Bending on the 1st string

I’d second what Richard just said. I’d check your saddles. I had a student recently who broke loads of high E strings. He was also using 9’s and found that even heavier strings were breaking too. He changed the saddles on the bridge and hasn’t had any problems since. I doubt it’s your technique that’s causing the breakages. I hope you manage to solve the problem.

I’m quite tempted to try some heavier strings Richard. I think it’s time I beefed up my fingers!! 😉

The guys above told you all the answers. I’m using .10 gauge, and it’s quite easy for me to bend whole – 1.5 steps, and with some effort I can pull a 2 step bend so I imagine with .9 it should be very easy.
Bill I figured that I’m actually using that technique, but isn’t it that the average bending technique? I’ve never actually noticed if my way of bending (well yours as well) is any different from other players way of bending.

Hey Sealer,

I agree with your comment about typical bending technique. However, one of my colleagues where I teach (who happens to be a FANTASTIC Berklee College educated fusion/rock player in his own right!) keeps more of a “classical-left-hand” position/technique when he bends, and I’ve seen others do this as well, albeit not as many. I was fortunate to have a teacher back (WAY BACK!) in my formative years who was an excellent “rock” guy who REALLY stressed the importance of sound bending and vibrato technique. I mean this guy was MILITANT about these expressive techniques’ importance to being a good rock player! I am forever grateful that he instilled that in me. I started teaching in 1988 and when I first started teaching, guitarists (in rock) were still playing leads, and the expressive elements were still deemed important. However, as “grunge” became popular in the 90’s (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, etc.), and then later in the 90’s the whole “power-pop” thing evolved (Green Day, Blink 182, etc.) and eventually the “rap-metal” genre was born (think “Limp Bizkit” and try NOT to VOMIT!!!) The music of the day did NOT dictate my entire teaching philosophy. However, I also believe in keeping students motivated through the music that “excites” THEM, so it became very difficult to justify teaching all of the cool lead-guitar vocabulary & techniques, when it was nary to be found in any of “Lil’ Johnny’s beloved Blink 182 discography!!!” Know what I mean?

Anyways, I digress….(BIG TIME digression, sorry!!!)

So whenever I’ve had the chance to get through to an interested student, I’ve ALWAYS tried to instill the importance of these oft-under-emphasized techniques and concepts!

Sealer, I think most players bend similarly to you and me. Two instructors who I’ve recently read, who advocate “our” “stiff-fingered-wrist-turning” technique, are the amazing Guthrie Govan (anyone care to take ANYTHING Guthrie recommends to task?!?) and also Guitar Techniques Magazine author Shaun Baxter – “Guitar Gym-series” from roughly 2002. They promote the “thumb-over-neck-wrist-turn” to bend, but yet a “thumb-way-behind” position for the stretchy-stuff, like wide intervals, 4-note-per-string diatonic-patterns, or just about anything that requires more than a three-fret stretch.

One more thing. The point I made about “using any available finger that’s lower-positioned than the finger that is actually at the fret that you’re bending, should be used to re-inforce/strengthen the bend.” is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for string-bending strength and control/accuracy! (This technique (of course) works with any finger that is bending EXCEPT for the index finger (as there is clearly no available fingers at a lower-fret than the index!) Below is a description of an example of this technique:

– When in the 8th position, and bending the “C” note @8th-fret of E-1 string,
with finger 3 (ring-finger,) then the index & second fingers should line up
on the E-1 string, behind the 3rd finger, and assist the bend.

– Even if the aforementioned bend was only a “half-step” interval, I’d STILL
recommend the 3-finger approach NOT for strength reasons necessarily,
but certainly for CONTROL reasons.

– BTW, for what it’s worth, I am a HUGE advocate of practicing string-bending
intonation by establishing a “target-pitch” on the same string (for a typical
whole-step bend, that would be 2-frets higher than the fret being bent.) then
play that target-pitch, unbent, to establish the target, then immediately try to
match that target-pitch with the bend. I also have found that “singing” or even
“whistling” the target pitch as you play it, can be helpful. Whatever it takes!!!

– Also, for whatever it’s worth, I approach playing and teaching vibrato almost
identically to the way I approach bending. The only difference is that the vibrato
is a series of “connected-micro-step” bends, whereby the width (pitch-modulation)
and the speed (how fast you shake the string) are variable parameters which
which (unlike the target-pitch of a bend) are never “right-or-wrong!” These are
up to the individual to determine and vibrato may be the single most defining
element of a player’s perceived “style!”

I hope this explanation helps someone. Peace!

~Bill Meehan~

In short, thumb over or under is a matter of taste and what feels more comfortable for you,
and very much dependent on musical style, and what TYPE of bending you intend to do,
as well as what you aim to play leading in and out of a bend.

MUCH more important (what I have noticed in ten years of teaching) amongst my students
are finger angle. If the fingertips bend the string with a roughly 40 degree angle, you won’t run the
risk of the other strings slipping under the bend or over the fingers.
If you have a angle that is too flat, you will “slip” and loose yoru grip on the string,
and in such instance it doesn’t matter how much you bend, you won’t have any efficient bending.
If you angle is too steep, you will end up pushing your bend-string under the other string,
thus having those ride up over your nails if trying to bend many steps.

When the angle is correct, the bended string rest on the lower portion of you fingertip, whilst
the other strings rest on the upper portion of you finger tip, silently following along with the bend,
but never causing any noise, or slipping of in any direction.

@billmeedog 4925 wrote:

Plus, I’ve always had very short fingernails – (bad habit of biting-nails!) – so that probably helps a bit too. Thanks for the ideas!

~Bill Meehan~

Bad habits of shy musician pay off in the end :p I’m biting my nails as well;-)