Behind the nut bending technique

_pat__pat_
edited March 2015 in Root
hi fellow members,
i've started practicing behind the nut bending and first thing that comes to mind is...man, it hurts! :)
though i've been playing for a long time, i don't recall bending being so painful when i started out... now i know new technique takes time and dedication until you feel comfortable but i would be happy to hear your stories and advices and especially how long did it take for you until it DID NOT hurt anymore?

thanks!
Pat

Comments

  • RogerioFerrazRogerioFerraz
    Hi there Pat,
    I can´t remember exactly how long but it probably took me a couple of weeks to finally feel comfortable with it. Start slowly with half note bends and gradually increase the pressure on the strings. You will develop calluses naturally. Out of curiosity: are you using lighter string gauges? Are the strings still in tune after you bend behind the nut? If the answers are "yes" for both questions, I can´t offer you much advice other than applying graphite on the nut slots, which was recommended by Jim himself on the Sonic Tele video lesson. Also, listen as much as possible to pedal steel players since that's where it came from!
    Hope it helps!
    Best wishes,
    Rogerio
  • _pat__pat_
    hi Rogerio, yes i put 9's specifically for this purpose. thanks for the reply!
  • clydeclyde
    I use a 46 on the low E and find it difficult to do a whole step bend on that string. I can do it but there just isn't much room or slack between the tuning peg and nut on the low E. Took me a while.
  • rasm0225rasm0225
    I started trying it out using 10s and it hurt, but was ok after a week of doing it daily. I think try a couple minutes every day, but stop after it hurts.

    American Hips is a really nice lick to practice on.

    I will also add (and this is just for me) that I started on behind the nut bends, but then after a few months, realized that I had a lot of other significant gaps in my technique repertoire. So I had this one really specialized technique, but wasn't that great at more basic stuff like some of the entry level pedal steel bends, banjo rolls, etc. When that realization occurred, I backed away from it and have been doing a lot more trying to get my fundamentals in shape. I still use this one occasionally, but I'm trying to spend less time on it.

    It kind of felt like I was an 8 year old that had learned one really difficult vocabulary word, but otherwise, still had the vocab of an 8 year old.

    Again, that's just me and my playing at my level.
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