Conference napalm::guitar

    Are you planting the thumb as if to play a note?  You might try
    using the side or base of the thumb.  Sometimes it's more comvenient
    to damp with the left hand.  
    
    Damping is one of those things that give a little payoff for a *lot*
    of work.  Most audiences probably don't notice the difference, but
    it's really satisfying to get it right.
    
    Bob
    

    Usually I don't do exercises for this but work on it if it comes
    up in a piece. What works for me is to be very sure of my right
    hand fingering and practice those sections very slowly making
    sure I'm using the same right hand fingering every time until
    it's automatic. It's mostly a matter of putting the thumb back
    on a string while playing another note or chord.
    
    I'll look at home for some sections of music that you'd have to
    do this in.
    
    Bob

         I use the same finger on the right hand that played the note
    to dampen it.  Also I recommand using high tention strings for treble
    and low tention for base.  That makes melody line more clear and
    base more supportive, either one could be dampened by the above
    technique.
              HOSSEIN BEYZAVI
    

    
    Here's some of those examples I promised:
    
    Giuliani - Variations on a theme of Handel, Variation 4.
               Allegro from sonata opus 15.
    Bach - Prelude from prelude, fugue and allegro, has nice bass line.
    Sor - Study #8, study #10, study #15   
    
    These all require a lot of damping, mostly on the bass strings.
    
    Bob
    

    
    
    	I know this note is about dampening... but it's the latest "help"
    note.. and ummmm..... I need some.  Starting to work on Clapton's
    Double Trouble (just got Crossroads <grin>).. and he does some two
    note bends that I continually miss... are there any tricks to bending
    up to the right pitch???  I'm using Markley extra lights now, would
    a heavier string help???  It's easier for me (now... real novice)
    to slide up to the note and then slide back down, but I'm worried
    that this "crutch" will land me in deep later on (when I can play
    this thing).... 
        
    	Any other Clapton help would be appreciated!

    
    RE: -1
    
    Start by first attempting the bends at all times.  Blowing them off
    will do you no good, you should just go for it. 
    
    Bending is done when the left have can move its fingers independantly
    of each other (ie one or more are stable while another finger moves to
    bend the note) -- try some left hand finger excercizes to help with
    dexterity. 
    
    NOTE: The most important, and probably the most overlooked aspect of
    bending is bending IN TUNE.  Rock player got bad press with the jazzers
    in part because they weren't bending in tune.  I'd suggest you take
    extra time when learning to bend to make sure you bend to the correct
    pitch.  In the long run it will be second nature and you'll sound much
    better quicker.  If you have a guitar with a floating tremolo system,
    its harder to bend in tune.  You have to rest your hand on the bridge
    to stable the tremolo movement while executing the bend. 
    
    All in all, slow and steady wins the race.  I remember when I was
    learning to bend, its was a nightmare, but if you just stick with it,
    and keep intonation in mind, you'll do just fine. 

   > NOTE: The most important, and probably the most overlooked aspect of
   > bending is bending IN TUNE. 
    
    Amen, and its one of the "dead giveaways" that you're watching someone
    mediocre.  It's one of the things that make you sound like a 
    teenage garage band.
    
    > Slow and steady wins the race
    
    This is doubly good advice.  I'll also throw in another cliche:
    "you learn to walk before you can learn to run".
    
    If you just can't get it, then you are practicing it wrong.
    
    This is one of the most common things I've observed in rock players.
    If you practice at a speed that causes you to miss it more than
    25%-40% of the time, you're PLAYING IT TOO FAST!  It doesn't matter
    if you have to play it PAINFULLY slow.  THAT is what's gonna correct
    the problems.   It's the ONLY way I've ever had ANY success at learning
    things.
    
    If when you practice, you get it wrong most of the time, what you are 
    "practicing" is HOW TO PLAY IT WRONG.  That's what you're fingers are 
    learning.
    
    You can always IMMEDIATELY identify people who practice too fast:
    they sound sloppy (bends are off, picking timing is bad, etc.).
    
    BTW, a great bend isn't just one that ends up at the right pitch.
    Bends are easy to do "OK", and almost tougher than anything else
    to do well.  When I record a solo, I often do several punches
    just trying to get ONE damn bend "right" (with the feel that
    I want).
    
    Another (thankfully "shorter") piece of advice is to sing the note
    to yourself.  I know what sometimes happens with me is that I lose
    my "tuning reference" (the internal thing that tells me where the
    pitch is) when you bend and I've found that singing helps me
    maintain it.  I have no idea if that works for other people though.

    
    
    	Thanks a lot, and I'm not kidding!  I'm beginning to realize
    that in my quest for speed (slow as a turtle, now) I've been practicing
    way to fast... slowing down has already paid benefits in my first
    practice session this weekend.  I've also begun working on getting
    intervals right in my head and that's been helpful... humming the
    note in my head does seem to help me get there more accurately!
    
    	Nother thing I thought that I'd share is:  I received my (FREE)
    middle pot from fender this weekend and as I was replacing it was
    surprised to discover that they are soldered directly to the amp
    board (guess i shouldn't have been.. Fender has been keeping pace
    with technology just like everybody else)... still not too difficult
    a procedure.. just be sure to have a good solder removal tool on
    hand (or you might choose not to dub around with the knobs in the
    beginning, like I did <grin>).
    
    Steve

    Another important way to "fix" problems: Repetition
    
    I almost NEVER practice a tune from start to finish.
    
    	This angered my parents when I was a kid, when I was in 
    	college it angered my room-mates, when I got my first 
    	job, it angered my neighbors, and today it angers my 
    	girlfriend.
    
    I work on sections; often very SMALL sections.
    
    Whenever you sorta run through a piece you will find there are
    certain small sections that give you problems for any number
    of reasons (odd fingerings, tough picking pattern, etc.).
    
    You will NOT solve these problems by running through the whole
    piece hundreds of times, or at least not in my experience.
    
    The most productive use of your time (very rarely do you hear people
    talking about productivity in practice even though it is so important)
    is to not waste time playing things you can already play and spend
    the time working on things you can't play.  Right?
    
    So that implies that you want to try and just do those parts that you
    have trouble with which is usually a phrase here and there.
    
    The best way I know of to do this is to invent a repetition exercise
    that "stresses" the problem.  That figure out what it is that you
    can't do, and then arrange a small section (if it's more than 2
    bars, it's probably too long) and just keep playing it OVER and OVER
    again, gradually increasing the speed such that you can still play
    it without making mistakes.
    
    This is one of the few methods of practicing where you can witness
    demonstrable MINUTE-BY-MINUTE improvement.
    
    When I say "arrange a small section", I guess it could have better
    been described as "invent a repeating riff" that has little other
    than the problem you're working on.
    
    	db