String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

[InFlamed666]

When i bend strings it sounds like crap!

Whiny and like a cat being mangled. Im practising plugged into a tuner and bending to the correct note etc, it just sounds so damn awful [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

My guitar appears to be in tune fine, intonation fine etc, the tuner works etc.

This is when not plugged into an amp.. i sound so bad amped i dont even bother most of the time!

Am i meant to bend quickly to the right pitch or slow etc or what? And then if i hold a bend it seems to die off quickly and i havent even began trying to add vibrato or anything.

Any ideas to help me?

[Miffy rules]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

I think it has little to do with how fast you bend it. It's all about the vibrato. It takes time to develop your own way of using it. Just try different way to use vibrato and see which one you like. For example, you can use different parts of your finger tip, or change the speed of vibrato, or the direction of movement, or when to use it (you don't have to use vibrato as soon as you pick a tring everytime). Just come up with as many ways as you can.

[nor]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

Originally posted by InFlamed666:
Whiny and like a cat being mangled.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Some would consider that a good thing... [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ...listen to the radio for a half-hour...

Bending is one of those things that develop over time. What you are trying to accomplish is to develop 'muscle memory'. If you do it frequently over a period of time your fingers will begin to 'know' what to do.

Just keep at it!

[InFlamed666]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

Thanks for replies...

1 question (possibly a stupid one!):

Do you always bend each string physically\string movement wise the same 'amount'??

Like would a 1 step bend on the 15th fret of the b string be bent the same amount as any other 1 step bend anywhere on the fret board? (like say 2cm from where the string is level\normally).

[jgcable]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

No, it varies. Practice bro. Practice vibrato. Get your entire forearm into it. Slow vibrato and bending are very similar. Try a larger gauge of strings. I know... larger strings make bending harder. Technically true but larger strings also are easier to bend to the correct pitch because they are more stable and react more consistantly to bending. Also, raise up your action a bit. Super low action causes you to squish the string against the fretboard making it hard to bend. Super low action also doesn't allow you to get your finger under the string which is where you want to be for killer bending and double stops. The best benders in the industry usually have large strings and high action. As a teacher, my opinion is that bending and vibrato are the 2 hardest things to learn (and teach) on the guitar. Don't fret, [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] you will get it with practice.

[Inazone]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

Maybe you're like me and can't seem to get a good feel for bending the "right" way...in which case you can do it differently. Most guitarists I know bend by pushing the strings upward, but I never got comfortable with that, so I pull the strings down when I bend. That solved my problem almost instantly.

[Outlander]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

Actually the strings closest to your hand (highE)you bend up, farthest from your hand (low E) you bend down.Otherwise you'll be floppin' off the fingerboard.Strings in the middle you can bend however suits you or your style.

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

Originally posted by jgcable:
Don't fret, [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] you will get it with practice.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Very very punny [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Start out with 1/2 step bends, then work up to full step bends, and use target notes or a tuner to help out your pitch.

Then, once you have the feel for bending, start to add vibrato, very slow and controlled....like a pulse....then gradually speed up your vibrato but keep it in time.

I agree with JGCable...vibrato while bending I think is the hardest thing to learn and develop. If you don't have finesse, it just stounds stale and mechanical.....and I prefer the old school bending/vibrato where you strike, bend, then add vibrato on the note (Clapton is a God at this!).

Most importantly, don't get discouraged at first and have fun with it. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Miffy rules]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

Lately I'm trying to use vibrato with the whammy bar, but it never stays in tune like with my finger. [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[VitaminG]

Re: String bending ARAGAGHAHAH

I practiced making my whammy vibrato sound like my finger vibrato, although I rarely use the bar for that now. The trick is to pull up on the bar when you apply vibrato, because when you use regular vibrato, you are raising the pitch of the note and returning it to normal. If you push down on the bar for your vibrato, it's obviously not going to sound the same because you are lowering the note before returning it to pitch.