Paul Gilbert is well known for his sense of humor in the left field, but as everyone who has heard it will agree, he has a serious vibrato. In a recent interview, Gilbert did well, if not a little strange, that YouTube presents a “dangerous trend” when it comes to vibrato players, and it’s all about the 16:9 format of the streaming site.
Speaking to Ultimate Guitar, Paul said, “Well, I teach a lot, so I see those kids on YouTube and I see a trend that, to me, is dangerous.”
“I grew up idolding Jimmy Page and Alex Lifeson and the guys who used their very low guitars. Me too. All my garage bands as a teenager, I played a Les Paul and had it on my knees, and you expand some strategy of how you hold your guitar when you do that.”
“I think a lot of other people now look to have compatibility in their little rectangle [on their PC screen], so their guitars keep going up and I see a lot of other people holding their guitar like a classical guitar.
“If you’re a classical guitarist, that’s fine. I mean, there’s no rule, the only rule is to have a smart ear. You can make it all paint if you have a smart ear. But if you need to have a smart ear. From the vibrato of the 70s as Brian May, Uli Jon Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, of course – all the actors of the time, you have to hold the guitar safely with your thumb on [the neck]. “
“Most of the cats I see in those days have their thumbs [neck] Array … It’s a little strange for me to have a bee in my cap, but that’s what it is. It’s probably smart for other people with small hands.”
“I have those giant hands, so I can succeed in things even when I don’t have my thumb. But my thing is, I need to be in position for vibrato. I never need to land on a note and not be in a position to shake it. For me, it’s just a component of dialect.
“It’s like when you walk in and speak the language but your accessory is another, that’s what it is, it’s another sound and another feeling.”
“The most exciting day of my guitar career was when I learned to lick Jimmy Page, betting on the role of ‘Heartbreaker’ by Led Zeppelin. I wouldn’t know how many other people can’t put vibrato on that E note, it’s incredibly weird, I’m really excited about that.
“You know, I’m over 50 years old. I’m self-aware enough to know it’s okay, not everyone has to be Jimmy Page. Sometimes I’d like everyone to be.
While we can’t see the big screen format becoming the short-term, our recommendation to get a vibrato while maintaining a decent composition is to just move away from the camera or look at a wide-angle lens.
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