How to stop the string slipping from your finger when string bending

[Ben Thorpe]

How? What part of the finger should I be string bending with? How hard do I need to be pressing to stop it slipping? I press harder and the string cuts into my finger (using medium gauge strings). really annoying. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ed Seith]

If it’s cutting into your finger, you’re doing it right. You could switch to lighter strings – medium gauge strings are considered pretty heavy on an electric. I use 9-46, but going higher than 10s on an electric is rare, often because of bending. Also, eventually, your fingertips will develop callouses, and those are going to be REALLY beneficial to your playing in the long run.

 

[Jake Young]

Ed has killer advice as always! But Practice! It takes time to build em! Lol this is stretching it a bit..but there’s a few bass players that will put a bit of super glue on their fingertips. Haha you could try just a little to keep from getting cut…just don’t play til it’s dry hahaha. Another thing, I don’t know how low your action is set..but a lower action makes it harder to get under the strings. For me, right around 4/64 (around 2mm) measured at the 12th is a nice balance between low and not too low. I happen to know Syn’s tech Kevin sets up Syn’s guitar with a similar action.

 

[Filip Tomiša]

Use more than one finger while bending