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Bending strings is used to give the guitar a more personalized and harmonic quality. The technique is used mostly by lead guitar players but is also applied in all styles of playing. String bending and vibrato techniques are two large components in making up a guitar player’s style. The combination of these skills more or less defines a considerable part of what makes your playing different than the next guy.

Bending the strings far enough to reach a desired pitch is the goal. One of the keys is to use three fingers to bend the string, instead of just one finger. Use your third finger on the fret you’re bending and place your first and second fingers on the frets behind it, and use the strength of all three fingers when you do a bend.

Fret the note on the 7th fret of the third string with your third finger. Your other finger should follow on the 6th and 5th fret. Our goal is to bend this note up one step (the equivalent of two frets) and then release the note to its original pitch. Before you do your first bend hit the note on the 9th fret, this will be your reference note. When you do your bend the goal is to make the tone of your bend “reach” the tone of the reference note. Repeat: hit your reference note, then immediately jump to the correct position and play a bend until to can consistently match the reference note.

The length you hold the bend, how quickly you release it and any vibrato you add to the bend will define a large part of playing your style. It’s good to just have fun and try doing a number of bends and releases to hear all the different sounds you can generate. Try bending the note before you strike it so you just hear the release, or try using a wide or narrow vibrato so act character and color to your bends.

Be patient you haven’t used these muscles before, and is will take time to strengthen. Keep practicing, and you’ll get the hang of it eventually.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to Buy Guitar and learn Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

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Playing a guitar without vibrato is like eating Mexican food without salsa. Vibrato is one of the most definitive techniques in defining your musical style, your own personal unique sound. No two players have the same vibrato sound. Some play slow and wide while others play narrow and fast, and that’s the beauty behind spending a lot of time learning different vibrato techniques. It’s like eating different salsa’s every time you go to your favorite taco stand. Enough talk about food, lets talk technique.

Vibrato is sometimes confused with tremolo. Basically it is just a technique of vibrating the string sharp and flat around a root note. For example if you are playing the 7th fret on the 3rd string with your 3rd finger on your fret hand you can just push the note up slightly and them pull it down slightly. Do this in quick succession so the over riding effect is a “wobbly” tone around the root note you are playing. Use your hand, wrist, and arm to make the movements. Never just wiggle a finger. Some people use a technique of pulling the string down towards the floor and then releasing back up.

Try this in a variety of speeds and levels of bending during your vibrato. The trick is to be consistent and smooth with your motion. If you are playing a slow blues riff then you may want to slow down and make a wide circular motion with the string, or if you are playing a fast rock lick you may just ad a fast narrow vibrato to accent the final note in a run.

It is possible to add vibrato using any finger you play with, but it is most commonly done with the first and third finger on the fret hand. Using your first finger is a bit trickier. I usually use my first finger for fast vibratos similar to BB Kings style. I will literally lift my other finger far off the fret board, press down and just “vibrate” the string as fast and as open as possible. That’s funny the work vibrato is a lot like vibrate, because that’s actually what you are doing vibrating the string.

When you combine vibrato with string bending, harmonics and legato techniques you begin to discover the musician inside of you. Playing guitar is about discovering your inner flow of creativity and having the techniques to be able to express them. Vibrato is one of the more personal and effective techniques. As with all aspect of playing guitar you need to experiment with these techniques, and most of all have fun!

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to Buy Guitar and learn Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

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So, you want to know how to buy a new guitar. Whether you are just
learning to play the guitar or you’ve been playing for some time,
choosing to buy a new guitar can be one of the most exciting experiences.

You will soon learn that people have their own opinions about the type of
new guitar to buy. You will need to consider what is important to you.
In addition, learning how to buy a new guitar is similar to buying a new
pair of shoes. They are better once they have been used a bit.

In guitar terms, they need to have a good “setup.”

There are essentially three types of guitars on the market: electric,
acoustic, and classical. You can also find acoustic guitars that have pickups.
These are properly called acoustic-electric guitars.

If you’re are just learning to play the guitar you may be interested
in purchasing a brand new guitar instead of a used one. You may think
that there is much more trouble associated with purchasing a used guitar.

You shouldn’t have to worry about the general condition, but there are some
tips for how to buy a new guitar that can save you a headache and point you
in the right direction.

Getting Your Money’s Worth

One aspect of new guitars that you will learn quickly—they’re not cheap.
As with anything you buy, the highest price doesn’t necessarily correspond
to the best. When you are considering how to buy a new guitar, the best deal
that you want to secure is one where you get a quality guitar with the lowest
prices possible. Quality in terms of the guitar relate to its construction and tone.

When you look at the construction, notice the wood that is used. Inspect the
entire guitar and look for peeling or chipping. Also look closely to notice the
shape of the guitars. Guitars are typically kept in storage areas.

If a guitar spends a significant amount of time in such an area, it is very
possible that the wood may become affected so that the instrument loses its shape.
Now that you are learning how to buy a new guitar, you will be able to tell the
difference in a new guitar that is worth its price tag and one that is not.

Checking the Action

If there is one aspect of guitars that separate them from each other, it’s tone.
Another tip for how to buy a new guitar is to refrain from judging a guitar
simply by its looks alone. You need to take it down from the shelf and listen
to its tone. If you are just learning to play, you don’t have to worry that you
don’t know enough to test out the tone. You can tell if a guitar has good tone
by simply strumming a few strings on it. Action is an important thing to check as well.

Action refers to the amount of space between the strings and the fretboard.

When you play a note, you have to press down on the strings so that they touch
the fretboard. If there is too much space between the string and the fretboard,
the action is considered high. If there is very little space between the two,
the action is considered low. Either extreme can affect your guitar playing.
You want to aim for an action that is somewhere in the middle.

The tips presented here are only a few to show you how to buy a new guitar.
The more time you spend talking to other guitar enthusiasts you will learn
more about new guitars.

For more more information about buying a new guitar please visit http://www.guitar-directory.net

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