This Week's Lesson - GUITAR TECHNIQUE: Silent Bend and Release

Andrew Wasson of Creative Guitar Studio answers a viewers question...

Q: My guitar project is bending and I've developed it to an ok level. Only thing I'm still having my troubles with is when I do "Silent Bends." I always over-bend, (especially when I'm higher up on the neck). Can you do a lesson on Silent Bending? Not getting the notes perfectly is really starting to drive me crazy! Thanks a lot Andrew.
Harald -- Berlin, Germany

A: This technique, "Silent Bending," [also sometimes called, "Pre-Bending,"] is somewhat of a difficult one to master. It will require you to know in advance just how far a note has to be bent before it gets hit and then released. Even though these bends can be a real ordeal to have come across as perfect, they do sound really cool when notes are silently pre-bent ahead of time and then dropped. The sound that this creates allows for some unique subtle options for phrasing and expression. To help with fully understanding how to bend a note silently -- with almost no audible trace of the note from which the bend originates - I've created a small collection of examples for practice. Work on the examples to help with silently pre-bending notes up into perfect tune.

**ASSOCIATED VIDEOS TO ALSO WATCH**

- Combination Bend Techniques:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCcDsS8EHX8

- Guitar String Bending Technique:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIPOeIfBXVc