Bending Strings Lesson by axehappy

Here's a few examples of some good ways to bend strings when you're
playing country music.

The obvious ones are whole and half-step bends.
A whole step bend is bending a note the equivalent of 2 frets up. A
half-step bend is the equivalent of 1 fret.
There is also a quarter-step bend, which is just a very slight bend
to emphasize a note.

The most 'country' sounding ones though, are when you're playing more
than one note whilst bending. With bends like these, and a bit of
practice, you can achieve some cool pedal steel type effects.

Some of the most common bends are:


E--5--------------5---------|
B--5b---6----5----8b--------|
G-------5b---7b--------5----|
D----------------------5b---|
A---------------------------|
E---------------------------|

They're not in any order, but they work anywhere on the fretboard.
They are also all whole step bends.


Then you've got double bends...
A bluesy example would be:

E---------------|
B--7br--5-------|
G--7br--5b------|
D-----------7---|
A---------------|
E---------------|

The first of those bends, both notes get bent a half step.
Second one, the string is bent a quarter-step.
These kind of bends are common in almost all styles of lead guitar.


The same kind of bends can be made to sound very country:

E--9--9-----------------|
B--8b-8-8-------7-5-----|
G-------7br-5---7-5b----|
D-------------7--7------|
A-----------------------|
E-----------------------|

The first and second bends are whole step bends, the last bend
is a half-step bend. Hold the last bend with a bit of vibrato
for a cool sound.


Here's a 'really' country style one for you.
This one incorporates open strings, sounds real nice!

E----------9-7--0----5p0-----------------0-------------|
B--0-0-8bh--8-8r--------7pbr-7r------0----4\3--0h1/2---|
G-----------------7bh--------7r--5h6---5---\4--2-------|
D-----------------------------------7---4--\3--0h1/2---|
A--------------------------------------