Re: Vibrato and Bends
Technical side first: start out with 10s defintely. Thye'll whip your fingers into proper shape for a bend. Try a wiggle with just one finger in addition to full on, 2-3 fret stretches. Those can really add to expression. Here's another fun bend trick. Although you gotta get good at normal bends first.
{ ^=bend to match this fret, ()=hold note}
E-----------10-----------
B----8^10(hold)^8 7---
G----------------------7-
This requires you to bend with your 2nd and 3rd fingers and hit that E string, 10th fret w/ your pinky. It sounds real nice once you get it though.
E------------13---------------------------------------
B----13^15-()-^13-11-13-11-----------------------
G-------------------------------12-10----------------
D---------------------------------------10-8-10^12--
A-----------------------------------------------------8
This is another one that involves your little finger. Push the B up with 2,3 & 4, fretting the E with your pinky, then returning downwards. THis little run came from Mark Knopfler on Sonny Landreth's "Blue Tarp Blues". YOuTube it and listen for it near the end solos.
For bending you gotta develop a sense of where to throw it in. Sometimes you just wanna add a tiny wiggle, sometimes more of a huge push, sometimes you wanna leave it flat. I've gotten to a point where I don't really think about where the bends go, just throw them in when I feel like the time is right. That's really what vibrato/bends are aboot.
And if you're fingers are burly and manly you can try bending on 11s. like manly men.
