Get your string bends in shape with this Slash guitar tip and quick lesson
"If you're gonna bend a note, make sure it's going somewhere" – a tutorial for beginners and anyone who needs a refresh
“To be honest with you, I didn’t even know what intonation was until somebody told me a long time ago," Slash admitted to Total Guitar back in 2000. "They said: ‘You’re getting pretty good, Slash – you’ve just gotta get your intonation together.’ I didn’t really know what that meant, but what it came down to was: if you’re gonna bend a note, make sure it’s going somewhere. Don’t let it go half in or half out, or whatever.”
It's a fundamental part of good string bending, but often forgotten – especially by us players when we're in the early stages of learning essential techniques. And Slash’s advice applies to any string bend, whether or not you’re playing G’n’R songs.
The opening bend in our example above rings out against other fretted notes – it’s vital to get the bend just right or it’ll sound out of tune. For the final two bends the key is to not over-bend as this sounds more obviously wrong than slightly under-bending.
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.
Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.
Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar
“I can’t play jigs or reels or any of that traditional Irish stuff, but I have got a good ear for blues, the tonality of it”: 3 ways to supercharge your lead guitar playing like Rory Gallagher
“A well-crafted sequence is successful wherever you may wish to use it”: Use these tried and tested chord progressions to build an engaging song