TE-106 • String Bending

[lime45]

Ive been playing guitar for a little over a year now and Im just starting to notice that when I bend a note, I am also hitting other open strings by accident when I bend a string so it hits another string. Is there any way to reduce this? I am also used to muting the string in front so that it wont be heard but then when I bend a string it hits the strings in front of it which hits the string in front of that one. Sorry if thats confusing but any help would be appreciated

[mickmetal]

  The problem I have with bending is being able to keep the tips of my fingers arched over the string.  My fingers sort of fall to the side when I put my thumb above the fingerboard and the string will usually slip.

  Should I work on finger stretching more so I can bend with the tips of my fingers instead of the side?  I can only bend the strings when they're above the 12th fret and even then it's a hit and miss. 

  Any advice would be appreciated, and another thanks to the fellows that answered questions that others had.

[kap2011]

I just started playing a few months ago and I am attempting the solos in Sweet Child O' Mine. I'm having a bit of trouble with the bends as far as whenever I bend the string the sound goes dead at the end, or when releasing the bend my fingers catch on the string above. Any advice on how to avoid this?

[Gary L Green]

Goui567:

I found that taking extra special care to play bends with the tips of the fingers helped get rid of string noise.  In addition, playing enough so that the callouses built up on my finger tips,

Thanks.  This is exactly my problem.  I'll work on that.  Just practicing (and sucking) and practicing some more is improving my bends and decreasing the plucks and the chunks and the seagulls.  I don't know that I'm doing anything different, it's just the magic of practice.

OH, ONE MORE THING....  I've got a rosewood fretboard.  Are they supposed to have a high coefficient of friction?  When doing bends and pushing down a bit extra hard, my fingers get stopped by the friction.  Should it be like that or should I be putting something on my fretboard to make it slicker?

Before trading up to the Variax 700, I had a 500 with a maple neck and it was much slicker.  For the week I had it, I liked that maple neck better than the rosewood but it seems that rosewood is the standard so I figured I might as well get used to it.  Comments anyone?

[gareth51]

I struggle with whole tone bends on the first string at the lower frets (up to about 8th fret), but OK on 2nd and 3rd strings.  I have watched Justin's video a couple of times and I think my technique is OK.  Will I be able to do this eventually with lots of practice, or do I need to consider changing my strings?  I have .010 strings currently.   Will going to .009 strings make a lot difference?  If I do change strings, will I need to make any other changes to the set up of my guitar?

[Atum!]

gareth51, about changing the strings from .10 to .09, yes, you'll have to adjust the neck trust rod, otherwise you will experience some fret buzz on the first frets.

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I saw Justin's video a lot of times and it seems I can't bend with the correct technique. I feel a lot of tension on my fingers while bending, and I think the first string hates me, 'cause bending on it is hard as hell... I found this on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-y6Xfk2Tg, at 1:55, Satriani shows the bending technique, but I still don't get it. Any tips?

[jf-133]

Hey everyone!

I was wondering if you could answer a question for me: (This is probably a very simple question, and I am going to be embarrassed but...) What is the difference between bending and vibrato? 

[email protected]

[bluepingu34]

Hi jf-133

Don't worry, everyone's a beginner at some point.
Vibrato is when the note goes up and down very slightly, and string bending is when you bend a string right up to another note, and play it as if it was just a note on a higher fret.

Hope that helps
A

[Joe Rider]

Hi everyone.  Can Justin or anyone else suggest how to avoid your bending finger making the string above sound especially on release?

Thanks.

[gareth51]

gareth51, about changing the strings from .10 to .09, yes, you'll have to adjust the neck trust rod, otherwise you will experience some fret buzz on the first frets.

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I saw Justin's video a lot of times and it seems I can't bend with the correct technique. I feel a lot of tension on my fingers while bending, and I think the first string hates me, 'cause bending on it is hard as hell... I found this on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-y6Xfk2Tg, at 1:55, Satriani shows the bending technique, but I still don't get it. Any tips?

I have just changed strings from 10's to 9's.  I checked the set up using Tourniquet's guide, and it seems OK.  Makes string bending slightly easier.

As far as bending on the first string is concerned, especially at lower frets, it helps if I have my thumb as far over the neck as possible.  Pulling a funny face while doing the bend also helps! 

[PhillD]

Gareth
9s are good strings but it might be worth considering hybrids, these are 10 on the bottom strings and 9s on the higher strings. This is a good compromise if you want easier bends but with the chunky tone of the thicker gauges - perfect for a Les Paul which really sounds best on 10s or above.

Also look at your action if you are struggling with bends, this can have a major impact on your playing - if in doubt take it to a guitar tech for a setup, probably cost you less than £25.

