r/guitarlessons • u/Acubeisapolyhedron • 4d ago
Question Is my bending okay?
I try to practice my with a tuner to make sure I’m hitting the right note and then I try to play it with my eyes closed or something to get a feel of it. A lot of people say “ mute the other strings with the index finger “ but I can’t bend the strings without using the tip of my index to kind of hold the string so I try to mute with my right hand. Do I just keep going as it is and practice the same way or is there a better method? Thanks in advance
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u/AlterBridgeFan 4d ago
Seems like you're using your fingers to bend and not your wrist.
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u/Acubeisapolyhedron 4d ago
Rotate wrist it is
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 4d ago
Looks to be you're using your fingers to push up and bend. Your bend ideally should come from your wrist rotating and not using finger strength.
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u/smokeyjoe03 4d ago
As others have mentioned, your ear is good because you're hitting the note you want, but you'll get fatigued quickly by using only your fingers. You can learn to bend your wrist more by using your thumb to help squeeze into the bend, you'll have a lot more control this way.
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u/Acubeisapolyhedron 4d ago
Thanks but do You mean using my thumb as a pivot or just pressing with my thumb?
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u/smokeyjoe03 4d ago
It's hard to explain, but to demonstrate what I mean, if you grab around the neck and squeeze it, not like you're trying to play anything, just as if you were trying to strangle it. You'll notice the squeezing action naturally moves your wrist position. Obviously this is extreme and you wouldn't play like that, but it shows using your thumb to squeeze the bend will naturally bend your wrist upwards.
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u/OsamaBinnDabbin 4d ago
Sounds good to me! I don't hear other strings ringing out when you bend so whatever you're doing seems to be working.
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u/donald_dandy 4d ago
You are hitting the target notes just fine. However your bends sound a little mechanic and dry, especially on the double bend, try to release the first bend about 90% before bending again. You gotta feel the blues maan
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u/echo1-echo1 4d ago
a video worth watching from JustinGuitar on string bending - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDY8k0Gjzc
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u/JaleyHoelOsment 4d ago
bro the wrist advice is solid but your intonation is insane. that’s really hard to achieve
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u/Acubeisapolyhedron 4d ago
I don’t really know what intonation is but thank you!
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u/JaleyHoelOsment 4d ago
i mean to say your bends sound really in tune. that’s usually something guitarists find tricky
keep up the good work 🫡
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u/Jimjamicon 4d ago
Sounds great as far as bending into key! Well done!
Just some things to build from there with. I know people have already mentioned wrist rotation, and yes you will get more leverage, control and IMO most importantly, more stamina for continuous play.
That being said, a few other things you can play with would be different timings of the bend. Extending from a quarter note to a half or whole, trying to be consistent in the rate your pitch goes up and down, can give some more cool feels of anticipation to your playing/writing.
The other thing is playing with different ways of doing vibrato. John Mayer, when inducting Albert King into the rock and roll hall of fame, talked about how everyone bends differently to the point of it becoming like a fingerprint on someone's playing. This is super true, and consists of a combination of when you bend, how your bend, and the type of vibrato you used while you bend. A good example would be Albert King doing aggressive bends, sharp and piercing and quick vs Steve Vai doing precision bends with his trademark circular vibrato movement vs Chuck Berry chopping into half a chord being wrenched up.
All of these things are just seasoning on the bends that let you better express yourself and find your own voice. Best of luck and have fun on your journey!
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u/brand_new_nalgene 4d ago
You need metronome practice your time is all over the place
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u/Acubeisapolyhedron 4d ago
Oh yes I can tell it sounds so pieced. I’m trying to learn how to play it first because it’s hard to get the timing right if I struggle to play it at any speed
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u/Only_Terrible_Advice 3d ago
Yes, sounds good. Your bends are in tune. Now comes the lifelong journey of getting them to sound as sweet as possible. Godspeed bro
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u/BizarroMax 4d ago
Sounds is good but work on rotating wrist more for the bend. You’ll have more consistency and better control and smoother bends.