String bending

I put a tuner on my uke a started bending strings. I wanted to how far the note moved on the tuner dial when it was bent. I got it to go to about the 4:00 position. That tells me I am not even moving it a 1/2 step. Not sure if this is right. Comments and input please.

Which string, which instrument, which fret, what make of strings, what tuning ... even how high is the action ... all necessary factors needed to make a valid comment

kypfer said:

Which string, which instrument, which fret, what make of strings, what tuning ... even how high is the action ... all necessary factors needed to make a valid comment

Click to expand...

My limited knit ledge is showing. Tenor uke, 7 th fret e string. Strings are low tension nylon, the action is about 1/8 inch. Hope this helps. Thanks.

To bend the string more, try using 2 or 3 fingers. Put the added fingers toward the nut.

Interesting exercise. I'd never tried it before. Just for fun I tried it with my soprano, my concert and my tenor on the same fret, and found that I was moving it exactly a 1/2 step (B to C). More than that would be difficult (the other strings get in the way too much). It was easier on the smaller ukes (lower string tension). I could almost go up to C# on the soprano, but not quite.

Cool thread plunker. I gotta try mine out later.

plunker said:

My limited knit ledge is showing. Tenor uke, 7 th fret e string. Strings are low tension nylon, the action is about 1/8 inch. Hope this helps. Thanks.

Click to expand...

With Aquila "Nylgut" strings on my tenor, rather less than a semitone (one fret) at the seventh fret, so probably much the same as yourself.

For myself, if I want to "bend" a note for more than just a little vibrato, I'd probably use a steel-strung instrument ... my guitars will make a full semi-tone without too much effort ... but see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngAO7WQk-Fk for possibly the best example of string bending on an acoustic instrument I've seen !

That's odd. I manage a semitone with Nylguts on my tenor... 7th Fret, E string. Bends from B to C...

As suggested above, I often have to use 2 or even 3 fingers to bend as wanted. You didn't say where you did this experiment. Bare in mind the nut and the bridge hold the string, fast but in the center of the string it moves quite freely. You may never be able to get a 1/2 tone at the first fret, but at fret 12 you might find it easy to get a whole step, even with one finger. I sometimes jump to a lower pitched string to do a bend because it puts me in a better position for effective bending (So much for phrasing). This is why bending strings is not as easy as it looks. It requires a lot of work. In fact, I remember an interview with Eric Clapton a few years back when the interviewer asked if he still practiced. He answered that bending the strings was the only thing he needed to keep practicing.

One of the reasons I preach against people who want the "lowest possible action".

I tried it and at the 7th I get 1/2 tone pretty consistently with a tenor with Aquila reds.