Vibrato notation

The wavy line placed beside a note to show that the pitch should waver, sometimes with a figure indicating its width.

Vibrato has its own mark because it cannot be expressed as a pitch or a duration: the note stays nominally the same while the player moves it slightly sharp and back. In guitar tab and notation a vertical wavy line beside the note head indicates the effect, and in classical writing the character of the vibrato is left to the performer, while in electric playing a wider, slower vibrato is often implied by context. A closely related mark indicates a tremolo bar waver rather than a finger vibrato.

Example: A sustained note printed with a wavy line through its stem is to be given finger vibrato for its whole length.

Vibrato notation

See also