Double Stops/Bends

[Michael]

I've been working on double stops and bends lately, a technique to which I have never really paid any attention, and was wondering if there was a "proper" way to execute. I've tried using my ring finger over two strings and bending both, which to me is slippery and inaccurate, and using my middle and ring fingers, which is more accurate, but gets kind of tight in the higher frets, especially with my thick fingers. I started working through the "Blue Moon" section of "Sunshine of Your Love" because I'm very familiar with the song; it gets tricky going from single string bends using my ring finger to switching to middle and ring fingers for the double stop bends. Any suggestions on efficient techniques or approaches to streamline the mechanics and make it sound less... mechanical?

I've been listening to a lot of Cream lately, and on some of the extended jams, EC is playing these bends at a lively pace; clearly without planning them. I know he had/has "signature" licks, and in those long jams falls into these patterns and connects them in various ways. I'd like to be able to incorporate these double stop licks naturally into my own playing. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Wally]

Whether I am bending both strings or if I am holding one string at pitch and bending the other, I use the ring finger and the little finger.

 

[DSharp]

When I'm bending the second and third string together I use my ring finger. Using one finger makes it easy for me to lock the strings in relative position to each other and bend them both the same amount, meaning they'll be in tune when the second string is up a half step and the third string is up a whole step.

 

[Chris S.]

You can use one finger to bend two strings, but as you've found out, it's tricky. One thing that will help is to put one or two fingers on the string(s) behind the finger you're bending with to give it extra support. You'll have a lot more control that way, too. Best of luck, CS

 

[DSharp]

When I'm bending the second and third string together I use my ring finger.

You can use one finger to bend two strings, but as you've found out, it's tricky. One thing that will help is to put one or two fingers on the string(s) behind the finger you're bending with to give it extra support. You'll have a lot more control that way, too. Best of luck, CS

Chris S. makes an excellent point and I should have said that that I use my ring finger with my middle finger behind it to bend the second and third string together. The more fingers, the merrier!

 

[Wally]

1) I always 'back up' teh fingers that are bending with the fingers behind the bend.
2) There is no way that I can understand how one finger can bend two strings at the same tiem AND accomplish a 1/2 step bend on one string while accomplishing a full step bend on the otehr string. I amnot that talented.
3)With this in mind, I suppose that I came to using the ring finger and the little finger for double stops with bends so that I coudl do exactly that...bend one string to a certain point while maintaining the pitch on the other string.....some country bends do this, the intro to 'Train Kept a Rollin' is done this way to yield that train whistle thing.
First two strings..... 10,10.... hit the double stop and then bend the B string up a full step to the 12th fret....train whistle....do it with one finger??? I can't.
To my way of thinking, two fingers is the easiest, most controllable and most versatile method. I have seen so many players use this approach that it never would occur to me to try to do it any other way.
OF course, there are times when the fingers to be used are not the ring or the little finger. I know of a fellow...and he is probably not the only one...that uses the middle and ring finger when working out of the barre C format to bend out of the I chord into the IV chord.....full step on the 3rd string, 1/2 step on the 4th string. He then releases the 3rd string down a 1/2 step to hit the minor 4th chord...and resolves the whole thing back in to the I chord. Try it.....quite difficult. Then, put it in the middle of a full speed solo.....yes, he is a bad man on the guitar. I have thin fingers and haven't found a way to get it done without damping other strings that are needed for the chords., yet. He has fat fingers and makes it look easy.

 

[DSharp]

2) There is no way that I can understand how one finger can bend two strings at the same time AND accomplish a 1/2 step bend on one string while accomplishing a full step bend on the other string.

Sorry if I'm over complicating this... I use two fingers for most double stop bends when I'm bending one string against another that's held at pitch. However, I often bend the second and third strings together. In that scenario, through some gift of string tension and physics (not talent...), if you bend both strings the same distance, when the second string pitch is up a half-step, the third string is up a whole step.

 

[Wally]

I bow to you, DSharp.....you must have some large fingers. I can't cover two strings with one finger for a bend of any useful kind. I just tried it with the first and then the ring finger. IF I had to for some strange reason, I might be able to do it; but in my limitations I still wonder 'Why?'----- because it is much easier and more controllable for me with two fingers. Our milage obviously differs...different strokes, etc.....

 

[DSharp]

Hey, Wally, when it comes to guitar playing, I'm a long-time member of the whatever works club!

 

[jmiles]

I never have to bend with more than one finger. 10s or 11s. I think a lot has to do with proper hand/finger position, in order to get the needed force. My fingers are slim, but strong. Here's a silly one finger, two string bend;
Any finger on 2nd string, 12th fret. Bend it up a whole step, and grab the 3rd string under your fingertip. Pluck the 3rd string. Release the 2nd string bend, while hanging on to the 3rd string. That will pull the 3rd string from G to G#, making a partial Emajor chord.
Another that I use;
Middle finger 3rd fret, 5th string, and Index finger 3rd fret, 6th string. Bend the 5th string up a half step, and the 6th string up a whole step. Voila! Amajor partial. Then "hang the 7th" by releasing the 6th string back to the 3rd fret.
And, of course, the ever popular;
Any two adjacent fingers. One one the 2nd string, 7th fret, the other on the 3rd string 7th fret. Bend them both up a whole tone to Emajor.

