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Shall We Be Held properly approaching the connection between string bending and action height?
Mostly self-trained guitarist here, haven’t were built with a lesson in 3 decades. Encountering particular issues with string bending, after some google searches, attempting to finally think of a strategy to cope with it. It is a shame the top google listing I continue to come across is that this one at TGP, as you’ve to go through some bologna to get at two or three decent posts with higher information.
After I generate a guitar with "low action", I appear to possess trouble getting string bends to consistently seem good. This will depend which string / fret / finger I’m using, however the most problematic appear to become strings eBG on frets above #10, with my 3rd (ring) finger. Ultimately which i will fret an email after which go to bend it upwards, toward heaven. When I push this primary string up, my finger will touch other secondary strings and bend them as well. However, if I’ve the experience set low, other secondary strings become very difficult to help keep from the fret.
For any very lengthy time transpire is to get these secondary strings to "catch" onto a finger, and taking advantage of the pressure they exert back to the finger, hold them in position from the fret. What I’ve discovered is the fact that with low action, these secondary strings possess a inclination to slide & slide underneath the finger(s) attempting to hold them taken care of, eventually landing under the finger, becoming fretted, and sounding, which isn’t things i want. Sometimes the strings progressively slide lower the slope of my finger, sometimes they "pop" lower very rapidly, as well as on an uncommon occasion, I can effectively keep your undesirable strings from being fretted — and so i get sporadic is a result of this method / strategy.
This inconsistency also causes it to be tough to use my pick hands to mute the undesirable strings. For instance when bending our prime e string in the 17th fret up an entire step (from One place to another), the strings end up with close together, even lower in the bridge. Effectively muting the B and G strings with my pick hands, yet letting the e string ring, always appears just like a tightrope walk. The pick hands needs to strike the e string, mute the B and G, after which move combined with the bending motion to ensure that they’re muted while concurrently stopping the e string from being muted. The truth that the strings slip, slide, and pop lower to the frets from being suspended above them increases the impossibility of maintaining your pick hands in precisely the best position to mute only things that ought to be muted.
After studying with the TGP info linked above along with other a few things i obtained online, I am beginning to question just how much this might relate to personal limitations because of the shapes of my fingertips. They’re fairly rounded, though I’ve not really compared these to anybody else’s fingertips yet, so I am unsure. I’m able to state that after i possess the experience I described above, I understand for certain the strings are sliding lower the curved slope of my finger lower under it (and to the fret). I’m also able to state that the problem is worse when my fingers get slippery with sweat & natural skin oils, and worse with fresh strings. It truly appears to become a trouble with insufficient friction to help keep the strings from sliding lower the slope of my finger and lower to the fret.
Another factor I’ve attempted is applying much more of an arch within the finger to stress the bent string more using the top/tip from the finger compared to the information, however i obtain the same results. The tip of my finger is sloped, and actually I recieve worse as well as less consistent results with this particular approach since the string does not need to travel as far to slip lower the slope from the finger tip and, you suspected it, right to the fret.
Therefore it appears like I’m lower to simply 3 options will be able to imagine. Staying away from note bending and getting my fingertips surgically altered aren’t options:
Apply talc, chalk, as well as other drying agent to my fingertips to ensure that they’re dry while increasing the friction together and also the bent strings that i’m attempting to keep from the frets. I have never heard about anybody carrying this out, it had been just a concept, and might actually be a poor one (I haven’t attempted it yet). Would concern yourself with getting residue all around the strings, getting to constantly wipe them lower and reapply material to fingertips.
Keep your low action, let other strings slide under my fingers (or perhaps get it done purposely), and obtain superhumanly proficient at muting the undesirable strings with my picking hands. This can be a really daunting challenge, especially inside my age, and I am not really confident that it is the "right" factor to complete.
Raise action to some extent in which the strings are in a height which makes them less vulnerable to sliding lower the slope of my fingertips and to the fret. The down-side for this approach is the fact that I’ll finish track of action height over 1/8 inch (but under 1/4 inch). This method may also cause other potential issues, because though I want that height to get results for my ring finger, it may be an excessive amount of in my pinky, causing strings to slip in the slope of this finger instead of lower. It’s however simpler to handle this problem and it from making undesirable sounds.
