The first finger vibrato, employing a rapid rotation of the left hand wrist, is an essential blues and rock guitar technique that is well worth perfecting. B.B. King is the true master of this move, and although it may look simple, the mechanics can be somewhat elusive for those who are trying it out for the first time. The key is that the wrist is driving the vibrato, but because it’s behind the hand and the guitar neck, it’s a little hard to see what’s going on. Up front, you can see the pinky side of the hand swinging out, and in B.B.’s case, it often appears to be fluttering like a little bird.
What’s happening is that the wrist turns or rotates within itself – the forearm doesn’t move much at all – and this rotation makes the pinky side of the palm of the hand swing away from the fretboard and back. That motion in turn pulls the first finger down and back, which makes the string you are fretting go slightly sharp and then back to pitch repeatedly. This creates the vibrato effect. When the technique is properly employed, it’s smooth and effortless.
Take a look at the video above. Note how the wrist and forearm are doing most of the work. The guitar does not move. Try to keep your wrist from moving too much side to side – it should turn within itself, a movement which in anatomical terms is called “pronation/supination.” Yup, I had a physiologist for a guitar student once upon a time.
The lick I’m doing is very simple. It's in the key of A at the fifth fret with the notes A and C and it’s similar to the “Spoonful” riff employed by Howlin’ Wolf and Cream. BTW, a great source for this type of vibrato is Cream’s Wheels of Fire album, where Clapton is doing it all over the place, especially on the live version of “Spoonful.” I learned some of my first licks off of that extended jam and it’s probably where I learned this vibrato if not from watching my first electric guitar teacher, Terry. The second lick in the video is transposed to the key of E, where it’s played at the twelfth fret with the notes E and G.
Practice slowly at first. Unfortunately, it can be a little difficult to control the movement at slow speeds but if you can do it slow, it will work when you speed it up. You should be able to see the string moving slowly down and back a millimeter or so. The amount of sharpness is negligible but can be varied – a quarter tone at the most. Bring up the speed as your comfort level increases.
For an explanation from the man himself, take a look at B.B. King’s video, above. At one point the interviewer asks him if the string is moving up (towards the player) as well as down and B.B. hesitates before saying yes. I disagree. I think the string is only moving down and back, but that might be a difference in B.B.’s technique and mine. See for yourself. And get a load of that diamond ring he’s wearing on his third finger – now that will get your vibrato going! Below is one of my favorite B.B. King videos, where he plays “The Thrill Is Gone.” I think he’s a little excited because Gladys Knight is sharing the stage with him.
For another example, take a look at the video in my “Hey Joe” lesson. The first finger vibratos are plentiful and include applying vibrato to double stops (two string chords). For third finger vibrato, the big bend and shake, take a look at my Hubert Sumlin, “Spoonful” lesson. Have fun! -Christian Botta