How many fingers to bend?


trickster
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trickster
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04/04/2002 11:23 am
I was wondering, should I train my fingers until they can bend the string up each on their own or is it okay to bend with 2 fingers to get to the tone? Can be pretty hard for me to bend 1 1/2 steps up. Do pros use only one or more fingers when they bend? Thanks in advance.
# 1


Joined: 05/18/24
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Joined: 05/18/24
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04/04/2002 5:24 pm

I don't know about pros but I always bend with 2 fingers, gives me more precision to get the tone.


# 2
Bardsley
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Bardsley
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04/05/2002 1:07 am
It's useful to be able to do small bends with one figner, but it's rare that you need to do it. With bends, I find that the more fingers you can spare to do them the better. If you need to do a really fast and small one though, it's very good to confidantly use just your ring finger.
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# 3
Zeppelin
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Zeppelin
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04/05/2002 11:40 am
Most of the players bend strings with their 3rd finger, and support it with the first and the second. You have to know how to do a one finger vibrato, or half bends with one finger but regular semi or tone bends are usualy done with more then one finger
"They think im crazy..
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# 4
trickster
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trickster
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04/05/2002 2:42 pm
Thanks for the input guys. Appreciate it. I thought using more than a finger is kinda like cheap. Know better now...
# 5
Azrael
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Azrael
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04/06/2002 11:33 pm
i think more important than the question of which finger u should use is, that the bends should be precise.. nothing sounds worse than wrong bends.

Besides that i think that the index finger is hardly ever used for bends - its mostly the ring finger, the pinkie and sometimes the middle finger -

do what suits YOU best.. if you have problems with it, then dont do it - if it makes it easier for you - then do it - its as simple as that - its the result that counts in music... not always the way

[Edited by Azrael on 04-06-2002 at 05:37 PM]

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# 6
lalimacefolle
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lalimacefolle
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04/07/2002 5:34 pm
I always used three fingers, until I tried to cop some hellecasters licks, where you need to bend two or three strings with one finger on each of them.
# 7
Stringbender
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Stringbender
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04/09/2002 10:47 pm
Ummm, Hmmmm, well I may use any fingers to bend with in any sort of combination-However I will rarely try to bend a string with my pinkie finger. Seems my best tones are achieved using the ring and supporting with the middle as was stated earlier by Zeppelin, Benoit and others.

I Love a sweet bend! Remember to bend in key. Practice them, they are but one of my favorite techniques.

Above all have a good time!

Stringbender
# 8

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