Guitarists, I Need To Pick Your Brain A Bit.

[BigBubbaBrown]

I'll start off by saying that I'm not a guitarist (yet, if I ever do learn it). I am, however, trying to apply guitar principles to my MIDI guitar tracks. So far I've broken away from block chords.

There are a few things I don't quite understand, though. I know you can bend notes on a guitar, but I'm not sure how far a note can be realistically bent. For example, in the song I'm working on now the lead guitar bends from an Eb to an F then again from an F# to a G#. That's two semitones and I don't know if a guitar can bend that far (I typically only hear one semitone bends).

I'm also not sure on the decay time. On a keyboard and with most VSTs (DSK Electrik Guitarz, for example) you can set it to a distortion or overdrive guitar, put something on the key to weight it down, leave the house for a day, come back, and that note will still be sounding.

Eventually that string is going to quit vibrating. I'm just not sure how long you can hold out a note or how fast it will decay.

[auralscapes]

You CAN bend more than one semitone. Although it tends to be on the G,B or E strings. Thinnest ones. As for the other point with sustain pedals these days you can make the note go on forever. But I think anything over 3 or 4 seconds just does not sound natural. It is VERY difficult to emulate a guitar via midi. Keys are fine. String instruments are a different game altogether.

Edited March 8, 2011 by auralscapes

[john]

realistically you can bend a note on the higher strings 1 full tone, lower pitches about 1 semitone.

Effects wise sustain can pretty well keep the tone going for a long time, but overnight is unlikely lol More realistic would be something in the region of 5 - 15 seconds. Decay time is after all relative to how hard the string is plucked. Also resonance tends to be longer on thicker strings.

One thing to try is using a guitar synth to create your guitar sounds, setting the decay envelope to be relative to velocity. Try this with clean natural guitar sounds, and then rout the result through a guitar effects processor, also VST. Most guitar synths i've seen have pretty crappy effects.

[Sirky]

Listen to the solo on Another Brick in the Wall: Part 2; Dave gets 1.5, maybe 2 tone bends at points. And that's with 11 gauge strings - it's a matter of the guitarist's finger strength. When in doubt, Sitar: Sitarists can bend up to 4 tones with decades of training.

[john]

yep very true, although not always typical. Use a set of 0.08 gauge strings and that become feasible for less experienced guitarists, but not necessarily typical in performance. In playing Shine on you crazy diamond intro there is certainly a point where there is a two tone bend. Great fun to play, I love that piece

[monkeyrocketsurgeon]

Here's a 9 minute study in guitar string bending...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWLw7nozO_U

[BigBubbaBrown]

Just another question. When you bend notes do you slide your finger on the string or pull it to the side? I've seen both ways but I'm not sure which one to use in which case.

Normally I wouldn't care since it's done in a MIDI sequencer but it bugs me when I watch movies, sitcoms, cartoons, etc. and the actor/animator obviously doesn't know anything about the instrument (for example, in the video for Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz where one of Russel's crash cymbals sounds like a high hat) so I'm going for the highest degree of accuracy possible in my animations.

[auralscapes]

Don't know if this helps but I tend to 'push' the string up.

[Nick]

Just another question. When you bend notes do you slide your finger on the string or pull it to the side? I've seen both ways but I'm not sure which one to use in which case.

Normally I wouldn't care since it's done in a MIDI sequencer but it bugs me when I watch movies, sitcoms, cartoons, etc. and the actor/animator obviously doesn't know anything about the instrument (for example, in the video for Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz where one of Russel's crash cymbals sounds like a high hat) so I'm going for the highest degree of accuracy possible in my animations.

All three.

A slide on a string gives a different effect to a bend. A slide goes between notes in semi tones and depending on how swiftly you slide as to how noticeable it is. A bend is much smoother and covers everything between the two note if that makes sense. A bend is more like the MOD knob on my midi keyboard.

Some people push and some people pull when they bend - Albert King was a puller and Clapton is a pusher (oo err can I get arrested for libel for that?)

[davidmichael]

i usually push up E,B,GandD,and pull the A and bottom E to make sure i dont go beyond the edge of the neck,but sometimes i might go the opposite directions on the middle strings depending on which notes i plan on playing next.

I can get two tone bends but ill turn my head when i do cause ive about had my eye put out from string breakage.

Usually if im goin that extreme,Im pullin on a floyd rose.