String bend vibrato and fret scrape

Dear GT and fellow guitarists,

This is the year that I'm going to master string bend vibrato. Only thirty years playing, the last two with GT.

My control is getting better and more consistent but sometimes I feel the string scraping against the fret. Is this normal or a sign of incorrect technique? Any other tips appreciated.

Cheers,

Chris

Originally Posted by: Sinnerman
This is the year that I'm going to master string bend vibrato.
[/quote]
Great plan!
[QUOTE=Sinnerman]
My control is getting better and more consistent but sometimes I feel the string scraping against the fret. Is this normal or a sign of incorrect technique?

Sometimes that means your frets need to be cleaned or dressed. There is sometimes a laquer coating on the frets of new guitars that makes string bending feel like you are scrapping against a gritty coating.

You might want to take it to a trusted music store & have them check your frets. If you feel confident about fixing it yourself, you can ask our guitar tech.

https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/threads.php?f=30

But if you do not feel totally confident about it, then please take it to a pro! Do not damage your guitar!

Here are a bunch of tutorials aimed at learning how to bend strings!

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1614
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=754
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=703
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=628

Hope this helps! Have fun with it!

Originally Posted by: Sinnerman
Dear GT and fellow guitarists,

This is the year that I'm going to master string bend vibrato. Only thirty years playing, the last two with GT.

My control is getting better and more consistent but sometimes I feel the string scraping against the fret. Is this normal or a sign of incorrect technique? Any other tips appreciated.

Cheers,

Chris

Best advice I ever got on bending was to strike the note next up in the scale to get an audible clue and then bend to it. Say for instance your on the high E pentatonic (-1 <index> -3 <ring> -4 <pinky> ) and you're going to bend the 3 <ring finger>. The next step up is a half step. So, just strike the 4 <pinky> note and get used to that sound and then follow that by bending to that same note. Sometimes it's a half step and sometimes it's a whole step.

That way you are bending in key.

That's my tip of the day...and for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I a version of this advice from Mitch Gallagher of Sweetwater back in the 80s. Mitch and I went to the same college and one summer the college had a weeklong guitar workshop. I was in Mitch's class. I had a very nervousy vibrato and he gave me a couple of tips to manage my bends and vibrato. Not that mine was bad per se but that he expanded how I thought about it. Ah, memories....

The fret scraping thing can happen with old strings also. When is the last time you changed your strings? Are they corroded?