how to become comfortable with bending?

[fmw]

I think a good way to tell if you're bending in tune is to compare the melody to one with no bends. Just substitute slides or hammer-ons which will be in tune and compare the sound of your bends to those pitches.

[1001gear]

As Virg wisely alluded, tuning down just to soften the strings, is a waste of time.
Unless you want to do rapid single finger bendy crap - which might in and of itself be a waste of time, stick to E. The perceived 'stiffness' gives great tactile feed back and supplies a 'low gear/high resolution' spread to your bends. It all turns to feel as you get comfortable with it.

Tuning down for fatness is another matter but has nothing to do with this topic.

[mexmike.com]

thanks for all the good info in this thread. every time i bend, the string gets caught under my nails and its kind of an uneasy feeling but the two finger bend technique really helps out. makes it alot easier. thanks for that info!!

[Virgman]

thanks for all the good info in this thread. every time i bend, the string gets caught under my nails and its kind of an uneasy feeling but the two finger bend technique really helps out. makes it alot easier. thanks for that info!!

 

 

It's a good idea to cut your fretting hand nails quite short. Helps with fretting too.

[Still.ill]

thats weird i find bending easier when my fingers go under the string... is this wrong???

[liquidsn]

Hi, first time here. Have another question about bending strings.

How do you mute the string to prevent the unbending sound of the string during fast solos. like you have to bend the same string 4 times in a row.

sorry if this is a stupid newbie question.

[Ericjake]

Slightly unfret the bended string in order to dump its sound, then release it

[axslinger]

I played 9's forever. Since high school. And recently switched to 10's. It took me about a week to get used to them. Now I can't tell the difference.

As far as bending and how many fingers to use...it really depends on the lick, speed, etc. If bending the high E string a full step (typical), use all 4 fingers, same for the the A string. If you're doing an octave bend on the A string with the E fretted at, say the 5th fret, then use 3 fingers to bend the A a full step with the index finger hovering on the E string, then fret the A note (E string) just before striking it. This prevents the E string from making any noise before it should by lightly muting it with the index finger. It's also a key to learning good, clean muting technique.
Finally, make sure you get your fretting finger under the string, not on top of it like it would be if you were playing a chord. You are trying to PUSH the string up from underneath.