With every step of progress, there are 10 new challenges. In making a full string bend, I’m catching one or even two adjacent strings under my finger causing them to sound out. Most apparent when I release the strings even with palm muting. Not really occurring with a half-step bend, just a full tone. Makes for some nasty sounds. Not sure how to correct. Recs?
I personally have to make sure my fingernails are pretty short. Also could be the action on those adjacent strings is a smidge too high. Also, like with everything else I’ve found on this journey with guitar, eventually your fingers will just figure out how NOT to do that and you’ll forget you ever struggled with it.
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You have to fully mute the strings with your picking hand (the strings lower (in pitch) than the one you are playing, so I am assuming you are bending the string in the upward direction).
You mention palm muting, but it’s more than palm muting, it’s fully resting the heel of your palm on the strings adjacent to the one you are playing.
Justin discusses muting at around 12:00 of the string bending lesson:
The answer is always muting.
You can use the side of your picking thumb on the lower strings or fingers on your fretting hand
You want to push with the meat of the finger, so have a little of the tip above and below the string. Adapt finger angle and pressure for your string height, but I think the attack of the finger angle to initially fret the string is the part that is important. Be careful about maintaining string pressure against the top of the fret so notes will sustain - this is something taking me a while to get consistent.
I have the same trouble @jwilbanks mentioned and also keep my nails really short or I get strings trapped between nail and fingertip.
Palm muting is very important for keeping the unwanted strings quiet and also to stop a note before you let go of the bend. Your palm will need fine control to hit just the strings you need muted, then quickness and timing to press down for full quiet as you release.
Follow the linked bending technique. It covers this stuff well. It took me a while get the quieting right and reasonably consistent. Timing is still a work in progress, especially on the full bends.
I also have a better experience with lighter strings (8-38) until I get the feel. I am targeting blues licks now and need to stay lighter as my finger tips are really sore with heavier strings (10-46).
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Good input; always much appreciated.
Nails cut every two days. Action low; strings are 9’s on the electric.
Adjacent string is sliding under my finger.
I’m not muting properly for sure; I think I’m late as well and not getting to the unfretted strings. I even get string noise when my hand hits the strings trying to mute them.
The comment about not getting the bended string to sustain is another issue I have. I know it will take time, but I’m in a hurry.
try placing/resting the side of your thumb over the dgb strings and picking the e then bending
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One more observation: My problem is really most occurring on the high E string. Something also with how the side of the neck interferes with my left hand. Hard to describe. But the thin string wants to slide under my finger tip.
Action too low maybe? Might be worth adjusting the saddle to bring the G, B & e strings up a little.
Good advice here already so far. I’m reasonably new to bends but I find that I have to dig in with my bends to stop the string noise, so the adjacent strings get pushed out of the way by my fingers but not fretted.
Yeah when fretting a string normally its usual to aim for close to the fret and middle of the fingertip
when doing a bend its probably better to aim for closer to the nail and as you push up your fingertip will rotate
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“Aim closer to the nail”
Hadn’t thought of this. By that, I think you mean to curl the finger tip down and under a little when pushing. If so, I definitely have not been doing it this way.