How do you keep double stop bends in tune with a floating trem?

[jonmkrobs]

Hi, Could someone please help me with the following problem: if you have a floating tremolo system - i.e. a Floyd Rose, etc. - when you bend a string the others change pitch (go flat). So, when I play a double stop with a bend on one string the note on the other string goes flat making the double stop out of tune.

Just in case this doesn't make sense here's an example: Say I play 14th fret on G string with 15th fret on B string and bend the 14th fret up a whole step the note on the B string goes flat by almost a semi-tone, making the pitches out of tune with each other.

What should I do to solve this? How do the pros combat it?

The only thing I can think of is to slightly bend the B string too to raise the pitch back up to where it should be - but you wouldn't have to bother with all this on a guitar without a trem system.

I'm puzzled. Please help.

Cheers,
Jon

[Koala]

Hey Jon, well there´s two things you can do:
a) as you suggested, bend the other string a bit to keep it in pitch ( I believe this isn´t quite practical and it might take too much practice in order to nail it. Such practice time could be used in many other useful techniques.

b) When you bend, push down on the trem with your right hand wrist just enough to keep the the strings you aren´t bending in tune. This takes little practice to avoid having notes going sharp.

Hope this helps,

[EricV]

You don´t...
Well, let´s just say it´s really hard sometimes. A lot of people use a guitar without floating trem in the studio to record such parts. Others simply ignore the pitch-problem ( hey, it´s just for the duration of that double-bend, and most people won´t even notice )
If I´d really try to avoid it, I´d prolly try to press down on the bridge ever so slightly to compensate. Maybe tightening the springs on the back might give you a tiny bit less pitch problems when you bend, but then again, that would require you to press a bit harder onto the bar in order to use it.
I am aware of quite a few players who use those doublebends a lot on Whammy Bar guitars ( Petrucci, Smolski, Sambora, Vai, Satch..,. ) and I am pretty sure that live, they don´t worry about it too much.
Usually, you bend up to pitch rather slowly anyway to get that "scream"-type sound ( or, like Lukather, apply some whammy-bar-shakes to that doublestop, something he demonstrated in his instructional vid... if you do, the pitch -thing won´t be audible, since the pitch changes constantly anyway ), so such a pitch-change is kinda hard to spot for the usual listener
Just my opinion though
Eric

[jonmkrobs]

Thanks Koala and Eric - I really appreciate your feedback. :) I know I can always count on you guys at ibreathe to help me with any problems. :)

Cheers,
Jon

[Fiddler]

b) When you bend, push down on the trem with your right hand wrist just enough to keep the the strings you aren´t bending in tune. This takes little practice to avoid having notes going sharp.

Hope this helps,[/QUOTE]


This is the way to do it!
only light pressure is required if you do it right,
i've been doing this for at least 10 years,
make sure you let your ears be your guide,

by the way, push down on the trem block don't use the arm, as it's usually too sensative.

[Los Boleros]

I have always avoided bends like this with a wammy bar. my solution has been to do the same effect by sliding. Try two note slides.

[widdly widdly]

You could install a trem-stopper or similiar device. Steve Vai swears by them. They fit in the cavity at the back where the springs are and they help the wangy bar sit a zero when you are not wanging on the bar.