Wanted to place these ideas up and find out should i be around the right / wrong track. Every other techniques that i’m not covering?
Should you bend a string (up for the ceiling/sky) the low (sounding, i.e., thicker) strings are supposed to maneuver beneath your finger(s). In case your finger moved underneath the lower (sounding) strings you would then get lots of undesired noise from individuals strings whenever you release the curvature, as well as whenever you perform some vibrato while bending.
In my opinion, there’s two stuff that good players do, and more often than not it’s a mix of both:
Should you bend together with your second or 3rd finger, make use of your first finger to mute the low strings and/or to ensure that they’re at some small distance in the string that you are bending. This can be done allowing the very first finger move a little greater in the guitar fretboard for the low E string. 
Make use of the side from the thumb of the picking hands to the touch all strings which are less than the main one you are bending. 
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These two measures will avoid seem using their company strings, even with a lot of gain.
Much like Todd, for any large bend I’ll use three fingers, so that as they push the preferred string, natural rotation of these catches the following strings and moves them up from frets.
Within this picture you can observe my fingers have caught 2 strings view, and merely moved them up enough they don’t play.
Keep your low action, let other strings slide under my fingers (or perhaps get it done purposely), and obtain . proficient at muting the undesirable strings . This can be a really daunting challenge, especially inside my age, and I am not really confident that it is the "right" factor to complete.
This is exactly what I actually do. I believe bending technique depends in your playing ergonomics. I have fun with my thumb over the top neck also it hangs lower helping using the muting. I additionally use my thumb on the top as sleep issues of the squeeze action within my hands to assist using the bending. It’s not necessary to mute together with your picking hands. Actually I rarely do. I developed lots of fretting hands muting and I suggest you focus your muting around the fretting hands.
What I am really doing here (since i have had the capacity to visit home and check out things i do) may be the strings I am not fretting are really held from the frets simply because they dig into my fingers. Callouses around the tops of my fingers stop this from hurting a great deal. My action is under 1/8". It’s almost exactly 1/16" in the twelfth fret.
After I do vibrato or small bends with my second or third fingers, I actually do mute with my pointer finger as proven in Matt L’s answer, however when I wish to bend up a few whole steps, I want the 3 fingers to get it done.
While you practice bending, you will find that you get the microscopic finger placement ability in which you fingers push the strings taken care of without fretting them, and then the sides of the fingers mute the strings. You just need to keep practicing in internet marketing. It required me 12-18 several weeks so that you can bend effectively once i began focusing on it.
I am unsure what how old you are is, but mine is 44 and I am still doing compound bends with a minimum of a small third (three frets greater).
How To Bend The Guitar Strings – Lead Guitar Lesson #6
Video COMMENTS:
- Kevin Anand: Oh my gosh, I watched this video series so often when I was starting out on guitar. It's crazy to think I was at a point where I couldn't bend. I've improved so much.
- Freaky: can I use my 3rd finger instead of pinky to practice full bend? It seems impossible to do it at all on acoustic guitar for me 🙂
- josvani: Great…i just broke a string -_-
- Rajan Merlin: God bless you for these videos they are so helpful and I started playing in my church
- Mustafa Öztürk: can someone tell me how can I get rid of getting scared to break string when bending…I feel so though to bend and when I go high I feel like the string is going to break so I cant give all of my power to string.
- John Tesoriero: hi nate ,i love your lessons! i was wondering if you can give the tab for the ending that you play in lesson #6 at the 7 minute mark?? it would help so much, thankyou
- Rexy Jonathan: About 5 years ago I learn stairway to heaven's solo and i broke my 5th string, it was very traumatic. Since then i almost never bends for 1 full note from 1st-11th fret.
- Eric Valverde: ok, full bending….but how you do it with 12-56 gauge in Drop B?
- Eric Valverde: jumbo frets and here we gooo!!!
- Deep Sengupta: can we practice for lead on an acoustic guitar???
- sue gates: New to site,love it. Would like to see the notes being played,notes ect. How,where?
- Warner Smith: It would be good if you provided tab sheets for the licks you play over the sound track at the end.
