String Bending

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String Bending

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Patrick

Posts: 1189
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon

String Bending

Here’s one I haven’t heard much about…string bending.

When I was a kid and played my Fender Telecaster (it was a 1976 red one), we bent strings like crazy. In flamenco and classical I don’t hear much talk about it. What’s interesting is, I started working on a Moraito Solea that has all kind of string bending in it.

Just for fun, I played a bit of Solea and kept track of the number of times I bent the strings. On the attached file I counted six different bends, mostly on the ending phrasings. Is this something we all do subconsciously, or is it a carry over form my steel string days, or am I just moving to a new level? Have I been in the dark on this and everyone has been doing it and didn’t tell me? It sounds like a conspiracy to me!

Pat

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 28 2003 19:03:34

Thomas Whiteley

Posts: 786
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: San Francisco Bay Area

RE: String Bending (in reply to Patrick)

Pat;

Good playing and example.

I do not have any flamenco literature, method book or instruction video that mentions bending.

I have been sitting next to Sabicas, Carlos Montoya, and Juan Serrano, as well as many other flamenco guitarists. This would not be at a show but in private. The only person I have seen bend strings while playing flamenco guitar is Juan Serrano. In fact I think he does in on one of his video instruction tapes – I will have to look around for it.

Somehow I do not think it is a common technique in flamenco guitar work, but why not use it?

What works best low tension, extra high tension or something in between?

A technique I use from Moron de la Frontera technique is to slide within the fret, and to lower frets. When you do it within the fret you get a different voicing as if the guitar is singing. This can be ascending or descending notes. It seems like bending would be similar but yet give a different end result.

Tom

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 28 2003 19:52:24

Patrick

Posts: 1189
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon

RE: String Bending (in reply to Patrick)

Tom,

I think some of us do it without really thinking about it. In my case it's very subtle. If I think about it, I can actually hear it. I believe I feel the bend more then hear it, but I know for a fact that it’s changing the voicing of the music. In the clip I posted, the first bend is a slight vibrato, the rest are slight bends up or down.

Interesting subject.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 28 2003 21:13:24

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: String Bending (in reply to Patrick)

I too bent string on my SG like crazy, a whole tone most off time. Now, I bend a little back and forth occasionally, what we called "tremelo" in the electric world. You do have a distinctive style on those arpeggios. Nice.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 28 2003 21:26:18

Patrick

Posts: 1189
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon

RE: String Bending (in reply to Patrick)

Simon,

Because you can from a rock background I think you can relate to what I am talking about.

I think my arpeggios sound the way they do, due the small bends that are taking place without me even thinking about it. No two will be the same. In fact I didn't even give it much thought until yesterday.

I was just curious if anybody else was doing it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 29 2003 1:05:09

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: String Bending (in reply to Patrick)

quote:

I was just curious if anybody else was doing it

I think I do it on the slower ones.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 29 2003 9:52:16

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: String Bending (in reply to Patrick)

I use it a lot - mainly for a vibrato effect (although I use a classical vibrato as well). Mind you, this is when I'm soloing along with my backing, I don't conciously do it if I'm playing straight flamenco toque.

Another thing I do a lot is play a note and slide it rapidly up a tone then back down again which I guess is similar to what Tom's talking about. PDL and Tonino Baliardo are very fond of that one.

You can't get a tone wide bluesy bend-release out of a nylon strung guitar, so I guess its the flamenco players equivalent.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 29 2003 12:11:27

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: String Bending (in reply to Jon Boyes)

quote:

You can't get a tone wide bluesy bend-release out of a nylon strung guitar, so I guess its the flamenco players equivalent.

Spot on, I knew I was forgetting something and I think I meant vibrato rather than tremelo on my last post.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 29 2003 15:08:30