String Bending

We've learned some interesting new techniques in the past few lessons, but none that will give you as much trouble in the beginning as string bending. Bending strings is a technique used, when playing single note riffs and solos, to give the guitar a more "vocal" quality. Although it's a technique used mostly by lead guitar players, even three chord folk guitarists will call upon string bends from time to time.

Bending Technique

Bending the strings far enough to get the pitch to change (which is what we're trying to do) takes a good deal of effort. The key is to use three of your fingers to bend the string, instead of just the finger on the fret you're trying to bend. You accomplish this by placing your third finger on the fret you're trying to bend. Place your first and second fingers on the frets behind it, and exert pressure with all three fingers. Let's look at the first exercise.
  Start by fretting the note on the tenth fret of the second string, with your third finger. Your second finger should rest on the second string, ninth fret. Your first finger should rest on the second string, eighth fret. Our goal is to bend this note up one semi-tone (called a "half step"), and then return the note to it's original pitch. Play the tenth fret, then the 11th fret, so you can hear the proper pitch of the note you're trying to bend to. Then pick the note, and exert force in an upwards motion (towards you), while still putting some pressure on the string so it keeps ringing. Try and use all three fingers to bend the string, not just the third finger. Then, return the note to it's original pitch.

Chances are, when you first attempt this, you won't get the pitch to change much. This will be especially true if you try bending on an acoustic guitar - they are much harder to bend strings on. Be extremely patient... chances are you haven't used these muscles before, and they'll take time to strengthen. Keep practicing, and you'll get the hang of it eventually. Be sure and listen to the audio clip to hear what the bend should sound like.

A Harder Bending Technique 

Session Guitar: 10 Life-Saving Soloing Tips

Hi, gang!

Seventy percent of my time as a session guitarist is spent soloing and/or coming up with parts. These can also be considered mini solos or licks. Or, as we call them from a songwriting POV, hooks. A memorable little snippet that repeats through the song. Or maybe just a part to wake listeners up during the second verse.
Now, how do I come up with something out of nothing? I rarely get to hear the song before I am called to play on it. I like that word "play." That's what I am doing. Playing around with various ideas. No one expects instant magic, but it has happened. Sometimes it's quick and easy, and sometimes it's like pulling teeth. You just never know. So how do I do it? Where do the ideas come from?

One word: EXPERIENCE.

Let's remember one thing right off the bat. When a person is hired to play, they are usually hired because the person who did the hiring has heard them play already. There is usually a sense of confidence. When these jobs come in the mail, I try to send back several solos and parts. Give more than is asked of me. Now how do I do it.

There are several tried-and true-methods I call upon to get me started. Here's a brief list of my top 10 life savers!

01. I SING THE SOLO FIRST. 

We guitarist use our hands. We fall into patterns. Now sometimes that's a good thing. But if you want to be original, sing it. It takes away your finger patterns and muscle memory and forces you into uncharted territory and new licks.

02. DECIDE ON A RHYTHM PATTERN. 

Begin with something slow and think whole notes, then move on to 8th notes. Change the feel and work with triplets. End on 16th notes or faster. Create a build. Tension. Or just stick to a main pattern and keep coming back to it.

03. USE LIMITATIONS.

Six Beginner Guitar Tips for Teaching Yourself How to Play the Guitar

A lot of us want to learn how to play the guitar, but we have no idea where to start, and for some of us we don't want to pay out $15 an hour for a music teacher; I know I didn't. So when I started playing music ten years ago, I decided to teach myself.
Teaching yourself how to play the guitar is not only fun, but in the long run you will learn a lot more about your instrument, save a lot more cash, and the overall experience of learning on your own will be a lot more rewarding. The downside is that you will need to really stay focused and push yourself to keep moving forward; otherwise, you won't learn a thing.
In this guide I will try to help you to break down your lessons into six easy steps so that you can create your own practice sessions that work best for you. It really isn't that hard, but you have to stick with it. If I taught myself how to play the guitar, then so can you.

1. Buy an affordable guitar

The first thing you need to obviously do is buy your first guitar. I would recommend that you don't pay more than $100 on your first guitar. You may ask "Why not?"
Because who knows how long you will play the guitar. You might just give up within the first month, so why spend $200 on an instrument that will just sit around on display? If you aren't going to play it, don't spend a lot of money on it. My first guitar was under $70, and it was perfect. It didn't have any damage, there was no fret or truss rod problems, and the sound quality was surprisingly very nice. Whoever made my guitar took the time to do it right. The point is that you can buy a good quality guitar for very little money. All of those people out there that say "Buy a guitar for $200 because you get what you pay for" are sadly just saying that to make you waste money. Test some guitars out in store and try to find one you like that has the lowest price tag.

If you stick with playing the guitar, you can always upgrade to a better one in the future. I once heard a professional musician play Flight of the bumblebee on a $1 Recorder, and he made it sound epic. As you get better at playing the guitar you will discover that your first guitar will actually start to sound better over time as you perfect your skills. It's not the instrument that makes a good musician, but the musician that makes the instrument.