- Meraj: how to play any song lead aftr listeining
- TLMAP: I have been doing the bend in a seemingly correct manner, but the sound of the step/half-step up just won't come out. What is being done incorrectly?
- Abhay Painuly: Hey Nate,
I have been following u for last 2 years and succefully learned the rythmic guitar and working on my lead but i am facing problems with using these techniques to created my own licks ,patterns or having fun with jam tracks. Please suggest something!
- rafael adordionisio jr.: do you have lesson for enhancing my ears on music?
- Nayuki: My pinky is hating me trying to bend on these scales. I never used my pinky when playing unless I absolutely had to
- Mahesh Chary: Thank you
- Zaw Nain Htunn: Thanks u so much…U r one of my online teacher..thanks for the video so much again..i just wanna ask to insert the subtitle ????
- Sniper Hawk: Damn this is like impossible on acoustic
- Anuj Rana: Nate you are the man who made me able to play guitar
Thank you
Keep uploading videos
Nate Savage live long
- BigBadroid: The pinky finger is weak as fuck
- retro AF: i literally cant feel my finger tips anymore wich is good when you play guitar so it dosent becomes painful
- WaN –: thanks broo
- Yella Dart: I cut my finger 🙁
- Sean Tristan Francisco: how do i bend without dragging some other strings? :/ like i keep getting the other strings to make a sound when i dont want them to
- Priyam Paul: its been around two years i lost touch of my guitar due to educational pressure.
ur lessons are really helpfull 🙂
thanks a ton 🙂
- james mosqueda: Thank you very much for the lessons ☺
- Sarthak Gupta: Hey thank you for the video it was really helpful, but i really want the tabs for the solos u play with the jam tracks in the end. Can you please email it to me or something?
- ConnectMinistry Hands&Hearts4 Orphans: Hey Mr. Savage, thanks for the series. Do you have any ideas on the pick to use or is that all personal preference? I use a .50mm pick for strumming but I cannot stand it for picking and I do not like the really thin ones they always break on me. I have a .73mm that I have been using lately. What is your take on that. Thanks. Question 2. Do you know how to play the bass? If you do can you please make a video series like this for the bass?
- Squigg: Does it work on acoustic
- Jorrel Zamora: I think I do good if I don't bend using my pinky though
- Ben Simons: When I bend the strings always seem to accidentally almost do a pull off on the string above. Any tips?
- M.A. Vafaei: Should i move to next lesson or just practicing on bending for a while?
meanwhile I'm practicing last 3 lessons Everyday…
What should i do to get a better result ?
and thanks again for these lessons.
- Irish potato: Does this work with rhythm guitars or only electric ?
- Michael G: This one made the difference. Been practicing scales for a little while, but adding bends brings a new element. OK, online guitar support group, see you in lesson 7.
- Zack Ramsey: That guitar is amazing. I didn't know gibson had that style.
- Krists Cizevics: In this moment I wanted to stop:D
But good things doesn't come easy:D
- Rohit: How we made solo with the help of this bendings?
- Austin Williams: How do you hold the note.
- Aditya Aggarwal: Is it necessary to have an electric guitar to learn lead guitaring?
- Allan Morningstar: Well, I haven't given up, might be slow but learning, Thanks Nate
- Blacksmith: lol as the lessons go on there's less and less views as people give up
- Ahmed Kaasim: I think if anybody want learn this technique need a electric Guitar. am I right?
- Tyler .Mascarello: Things got serious in lesson #6.
How To Bend The Guitar Strings – Lead Guitar Lesson #6
Video COMMENTS:
- Kevin Anand: Oh my gosh, I watched this video series so often when I was starting out on guitar. It's crazy to think I was at a point where I couldn't bend. I've improved so much.
- Freaky: can I use my 3rd finger instead of pinky to practice full bend? It seems impossible to do it at all on acoustic guitar for me 🙂
- josvani: Great…i just broke a string -_-
- Rajan Merlin: God bless you for these videos they are so helpful and I started playing in my church
- Mustafa Öztürk: can someone tell me how can I get rid of getting scared to break string when bending…I feel so though to bend and when I go high I feel like the string is going to break so I cant give all of my power to string.
