3 minute read
Melodic Muse
COLUMNS MELODIC MUSE
by Andy Timmons
THE BENDS, PART 2
More approaches to expressive string bending techniques
THIS MONTH, I’D like to continue exploring a topic that’s near and dear to my heart — using string-bending techniques and related phrasing approaches to craft emotionally expressive melodic lines.
I’ve had many great guitar playing influences along the way, and all of these brilliant musicians continue to provide inspiration to me every day. I recently had the opportunity to see a dear friend of mine, Steve Lukather, perform with Toto, who came through Dallas playing on a double bill with Journey. It was a sold-out show in an arena packed with enthusiastic fans, which, as always, was wonderful! Truth be told, I have probably gotten more from Luke than any other player; he has been that big an influence on my own approach to the guitar and soloing.
I had a great hang with Luke before the show, and when I saw him perform that night, every time he bent a note, the sound and feeling was so expressive that I could feel it directly in my heart. He literally brought me to tears. And I could kind of hear myself, because I’ve learned so many things from Luke as a player. He’s a human “textbook” for finding the center of the pitch, which is a topic we talked about last month. Larry Carlton is another master string bender, and he was an immense influence on both Luke and me. Larry’s first solo album encapsulates everything you need to know about “string bending 101” and beyond. And the great Jeff Beck is, of course, another master of string bending techniques and musical applications.
A great way to hone your precision string bending technique is to practice playing through a given scale and then bending up from each note, or degree, to the next higher one. For example, FIGURE 1 illustrates the C# Dorian mode (C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B) played entirely on the G string, starting on B and the 4th fret. Pick each note in the scale individually, as shown in bars 1 and 2, then pick the string once and slide up to the next higher note, as shown in bars 3 and 4.
As I described earlier, let’s now play a note in the scale and then bend up to the next higher one. In FIGURE 2, I sound B,
FIG. 1
FIG. 2
FIG. 4
For video of this lesson, go to guitarworld.com/december2022
FIG. 3
FIG. 5
FIG. 6
FIG. 7
which is the minor, or “flatted,” 7th (b7) of C# Dorian, and then repeatedly bend that note up a whole step to the root, or tonic, C#. In bar 2, I repeatedly bend and release the string to sound both pitches, using my ears to regulate how much “push pressure” to apply to the string with my fingers. In FIGURE 3, I move up to the next higher scale degree, C#, and repeat the process, bending that note up a whole step, to D#. In bar 2, I connect the two bends, bending from B to C# and then from C# to D#. FIGURES 4 and 5 continue the process up the string through the remainder of the scale, using whole- and half-step bends.
One can easily explore creative ways to incorporate these “scale degree” bends into syncopated melodies. FIGURE 6 demonstrates this with an ascending phrase, and FIGURE 5 flips it over with a descending one.
Now that you have the concept, try moving freely and randomly through the notes of this or any other scale while applying whole- and half-step bends that remain diatonic to it, meaning staying within the scale.
