String bending help

DOSW
DOSW Posts: 2,014
edited June 2007 in Musicians and Gearheads
I've had this problem for a while now, but it's become more of an annoyance recently because I'm trying to learn songs that rely heavily on bending in the upper frets of the high e or b string. Whenever I give the string a really big bend, I always seem to accidentally pluck one or two adjacent strings with my fretting/bending hand as I release the bend. It doesn't make a really loud noise, because I'm just brushing it, but you can definitely tell it's there and it just doesn't sound good. Any advice?
It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • FinsburyParkCarrots
    FinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Is this of any help? Using more than one finger to bend will give your attack more whoomph and clarity of tone, and you can work on dampening the other strings.

    http://www.gregsguitar.com/bend_string1.html
  • sennin
    sennin Posts: 2,146
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    Is this of any help? Using more than one finger to bend will give your attack more whoomph and clarity of tone, and you can work on dampening the other strings.

    http://www.gregsguitar.com/bend_string1.html

    Good advice!

    My instructor taught me to use 2 or 3 fingers when bending. It helps alot!
  • Drew263
    Drew263 Birmingham, AL Posts: 602
    sennin wrote:
    Good advice!

    My instructor taught me to use 2 or 3 fingers when bending. It helps alot!

    So did mine. I got into a bad habit at first of using only one finger..but now I use 2 or 3 and it's much easier.

    Breaking bad habits sucks. :)
  • xtremehardy388
    xtremehardy388 Posts: 2,759
    I'm in that bad habit at the moment...
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • DOSW
    DOSW Posts: 2,014
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    Is this of any help? Using more than one finger to bend will give your attack more whoomph and clarity of tone, and you can work on dampening the other strings.

    http://www.gregsguitar.com/bend_string1.html

    Wow, after reading that I thought "this is no use, I always use more than one finger to bend a string." Then I started playing and I realized that for a lot of bends I actually do only use one finger. :D Oops.

    I still have a little problem with sounding other strings with my bending hand though. Is there something I'm not getting, or is it just practice, practice, practice until dampening the other strings becomes natural?
    It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
  • sennin
    sennin Posts: 2,146
    Another thing my instructor told me was to try to position my fingers so that when I bend, I also bend the strings above or below the strings I'm playing (depending on what strings I'm bending). Instead of having my fingers slip above or below the muted strings....causing a twang when I bend back.
  • FinsburyParkCarrots
    FinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    DOSW wrote:
    Wow, after reading that I thought "this is no use, I always use more than one finger to bend a string." Then I started playing and I realized that for a lot of bends I actually do only use one finger. :D Oops.

    I still have a little problem with sounding other strings with my bending hand though. Is there something I'm not getting, or is it just practice, practice, practice until dampening the other strings becomes natural?

    As Sennin says, look at the positioning of your fingers when you bend. The way your guitar is set up - its action and your string gauge - can also have a lot to do with how your guitar sounds when you bend.

    There are some good tips here on string dampening, not just for beginners but for every guitar player:

    http://www.guitarprinciples.com/lessons/beginner/string_muting.htm

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