Noisy string bends

[Matt Wildman]

I’m working on the solo for “lost” a7x and I’m making good progress. I get to the part where I do multiple string bends and I just can’t seem to do them without slightly nicking the G string above the strings i am bending, and I get a faint sound from it. I keep slowing it down to get rid of the sound but I always manage to do it. Maybe it’s the way I’m bending? I mean I use three fingers like everyone else does. Any tips?

 

[Dominik Gräber]

So you are saying you get noise from the string above the one you are bending? It happens to me sometimes when I do really huge bends. If that is your problem, try maybe holding your hand a little more flat, so your fingers aren’t totally on top of the strings. You could also try using only one finger to additionally support your bend and using your index finger to mute other strings. Hope that helps.

 

[Bellah83]

I had the same issue with bends for awhile. I started consciously using both hands to mute every string that I wasn’t picking. Basically a habit of keeping contact with every string and then relaxing contact on the notes I wanted to play.
Starting out I imagined I should mute strings when necessary. Now I look at it as the opposite. Mute everything, un-mute when necessary.

 

[Matt Wildman]

That’s a good way to look at it

 

[Sayonil Mitra]

I agree with Steven. That is a good tactic and has many other benefits as well. You can use a hair band kinda thing on the fret board towards the head stock. You might have seen guitarists using this to mute unwanted ringing