Bending strings is one of the coolest guitar
techniques, and when it comes to
playing blues, bends are essential. The most
obvious bend is the whole-step. What solo
would be complete without a bend from
the b7 to the root, as in
Fig. 1?
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But let’s look a bit deeper, shall we? In a
minor-pentatonic scale, we have two intervals
we can use for bluesy soloing, the whole-step
and the minor-third bend. The scale formula
for the minor pentatonic is root–b3–4–5–b7.
Let’s apply this formula to the key of C
(C–Eb–F–G–Bb) and look at the cool—and
sometimes overlooked—bending options.
There are two minor-third intervals
in the scale, C–Eb and G–Bb. The bend
between the root and b3 as shown in
Fig.
2 was a staple of Eric Clapton’s playing
during the Cream era. This is often called
an overbend, but really all we’re doing is
bending within the scale. I’ve got to say
I love this sound. Check out Clapton’s
playing on
Wheels of Fire for a great lesson
on this particular bend. Actually check
out everything he plays on that album!
or download example audio
We move to the other minor-third
interval in
Fig. 3. This is a classic sound
that I first picked up from listening to Jimi
Hendrix. Now we have covered whole-step
and minor-third bends, but let’s go deeper.
In
Fig. 4 we have a lick in the style of Albert
King that will add a “blue” note, which will
bring some half-step bends into the mix.
Make sure to keep each bend in tune.
or download example audio
or download example audio
In my previous column [“The
Composite Blues Scale,” June 2011], I
discussed the composite blues scale, which
is basically a scale derived from mixing
both the major and minor blues scales.
This adds some very cool notes that we can
bend up to and out of. In
Fig. 5, I take
advantage of these half-steps by bending
the 6 to the b7 and ending with a very cool
bend from the b3 to the 3 of a C7 chord.
or download example audio
Fig. 6 is a slick little move that works
great over C7 and contains a bend from the
3 to the 4 in a very Jeff Beck-like fashion.
The last example, shown in
Fig. 7, is a cool
move that advances chromatically from the b3 up to the 5—all done with bends.
or download example audio
or download example audio
Take your time with these examples.
Bends can very easily land you in trouble if
you play them out of tune. As an exercise,
I suggest you first fret the note you plan to
bend to, then bend into that target note and
try to match the fretted pitch. If your fingertips
are sore after checking out this lesson,
you’re on the right track!
Jeff McErlain
Jeff McErlain is a New York City-based guitar
player, producer, songwriter, and educator. He
performs regularly in NYC and abroad with
his trio and blues band. Jeff has a number of
instructional DVDs available at TrueFire.com,
and he is a featured instructor for the National
Guitar Workshop. Jeff's latest CD I'm Tired is
available on iTunes or at
jeffmcerlain.com.