I've never taken a guitar lesson in my life, basically learned through trial and error or books so forgive my ignorance. The problem I'm having is preventing unwanted sounds when doing a string bend, I hope I can explain this clearly.

Lets say I'm doing a full step bend on the high E string. To reach this full step up, the distance the string needs to travel results in contact with the G and B strings. As I'm releasing the bend, the fleshy tip of my finger will sometimes snag on the other strings resulting in a "twang" sound when releasing.

Is there some sort of exercise to help prevent this? Is this even common for players or do I just have fat fingers (I'm not overweight)?

Yes.
It's called practise.

You may also want to try to concentrate more on using the very tips of your fingers to fret the string. Too many people try to roll their fingers down to so as to use the flat part where your "finger-print" is. If you're playing properly the callouses on your fingers should be no more than 2 or 3 mm away from the end of your finger nail. People I talk to say they don't like to play that way because it hurts. I tell them too bad. Do it anyway.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

My callouses are on the tips of my finger but not 2 to 3 mm from the nail. More like 5 mm so maybe I am rolling my fingers down too much. I'll see if keeping them more upright will help.

I guess that's the problem with learning on your own, you develop bad habits.

What you're doing is somewhat of a technique that certain players
like Adrian Belew, Jeff Beck and others do for effect.

Fenders have always been known to make you 'work' to get a clean full
bend, say, compared to a Gibson.

You could try using heavier gauge strings for awhile and then go back to
a lighter string and you'll certainly notice some ease with bending. Good luck!

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I forgot something. Assuming you are talking about a Strat, if you never use your trem you might consider blocking it. Once the trem is out of the equation the strings don't travel across the fretboard as far to get the same change in pitch. With a floating trem as you increase the tension on a string by bending it the trem springs stretch out a little longer until the tension is equalized again. This lifts the trem and "flattens" the string you're trying to "sharpen" making you push farther yet. You always bend farther to get a given pitch change with a floating trem than you do with a fixed bridge. Some will say it feels easier but by the time you are finished your required travel you have exerted the same amount of force. You just spread it out over a longer distance so it seems like less force.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Is this due to the curve on most Fenders? Mine is a 12" radius so it's relatively flat, I'd imagine closer to a Gibson.



It is a strat and I rarely use the trem so thank you for the suggestion. I'll keep the option of blocking it in the back of my mind but in the meantime I think I'll see if I can work it via improving my technique like you first suggested.

Remember as well a lot of muting go's on in your picking hand. If you're picking the high E and bending it, your picking hand should be muting those other 5 strings and thereby stopping any cloinks and noises as you release the bend.

You have to improve your fretting hand as well but much of the clean up is done by muting with the picking hand.

_________________
Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

I'm afraid that's pretty much the size of it. There's no shortcuts.

Still, there are different approaches to bending you could experiment with, S197. For example, some of us use just one finger to bend a string, some put a second or even third finger behind it - I think that's called a "supported bend", is that right? Sometimes doing that can give you more control and so make it easier not to catch the other strings and such. Worth a try if you are not already doing it.

A short vid on this page makes it clearer if you didn't quite get what I mean:

http://www.fretjam.com/string-bending.html



Or Jerry Donahue. Few people finer at the art of string bending than Jerry - what a player!

He does a thing where he bends the E string up and then at the top of the bend catches the B string with the tip of the same finger, picks it, and as he relaxes the E he is simultaneously pulling the note on the B sharp (but downwards across the fret) so he has two notes bending in opposite directions at the same time.

When he does it he makes it sound fabulously musical. When I do it it sounds like a cat dying.

Here's an example of him doing some other multiple bends - and he says he discovered much of this stuff exactly by making mistakes the way S197 has been doing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwikgppk ... ure=relmfu

Oh man: I could listen to Jerry talk about guitar playing all day long. What a great guy!

Cheers - C

_________________

Hi Mr C, don't recommend anyone try Jerry's "party trick" with 10-46 much hand fatigue and soreness One reason i'm thinking of 9-42 again

_________________
Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Thanks Ceri for the input, I'm aware of the "supported bend" and use it often.

Could having really low action increase this problem? I was watching some technique vids the other night and noticed the guy's action on his guitar was higher than mine. Mine is set very low, to the point where the low E string buzzes slightly if picked hard enough acoustically but is not audible when plugged in.