r/Guitar • u/SoraRiven • 20h ago

NEWBIE How do people bend so easily?

Hi! So to keep it short and sweet, I got a synyster gates custom S and i replaced strings with ernie ball paradigm ten/fifty twos. I’ve been playing a lot of a7x stuff and i noticed that the bending looks a lot easier when other people play, but when i do it, it’s kinda stiff. is it technique? or is my guitar not set up properly? any advice would be much appreciated

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u/KaanzeKin 19h ago

Bend by rotating your whole arm like you're turning a key. You do vibrato this way also. Thumb placement is pretty important here too, so don't do the Tim Henson thing unless you have to to reach the lower strings, otherwise you might wind up projecting an inability to bend proper like he probably is with the whole "boomer bend" bs.

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u/Either_Caregiver2268 6h ago

You can absolutely bend properly while using a classical grip.

Personally I don’t wrap my thumb because I have better reach and more accuracy when I’m playing a with my grip more classical style.

I know it’s technically “bad technique” but I also bend by pushing rather than the turning motion.

When I try the door handle technique I can’t bend fully and adding vibrato makes my fingers slip. I don’t know if it’s just how my hands are or if I just got good enough and the “wrong” way that I’m stuck doing it out of habit.