Personally I wouldn't go lower than 9s on any guitar, I have witnessed a young child playing with 8s and the result was very little noise coming from the guitar - oh and his bends went so high they were ultrasonic which meant he couldn't bend in tune.

Bending vs Vibrato - the best example I can give you is listen to some B B King he uses some subtle wrist vibrato throughout his playing, or listen to The Shadows as Hank Marvin used his trem bar to achieve a similar effect.
Bending is less subtle and a good example is the famous Chuck Berry riff from Johnny B Goode.

To try yourself there are multiple types of vibrato:
Wrist vibrato is a good one - strike a note say 12th fret of top E and just twist your hand at the wrist back and forth while fretting it. Note how different speeds affect the sound.

Method two is horizontal vibrato and simply involves moving horizontally along the string within the fret while playing the note. Be careful not to go too far and buzz instead.

Lastly there is my favourite which is to slightly bend the string up and down as it rings, don't go all the way up in a bend, just a shallow movement but a few up and downs should do.

Experiment away and try throwing it into your scales practice, will make the whole thing sound so much better.

[Andy28]

Hi everyone.  Can Justin or anyone else suggest how to avoid your bending finger making the string above sound especially on release?

Thanks.

If you palm mute the strings before releasing the bend as Justin advises in the vid (to avoid the seagulls) you can keep the palm mute in place until after your fretting hand has left the fretted strings. That should stop strings sounding on release

[Gary L Green]

Back to my bit on the sticky fret board, seems this is a bone of contention, with no definitive answer.  Fret boards do get gunky, dried out and all sorts of stuff.  There are many concoctions on the market for use on the fretboard.  Seems the best thing to do is to clean the fretboard when you change strings and put some "lemon oil" on the fretboard.  Opinions vary widely and wildly.  I just put a dab of baby oil on and left it over night.  Seems to have helped but now I worry about the fretboard picking up more dirt.  We shall see.

Oh, I was having problems with bending strings on my guitar that I keep at work (cheapy Epi).  First the strings were to thick but secondly, I kept getting my fingers slipping under the strings above the one I was bending.  holding the string down and looking at how the string contacted (or didn't) the frets from top to bottom, I could see that the neck was bowed.  Changed to lighter strings, tightened the truss rod and viola, things play better.  I still suck, but less on that guitar now.

[pyro513]

Ok ,my turn for a begginers dumb question. What is legato?
Thanks guys.
Justin....hope you got my first donation. I love your work and your devotion. Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
 Dale

[justinguitar]

@ pyro - legato means smoothly, and usually means using hammer ons and flick offs, nothing to do with vibrato.

@ Gary Green - invest in some lemon oil dude, it really helps keen the neck wood most and clean and free of gunk.

- Rosewood vs maple is all about sound. I think they feel very similar to bend on... but the maple laquer might make it feel a little stickier...

J

[pyro513]

Thank you Sir, I just picked up a " cheap Epi " as Gary called it. It's an Epiphone L.P. Standard. It only had a few hours on it, the dude lost his job and needed cash. He paid $450 US 6 months ago, I got it for 300, had it set up and put nines on it so I can learn to do bends and vibratos. It's the best guitar I have and only due to a little birthday money. Are these guitars really considered to be cheap? I love it. Thanks for the reply!
Dale

[GuitarPK]

Just as Hoenbh, I have problems with so called "Seagulls".

I can't mute the bended string rightly when its going down, to its normal position, only if there is a gab in the song, melodi, etc.

Can anyone either explaine how to do, or show it? Justin, a video ex.?

[GuitarPK]

Come on! A little bit of help here?

[Ghibli85]

Hello Justin(and fellow forum visitors!)

I have two "problems" while bending....

1: The B and e string take a lot of force to bend a whole note...And I have tried using 1 or more fingers. It does go a lot easier using more fingers though, but it still requires a lot of force. Bending the G string for example, goes a lot easier. It bends easier and with less force needed. Is this a guitar setup problem?

2: When I bend a string, I tend to touch the other strings next to the string, which ring as an open note during the bend...Especcially when I release the bend, the strings next to the bended string get hit by my fingers and ring out(which sounds so bad!). EDIT// I found something similar on the forums now, I am going to try the muting now while bending! Hope it works!

Any possible solutions for my problems? Tips? Highly appreciated!:)

Ghibli, The Netherlands

p.s
My guitar is a Fender Stratocaster '70's model (mexican made) and my amp is a Marshal MG30DFX. The guitar has been checked last month at the guitar shop and they said it looked and sounded really nice, and they didn't have to adjust anything except the G string(the bridge thingy needed to go up for the G string they said...)

