Technique Focus

Finger vibrato and bending

Eric Clapton’s finger vibrato and string-bending technique was very much at the heart of his late60s style. His technique and approach is unusual, as when applying finger vibrato the only part of the fretting hand in touch with the guitar is the finger that is fretting the note. The rest of the fretting hand, including the thumb, is removed from the neck and waves in the air. Try this for yourself and you can see how challenging it is to get the vibrato consistent. However, the results do sound more authentic, so if it’s the EC sound you’re after, it’s well worth persevering.

Eric is also a masterful string bender, and often includes large bends in his solos. He frequently bends all the minor 3rds in the scale slightly sharp. These quarter-tone bends help the notes to fit, and they also add a bluesy flavour. If you combine these finger vibrato and bending styles with shape one of the Minor Pentatonic, the results will immediately start to sound a lot more like Eric Clapton.