Video Question: Bends

October 31st, 2007 - Jzcode asks "Brad, Could you give me a better idea of the best finger position to have when doing a bend. When I have practiced doing these, my fingers tips are at a bit of an angle as I push the string up and sometimes the strings seems to ride up under finger nails. That usually results in a un pleasant sound. Should your fingers be straight down on the string? Thanks, JZcode" Return to Video Q&A Listing


Length: 2.46 | Instructor: Brad Henecke Another benefit of being a member of JamPlay is the video response section. Our expert staff fields questions from our members and provides video responses each week.

Other Video Responses:

Active vs Passive Guitars - February 11th, 2008 (1 minutes, 27 seconds)

Ellen asks, "Hi, what do I need to know about active and passive guitars? What makes one active and another passive? I have been shopping for a CD player and amp that I can run my guitar through at the same time. How can I tell if my guitar is active or passive?" View Response

Alternate Picking Strokes - October 10th, 2007 (2 minutes, 56 seconds)

Thomas1603 says, "Hey guys, I've been having a hard time with my alternate picking techniques, I know it's not completely NECESSARY but I would like to be able to improve it since I would like to play a little faster, It's just that I can't seem to coordinate my hand very well. Anything you guys can help me with?" View Response

Guitar Picks - May 26th, 2008 (2 minutes, 11 seconds)

Levick11 asks, "Hi, I'm having trouble figuring out what pick gauge I should use. Could someone give an explanation on the differences in gauge and style of guitar picks? I've read that thinner ones are better for strumming and rhythm playing, and thicker ones are better for speed. Is that true or is it just player preference? Thanks." View Response

A shape barre chords - May 13th, 2008 (2 minutes, 38 seconds)

Theedge asked "Hi, I'm having some trouble with the A shape barre chords. My 3rd finger just won't bend enough to let the first string ring. While experimenting alternate methods I discovered that my pinky bends almost to a right angle and used it successfully in place of my 3rd finger. But the problem I have now is that this position is slow to switch to. So my question is : did you, during your experience, see anybody fingering an A shape barre that way successfully ? If the answer is no, do you think that my 3rd finger will become more flexible with time and practice or is that a physical limitation that cannot be perfected ? Thanks a lot." View Response

Chord Songbook - February 20th, 2008 (2 minutes, 70 seconds)

Mogs asks, "Hi wonder if you can help please. I've only been playing guitar for a few months and still mastering the basic chords. Somtimes this gets a little boring so I try learn a popular song to add a little fun to my practice sessions. The problem I have is how to read chord songbooks. For example I have a Johnny Cash Song 'Ballad of A Teenage Queen' the intro is written in the book as: CAPO 1ST FRET [A] Dream on, Dream on, [D] teenage [A] queen [D] Prettiest [A] girl we've [E] ever [A] seen. I understand the capo part and have it set up correctly. My question is how many times do I strum the chords ? Looking at the above is it, (A) on 'dream' only or (A) on 'dream' and 'on'. I kind of get it if theres only one word after the chord but when theres two or three I'm not sure wether I strum on each word even though it doesnt show the chord before each word. Hope this is not a silly question, but would really appreciate your advice. Thanks Mogs PS. The site is fantastic, its given me so much motivation to keep on with the practice sessions." View Response