could this be the hardest bendy bit?

[fretdancer]

Hi all
something for the advanced Players I think.

I am obsessed with nailing the Solo from Pink Floyds "another brick in the wall pt 2" and have posted below a bar of the tab from the middle of the solo. I have managed to learn to play most of the solo fairly competently but the bit I have most difficulty is the huge bending bit. I recommend you listen to it if you dont know it, its a superb bit of guitar playing but that bend which changes pitch about 3 times is just incredible and so darned hard to do !
basically he takes the B string at 13, bends it up to 15, then bends it up to 17 holds a moment, up to 18 (yup a 4 fret bend) then slowy releases to 15 and back up to 17 - all the time maintaining the volume...how the heck does he do it?...I have listened to it slowed right down and I swear he re-picks at least twice but others say not?....when I try to play it, all power(volume) has gone out of the bend by the time I get to the top of the bend so there is nothing volume wise left when trying to slowly release it back down.
Please, if you get chance listen to it, try it and tell me what you think and how to acheive the sound.



|-------13b(15)-13-13----------------------------------------
|-----x------------------13b(15)b(17)b(18)-rb(15)b(17)-------
|---x--------------------------------------------------------
|-x----------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------

[.Sphinkta]

I'm no expert, and have never tried to play the solo, but I am familiar with it, and the mammoth bend in it. I can offer some suggestions, whether or not i'm even close to helping you I won't know until after I guess. One thing to be wary of, if you are playing at a slower speed than the actual song, you will obviously have trouble sustaining the full sound. For this, it may be necessary to learn at actual speed. Another thing, when playing a bend such as this, it is important that you play with energy. I don't know what it is, but somehow whenever I play with energy my bends sustain better, so get into the song and really give it a good go. Make sure that you are pushing down firmly on the string also, any loss of pressure on the string can result in losing sustain. Tell me if any of these suggestion work.

[fretdancer]

I think you have something when you talk about the speed. Clearly this is not something that can be played slower than at the correct pace as the sustain does die - however, that said it is not played that fast anyway, or maybe Gilmour is such a good guitarist he makes it sound "relaxed" when its anything but !! I Have just tried to play it again - actually the first time for a couple of weeks and I think I am better at it now...weird how that happens sometimes when you leave something and go back after a break?.
I am also pretty convinced that he uses the whammy bar on it to help reach the top of the bend - I have seen a couple of vids of the solo but never does the camera work show the guitar up close enough at the right time !! - I recently saw a tribute band (Think Floyd) who were superb and I noticed the guitarist in that band, who were superb by the way - use the whammy bar a lot to get the "Gilmour sound". I have tried to do so but I am not yet proficient enough to make that sound anything like right !.

I also think the right guitar might help too - I read that Gilmour uses active pickups - now I dont have a clue what they are but when you listen closely you hear slight clicks as he starts to play which is as if the pickups are turning on in response to being activated by having a string plucked as it were - hard to explain you would have to listen to it.

Pete

[peewee69]

I have also seen another guitarist play this solo using a slide. It solves the problem of the extreme bend but brings up other issues with the rest of the solo and the lack of 1 finger.

[Trent]

i think the problem that ur having is that your tab is wrong
try hammering from 13th to 15th then bending like this

|-------13b(15)-13-13----------------------------------------
|-----x------------------13h15b(17)b(18)-rb(17)b(15)-------
|---x--------------------------------------------------------
|-x----------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------

i have no problems doing it this way. and it sounds exactly the same as what Gilmour plays. You were never going to do it bending from the 13th fret
I've never performed the solo live but my friend has and i supported him on rythm for a school concert.

David Gilmour ROCKS!!

Ps. try to learn solos and songs by ear thats how i relearnt most of this song after learning it ages ago when i wasnt very good