a fretless bass until I got closer. Stuart Zender does this a lot, like on Virtual Insanity.

Anybody know what this is called. I'd really like to learn how to do it.

bass349 · #2 10-23-2006, 11:42 PM

yeah i use this a lot! i got it from listening to lots of paul jackson. it's basically as you describe, you place your finger over the fret (not pressing down too hard) and move it back and forth really fast, creating the vibrato. great technique.. works great in groove playing!

i don't think there's much more to explain about it really.. just keep practicing and i'm sure you'll pick it up.

actually on second thoughts.. make sure your action isn't too high. you need a relatively low action.

JimmyM · #3 10-24-2006, 01:54 AM

You don't press down really hard, but you have to give your left arm a fairly hard shake to get that really hard pulsing vibrato. Good strong vibrato comes from the wrist.

Koki · #4 10-24-2006, 06:46 AM

I think you are talking about shakes. To do that just slide up and down between two frets fast.. (It's like trill but with only one finger sliding)

tightbidness · #5 02-11-2007, 08:02 AM

I'm interested in this too. Is this more of a vertical slide or a pivot? What finger(s) do players use?

Swaye · #6 02-11-2007, 12:21 PM

Hmmm any chance one of you guys would be kind enough to post a video tutorial? i'm really interested in this too!

Alun · #7 02-12-2007, 01:45 PM

Here's a lesson with video that I found on another forum..

http://www.guitar-x.co.uk/TuitionTipsAMcKinney6.html

Cheers,
Alun

QuintrKD · #8 02-13-2007, 10:51 AM

There's another subtle fretting hand technique that I saw demonstrated by Don Harris, Paul Baloche's bass player (and later documented by Gary Lunn in Worship Musician) that muffles the attack of a fretted note... when used in a slide, it makes a fretted bass sound like a fretless. This is done by fingering the intended fret with your middle finger and then muffling the attack on the other side of the fret with a very light touch of your index finger. It's amazing how much such a simple technique can enhance our playing! We can learn a lot from our gospel bassists...

If you really want to hear this technique in action, check out "I Love to Be In Your Presence" on the "Open the Eyes of My Heart" album. I heard Don say in a bass clinic that he only plays fretted basses.

desaulnd · #9 04-17-2012, 12:54 PM

Hi,
This type of vibrato is actually described and demonstrated in John Patitucci's instructional DVD "Complete electric bass vol. 1". If I remember correctly, Patitucci calls it "funk vibrato" and differenciate it from two other types of vibratos : classical and blues. We can also hear the funk vibrato in Josquin Des Pres "Classic Funk and R&B Grooves for Bass"
Regards,
Dominic