BL-014 • Blues Lead Guitar #4 - Bending Skills

[justinguitar]

Questions...

Lesson Link: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BL-014-BluesBends.php

[Day Tripper]

I am finding it difficult to bend the e string. It seems to "feel" too tight when I bend and I can not seem to make it move enough to bend.  Is this "normal" and just one of those things I have to practice, practice, practice on or is there a "trick" to it?

[justinguitar]

Sounds like your fingers are not strong enough yet - if you are doing the technique right after watching the vid - it is just down to practice.

You could try putting thinner strings on but they don't sound a fat.

J

[Sledgehammer]

Hi Justin

Do you have some tips for muting the strings above the one your are bending ??
If you do a bend and release you don't want the sound of the above strings popping...

I'm trying to mute the above strings with my right hand and I have tried to mute with my fretting fingers extending - the string being bend - to mute the above strings. But I am not completely succesfull in doing it one way or the other...

What is the best method to mute the above strings


Best Regards and thanks for a very fine website for all of us trying to learn...

[justinguitar]

I usually use right hand to mute most of them...

But the tip of the first finger should touch the string above the bending one to help keep that quiet too! that is usually the offending string.

Hope that helps

J

[Yeti]

Also make sure your nails are nicely trimmed on your fretting hand.

[daz51]

Hi Justin
This may be the same question as above but I wanted to make sure.  I've been wondering if acoustic and electric guitar bends are the same i.e. do you have to bend the strings as much on an acoustic guitar as you do on an electric.  You really move them a lot and I struggle to do that on my acoustic.  I'd love to say I can tell when the bend sounds right but I'm not sure I trust my ear enough yet for that.  I don't want to break my strings unneccessarily

Cheers

Daz

[rolledgold77]

hey justin, great site, great lessons, great everything. your the man, but now to my question. you said you use your right hand to mute most of the strings. can you help explain to me about where i should want my right hand when im playing? i play a les paul and i lay my hand on the tune-o-matic, but this is conflicting with my ability to effectively mute the bent string once its reached the desired pitch. ive been trying to correct this myself, but i cant find a comfortable position for my hand that doesnt mute the top 3 strings. or is this the desired effect? should my hand naturally move when i go to play the bass strings? i also cant seem to mute fluidly without messing up the flow of the solos i know. do i just need more practice?

[justinguitar]

rolledgold - it is just more practice - you can do both - it sits most of the time on the thick strings, and then dips down to mute the bends to stop the seagulls!

Daz - you just bend it until it is tune - usually a bit further on an acoustic - and it is a lot harder on acoustic too!

J

[syamantak]

Hi Justin,
Firstly thanx a ton man for all these pains you have taken to let us learn the instrument we love so so much. So now for my question....while trying out the first one of the 5 licks, I found to my utter dismay that after I do the lick 5-6 times (that too with quite a lot of sweat...phheeww!!), my 1st string gets totally out of tune...Its surely due to the forceful bendings...Is there a problem with my guitar or my playing or anything else??..Please advice Justin...thanks buddy !!

Syam

[Killing Floor]

Hello Justin--really enjoy your lessons.  A question on the blues bending lesson.  At one point you suggest not bending the Root note on the first string (5th fret) and 5th on the second string (5th fret).  Do you make that suggestion because those scale degrees in general don't sound good with a bend or because they are both more difficult to do starting out (i.e., each is a step and a half and under the first finger).  Or is there yet another explanation?  Many thanks.

[Killing Floor]

Bumpz.

[Andy28]

What I took from the video is that if you bend the 5th fret notes on the first two strings in the same way as the other bends - i.e. 2 frets/1 tone, you will end up with a note that isn't in the pentatonic scale which is why it "just doesn't sound good"

[darrencorrea]

Hey there Justin
Got a lil doubt ........ i play on ma accoustic with the string gauge 0.11mm to 0.52
I can get the semi tone bend pretty easily but no matter how hard i try i cant seem to get the tone bend ........ so my question is basically Is it possible to get a whole tone bend on the accoustic with the strings i'm using?  & someone told me that i'll be possible to get a tone bend on my accoustic if i get lighter gauge strings ...... is that correct n if so how thin shd da strings be ...... thnx fr da help

[GuitarPhil]

Hi Justin
This may be the same question as above but I wanted to make sure.  I've been wondering if acoustic and electric guitar bends are the same i.e. do you have to bend the strings as much on an acoustic guitar as you do on an electric.  You really move them a lot and I struggle to do that on my acoustic.  I'd love to say I can tell when the bend sounds right but I'm not sure I trust my ear enough yet for that.  I don't want to break my strings unneccessarily

Cheers

Daz

You could try checking your bent note is in tune by plugging your guitar into your DAW and using it's tuner function or use the very good online tuner from SeventhString.com (the same company that does the Transcribe! program). That way you get visual feedback as well as hearing the note and feeling the bend in your fretting hand.

I haven't tried this much myself as I only just thought of it  so let me know what everyone thinks of this idea.