[Strat0Blues]

I had these exact same problems a couple of months ago, strings ringing out, trouble bending right up to the note and so on. Best tip from me is just keep practicing, I just placed string bends into my pratice routine, listening carefully for the sweet spot of the note I am bending too. It didn't take too long before I had the strength and the technique to get them sounding sweet as.

Sometimes strings ring out a little every now and then and my bends are sometimes a little flat or sharp, but I have improved dramatically in a short period of time, and with more practice I will be more consistant. Everyone goes through these learning stages, and with practice you will see rusults, like muting the other strings will just come naturally with your palm or your left hand.

Watch J's videos again, everytime you watch them at different learning stages you will pick up on something that you did not before. I revisit these videos every now and then to enhance my skills, I pick up on different things all the time.

[Ghibli85]

I had these exact same problems a couple of months ago, strings ringing out, trouble bending right up to the note and so on. Best tip from me is just keep practicing, I just placed string bends into my pratice routine, listening carefully for the sweet spot of the note I am bending too. It didn't take too long before I had the strength and the technique to get them sounding sweet as.

Sometimes strings ring out a little every now and then and my bends are sometimes a little flat or sharp, but I have improved dramatically in a short period of time, and with more practice I will be more consistant. Everyone goes through these learning stages, and with practice you will see rusults, like muting the other strings will just come naturally with your palm or your left hand.

Watch J's videos again, everytime you watch them at different learning stages you will pick up on something that you did not before. I revisit these videos every now and then to enhance my skills, I pick up on different things all the time.

Thanks a  bunch for your swift response! Muting is kind of hard right now....I find it hard to mute while bending, and I am not sure if I should use my right or left hand for that...I guess time will tell!

I'll try the entire evening to get it right...but I guess this takes a bit longer to achieve! Hahaha:)

[Strat0Blues]

If you know what E flat tuning is and have a guitar tuner, you can tune your guitar to E flat if you are having trouble with bends. This will result in your guitar strings having less tension thus allowing you to bend string a little easier. The A minor scale would now be shifted up one fret, same pattern but now the A note on the low E would be at the sixth fret.

Mute the string when releasing with you palm if you can, this will come naturally over time. Always learn the licks and bends etc slow first and listen for the sweet spot. Best Advice, just keep practicing. What was impossible for me to play 8 weeks ago I have now mastered, and then some. It helps to know this though, over time you will develop these habits naturally, because you will be able to hear when the slightest noise comes from any other strings and compensate.

. . E (8/10)
. . B (8/10)
 .  G (9)

I can play entire solos just out of this little blues box through bends, hammer ons, slides, vibrato, bend vibrato and so on. 8 weeks ago I had only just learnt that this pattern existed. Just keep at it 

[mothership]

Hi Justin,

I've been playing for about a year and have recently started focusing on the blues.  My guitar teacher told me never to put my thumb over the top of the guitar, even when bending, but I have tried the "thumb over" approach and it's not only easier but sounds better too.  Now I am trying to retrain my hand to place my thumb over but the problem is that I have really small hands (I'm female) and it feels awkward to keep my thumb over the guitar to play the notes that follow the bend.  So, I keep my thumb behind the neck to play everything except bends.  Is this bad technique or should I just practice with my thumb over until it feels comfortable?

Thanks!  You're awesome!

[Matheus]

Hello, i've notice something with my bends.

1. They aren't that comfortable to do as it was before!

2. I often drops the bend and it sounds awful.


So here's the thing, first time i saw justins video i learned to it properly but now a days its really hard. It feels like my fingers are a bit clumsy when it comes to bends, it doesn't feel right!

Is it because i do it wrong? Or what could it be? Like the strings are getting bad or something like that? And no, i've not tried to do it in other guitars, just mine... I've done it many times before, but not the time while i feel its not right... You understand what i mean? :S


Okey so what do i need help with? I need to know what the reasons why it feels like it feels, and why i often drop the string - maybe it have happend to you too?

And one more thing, it feels like the string is slippery...

My theory is that i just bend with 1 finger unconscious... But if thats not the case... Just wondering if you guys had same problem, and how to do something about it?

[Matheus]

Justin! You know you video about bending!

The thing is, its really feel uncomfortable to bend right now! Could the problem be on the guitar or is it my fingers?! :S

Before it was easy and nice. Today it feels the same as my tumb wouldn't be like you said it will, and it feels like i don't have control over the string. I'm not saying the tune, i mean the feeling of it. it feels wrong, and sometimes it hurts...

What am i doing wrong?!!?!!?!

Could it be the strings?