- John Tesoriero: hi nate ,i love your lessons! i was wondering if you can give the tab for the ending that you play in lesson #6 at the 7 minute mark?? it would help so much, thankyou
- Rexy Jonathan: About 5 years ago I learn stairway to heaven's solo and i broke my 5th string, it was very traumatic. Since then i almost never bends for 1 full note from 1st-11th fret.
- Eric Valverde: ok, full bending….but how you do it with 12-56 gauge in Drop B?
- Eric Valverde: jumbo frets and here we gooo!!!
- Deep Sengupta: can we practice for lead on an acoustic guitar???
- sue gates: New to site,love it. Would like to see the notes being played,notes ect. How,where?
- Warner Smith: It would be good if you provided tab sheets for the licks you play over the sound track at the end.
- Meraj: how to play any song lead aftr listeining
- TLMAP: I have been doing the bend in a seemingly correct manner, but the sound of the step/half-step up just won't come out. What is being done incorrectly?
- Abhay Painuly: Hey Nate,
I have been following u for last 2 years and succefully learned the rythmic guitar and working on my lead but i am facing problems with using these techniques to created my own licks ,patterns or having fun with jam tracks. Please suggest something!
- rafael adordionisio jr.: do you have lesson for enhancing my ears on music?
- Nayuki: My pinky is hating me trying to bend on these scales. I never used my pinky when playing unless I absolutely had to
- Mahesh Chary: Thank you
- Zaw Nain Htunn: Thanks u so much…U r one of my online teacher..thanks for the video so much again..i just wanna ask to insert the subtitle ????
- Sniper Hawk: Damn this is like impossible on acoustic
- Anuj Rana: Nate you are the man who made me able to play guitar
Thank you
Keep uploading videos
Nate Savage live long
- BigBadroid: The pinky finger is weak as fuck
- retro AF: i literally cant feel my finger tips anymore wich is good when you play guitar so it dosent becomes painful
- WaN –: thanks broo
- Yella Dart: I cut my finger 🙁
- Sean Tristan Francisco: how do i bend without dragging some other strings? :/ like i keep getting the other strings to make a sound when i dont want them to
- Priyam Paul: its been around two years i lost touch of my guitar due to educational pressure.
ur lessons are really helpfull 🙂
thanks a ton 🙂
- james mosqueda: Thank you very much for the lessons ☺
- Sarthak Gupta: Hey thank you for the video it was really helpful, but i really want the tabs for the solos u play with the jam tracks in the end. Can you please email it to me or something?
- ConnectMinistry Hands&Hearts4 Orphans: Hey Mr. Savage, thanks for the series. Do you have any ideas on the pick to use or is that all personal preference? I use a .50mm pick for strumming but I cannot stand it for picking and I do not like the really thin ones they always break on me. I have a .73mm that I have been using lately. What is your take on that. Thanks. Question 2. Do you know how to play the bass? If you do can you please make a video series like this for the bass?
- Squigg: Does it work on acoustic
- Jorrel Zamora: I think I do good if I don't bend using my pinky though
- Ben Simons: When I bend the strings always seem to accidentally almost do a pull off on the string above. Any tips?
- M.A. Vafaei: Should i move to next lesson or just practicing on bending for a while?
meanwhile I'm practicing last 3 lessons Everyday…
What should i do to get a better result ?
and thanks again for these lessons.
- Irish potato: Does this work with rhythm guitars or only electric ?
- Michael G: This one made the difference. Been practicing scales for a little while, but adding bends brings a new element. OK, online guitar support group, see you in lesson 7.
- Zack Ramsey: That guitar is amazing. I didn't know gibson had that style.
- Krists Cizevics: In this moment I wanted to stop:D
But good things doesn't come easy:D
- Rohit: How we made solo with the help of this bendings?
- Austin Williams: How do you hold the note.
- Aditya Aggarwal: Is it necessary to have an electric guitar to learn lead guitaring?
- Allan Morningstar: Well, I haven't given up, might be slow but learning, Thanks Nate
- Blacksmith: lol as the lessons go on there's less and less views as people give up
- Ahmed Kaasim: I think if anybody want learn this technique need a electric Guitar. am I right?
- Tyler .Mascarello: Things got serious in lesson #6.