Guitar FX basics: What is vibrato?

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Check out this video lesson

Vibrato is a common feature on some vintage amps, but a few manufacturers make vibrato pedals too
Vibrato is a common feature on some vintage amps, but a few manufacturers make vibrato pedals too

Click here for all Guitar FX basics videos.

Getting to grips with guitar effects can be a complicated business and there are so many different types that it can be difficult to know where to start. This Guitar FX basics series of video lessons is a brief introduction to the most common effects.

This video lesson focuses on vibrato. Vibrato is where the pitch of a sound is continuously varied, slightly sharp then slightly flat, over time. This results in a similar effect to using the vibrato arm (often misleadingly called a tremolo arm) on a guitar. Listen to the video below to hear how this sounds.

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