From BeelzeBob on this forum a few years back: You can cluck until a rooster starts humping your leg, but no vibrato will happen until that air stream is right.
Given that vibrato can happen from the diaphragm, throat, mouth, shake, hand whah,, who has the best vibrato on harp... living or dead?
Another competition bullshit...Walter do you think that music is a competition ? I mean can you measure this?
Let's say that we can translate "the best...." by "the vibrato that is touching you"
I would say (diatonic only since I'm not competent for the chromatic) my top 5 harmonica players that touch me, no particular order, putting the blues tremolo and vibrato all together even if it's not the same thing:
1) Michel Herblin 2) Jean Jacques Milteau 3) Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) 4) Paul Butterfield 5) Sonny Terry
(me? ok... I'm already out of this thread :-)
Last Edited by on Dec 10, 2011 5:41 PM
These guys do the real vibrato that I'd like to be able to do.
I have to say though that I don't agree with using the term vibrato as a universal term for any kind of technique in that area. Vibrato is vibrato and its existed for hundreds of years, not that I'm sayin it's the best but it's just confusing. The other technique can work very very well for blues like Big Walter's throat staccato (that's how I call it) that works best for shuffle but it just not vibrato.
Well, did not mean as a competition.. and yes terminology is sloppy. Christelle, your vibrato is amazing! Maybe looking for a list of people I should check out and try to emulate from the vibrato point of view?
Ugh, I can't stand Aaron Neville's use of vibrato, he over uses it and I find the amplitude harsh, particularly on slow/quiet songs. He has very little variety in the way he executes his vibrato and he uses vibrato on virtually every note long enough to squeeze it in, which I find incredibly grating.
Who has the best vibrato on harp? I'd rather hear opinions on who plays vibrato most tastefully and has the most versatility/variety in their vibrato. Point me in the direction of those players please.
@LSB, I agree with you about Aaron Neville over-using vibrato, but I think his control is amazing. If I could do that with harp I hope I'd be like the good-guy gunfighter in a western, knowing I was so good I didn't need to pull my gun to prove it.
That said, I think that was the first time I've ever enjoyed hearing Aaron Neville sing. Thanks Walter, I'll pay more attention next time he shows up on my radar.
@DirtyDeck yes big chester had great tone and what an awesome vibrato some in this forum thought he over used it but he mixed his great harp playing with great singing and showmanship-hes my fave bluesman of all time
Big Walter's shimmering vibrato was great, Butterfield (as mentioned) had a great vibrato too.
Sankey, Estrin, Gary Smith, Kim Wilson (1st pos "Trust My Baby" is a good example) & Portnoy (at times) all do the proper "pitch vibrato" as Silpakorn points out...here's the thing, certain techniques suit certain tempos, songs & even parts of the song better, a good pitch vibrato can be milked for all it's worth in slow blues, but on an upbeat number it can be irksome if becomes too "yoy-yoy-yoy-yoy"?
@Dirty Deck - Little Walter didn't really have particularly pronounced or distinctive vibrato, pretty subtle really (not that it's a bad thing), often absent altogether...he did extensively utilise amp vibrato.
Jerry McCain & Arthur Williams' use of Leslie effect on Jewel recordings was pretty cool, but never really seemed to catch on in a big way.
---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Last Edited by on Dec 12, 2011 7:53 AM
@walterharp, actually I have to thank you to bring this topic up. It's the next thing that I'd like to improve. Is there anybody who can give a tip on a fast pitch vibrato like Paul's ? I think it's the most difficult one.
for one i'd go for paul lamb for greta vibrato as well as great showmanship , i only saw him play live once and it was a brilliant night ! i loved the way he would attcak a solo and have this fast vibtrato tail off at the end of a solo and cut it dead , takes the roof of your head off , great stuff! also , i always loved howlin wolf's tone and vibrato , which comes from sonnyboy ( rice miller) , and not to forget junior wells .
Chris Michalek. It was extremely lyrical and works with any melodic playing. It reminds me of Derek Trucks on slide guitar.
I don't think it is technically hard to execute, but it is damn hard applying it in the right context...at least for me, anyways.
The best I've managed is to consistently apply it to bent notes. I have a hard time not turning it into a more traditional vibrato on other notes. ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas VHT Special 6 Mods
+1 for bharper's Pat Ramsey vote - certainly up there with the best. That solo on King of Fools is a pretty masterful example.
Last Edited by on Dec 14, 2011 10:16 AM
Wow! No one mentioned James Cotton's signature slow, deep vibrato at all here. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
@willspear i looked around and could not find the levy power vibrato video
thanks for all the suggestions.. i guess one thing is to be a top player you need to have great vibrato.. and all have their own preferences... are there any top players who use essentially no vibrato?
My favorite vibrato on harp is Howlin' Wolf. There's this subtle, yet perfect-to-me thing that he gets, but I can't re-create. I love it. Rod Piazza gets close to it during the rare instances that I've seen him play w/o an amp. ---------- 12gagedan's YouTube Channel
