[Video] Advanced Guitar String Bending Technique


Want to make your guitar licks and solos sound more expressive using bending technique?

Learning advanced string bending approaches makes your guitar playing sound incredibly expressive, creative and captivating.

Good news:

These concepts are easy to pick up on and learn in no time.

Once you master advanced guitar bends you gain a powerful tool for making your solos sound consistently impressive.

Watch this video to learn how to master advanced  string bending technique:

Click on the video to begin watching it.

Click on the video to begin watching it.

 

There is much more to learn in order to take your lead guitar phrasing and expression to the next level besides bending technique.

Use the ideas below to make your playing sound even more musically expressive and interesting:


Play Guitar Vibrato That Stays In Tune Consistently

Keeping your vibrato in tune is important for making your bends sound great.

Here is what it means to stay in tune:

When you bend the string up to reach the target pitch (during vibrato), always release it back to the original pitch you began on. This makes it sound like it is controlled and smooth.

Practice this each day for just a few minutes using the following approach:

Set a metronome to a slow tempo.

Bend the string up on beat one.

Release it down on beat two.

Repeat this continually while focusing on keeping the vibrato in tune and controlled.


Use Different Types Of Vibrato To Enhance Your Bends Even More

It's true:

There are many different types of vibrato.

Many guitarists use the exact same style of vibrato they are used to every time they play. This eventually becomes boring over time.

What types of vibrato are there?

Here are a couple of types of vibrato to try out now:

Wide and fast: Wide vibrato means the distance from the original pitch to the target pitch is a whole step or more. Wide vibrato that is performed fast adds incredible intensity into your licks and solos. Use it to release a lot of tension during an important part of any lick or solo.
 

Narrow and medium: Narrow vibrato is no more than a half step in distance from the original pitch to the target pitch. Using this combine with a medium speed of application is great for a smooth, more subtle approach. This is a great all-around approach to use at any point during your licks and solos.

Note: Make sure not to overdo vibrato while playing! As with any technique, overdoing it takes away its novelty very quickly.


Make Your Bends Even Better Using Vibrato

Bends sound very expressive when you enhance them with vibrato!

This skill is critical for any player who wants to make the notes in their licks cry out with tons of passion.

As you are bending a string, apply vibrato to the string at the highest point of the bend (when you have reached the target note). Keep in mind that this requires extra care to keep everything in tune - so pay close attention.

You can even add other techiques into the mix for an even cooler sound.

For example:

It sounds cool and is actually less difficult to bend a string when you use your picking hand tapping finger to apply vibrato and your fretting hand finger to apply the pressure to keep the note sounding. While beginning with using vibrato on your bends, use a narrow variation until it is easy before moving on to wider intervals.

This cool mix of techniques helps make your guitar playing sound very unique and expressive like never before.

Again - Don't forget to use everything in moderation.

Even something as interesting as using tapping with vibrato can easily become repetitive and dull if you use it too much within a single phrase, solo or lick. At first, use it to accent the first or last note in a given guitar part.

Then slowly integrate it into your overall lead guitar playing until it feels totally natural.

Want to learn more ways to get better at bending and vibrato? Finding a guitar teacher is the best way to do it.

You'll be glad you did.

Here is what my students got from taking guitar lessons:


You know how to play better guitar solos and licks using great bending technique. Now it's time to become the best lead guitar player in town. Let me help you do it - get started today with guitar lessons online.