 

[paul74]

My favorite double stop bend, in A:

Middle finger, B string, seventh fret
Index finger, G string, eighth fret

Pull both sharp by a semi-tone, release and bend again.

If it doesn't make sense let me know

 

[Thorpey]

Search for a Jerry Donahue lesson!

 

[Larry F]

Bends need a lot of maintenance. I read a few years ago, that Clapton was not able to practice as much a before he had his latest couple of kids. He said that they were so active, demanding of his attention, that he couldn't help but give in to them. He said that on some days he could do much more than practice bends. Boy, you would think that Clapton, of all people, who be able to skate by not practicing bends, but that's what he did, and, for all I know, still does.

My biggest problem of late is that I have trouble with lines like this (in a C blues):

C Bb F^G G Bb Eb C Eb^F. I try to play this as quickly and smoothly as possible. It can sound really exciting when I nail such bends. It is of extreme importance that I hit the correct pitch on these bends, otherwise it will sound half-baked. If I have been going through a shaky period in bending, I will slow it down and really focus on getting the right pitches. Work, work, work.

 

[Thorpey]

My biggest problem of late is that I have trouble with lines like this (in a C blues):

C Bb F^G G Bb Eb C Eb^F. I try to play this as quickly and smoothly as possible. It can sound really exciting when I nail such bends. It is of extreme importance that I hit the correct pitch on these bends, otherwise it will sound half-baked. If I have been going through a shaky period in bending, I will slow it down and really focus on getting the right pitches. Work, work, work.

Just out of curiosity - where do you start this run (fret-wise)?

Also I agree with bends needing maintenance as its utilising muscle memory! I remember reading something by Joe Satriani: he stated that out of tune bends were the bane of music! He said to find a note you want to bend (any note) then first play the note a semi-tone (1 fret higher) to see how it sounds, then back to the original note and bend to pitch. Increase this by a semitone and repeat and repeat and... Yeah you get the idea!

I still do this to this day, I believe it has helped me tremendously with regards to my musical ear and with my blues playing! I do make myself cringe from time to time with a dodgy bend or two though!

Also, whilst we're talking about bends - does anyone else experience this problem with a 3 saddle tele:

Bending on the high e at the 10th fret or above the notes seem to pitch out and go sharp as if the intonation isn't right (even though it is, I've checked and re-checked). Could it be my strings?!

J

 

[Larry F]

Just out of curiosity - where do you start this run (fret-wise)?

Also I agree with bends needing maintenance as its utilising muscle memory! I remember reading something by Joe Satriani: he stated that out of tune bends were the bane of music! He said to find a note you want to bend (any note) then first play the note a semi-tone (1 fret higher) to see how it sounds, then back to the original note and bend to pitch. Increase this by a semitone and repeat and repeat and... Yeah you get the idea!

I still do this to this day, I believe it has helped me tremendously with regards to my musical ear and with my blues playing! I do make myself cringe from time to time with a dodgy bend or two though!

Also, whilst we're talking about bends - does anyone else experience this problem with a 3 saddle tele:

Bending on the high e at the 10th fret or above the notes seem to pitch out and go sharp as if the intonation isn't right (even though it is, I've checked and re-checked). Could it be my strings?!

J

My example can be played in 8th position, the starting note C is on the first string, 8th fret. The tricky aspect of getting bends integrated with the other notes is simply a matter of getting your fingers into the best position. Sometimes I'll have to plan a few moves ahead, like in chess, so that my fingers are in the best possible place to do the bend. Now, when I say plan a few moves ahead, I am not talking about doing it with pencil and paper first. Ha-ha, but not so funny when people misunderstand what I mean by planning ahead. The whole purpose of practicing, for me, is so that I can play what I hear, actually, what I pre-hear. When I move my fingers into position for a passage like this, it happens without my conscious thinking, more reflexive than anything else. My job in practicing is to develop the kinds of reflexes that I need.

That's a good technique that you describe, where you play the fretted note, then play a bended note. Hitting the bended note exactly in tune just has to be done. Bends that fall short can be very irritating, at least for me. The timing of the bend is also important. Do you start the bend quickly, but slow down as you reach the top? Do you go slow, fast, slow? The amount of sustain you have will be a huge factor. If the loudness of a note decreases rapidly, then the target note might be too soft to hear, resulting in the listener feeling like you just fell short.

For me, a good blues player needs a very strong bending technique, as it is so expressive and voice-like.