More Notes To Bend
Once you can bend the 4 note, try moving to holes 5 and 6 and bending these notes too. These are also half step bends and like the 4 bend, they may be difficult at first. The following example demonstrates these two bends.
Here is an exercise to help you gain control of all three of the bends you have learned. Once again, listen carefully as you play and keep the notes even. If you are not sure of the notes you are bending to, play the pitch of the note on another instrument and then try to copy it.
Here is a Blues lick which makes use of bends on holes 4, 5 and 6.
If you bend notes on hole 3, there are two possibilities instead of one. One of these is a half step bend and the other is a whole step bend which is a lower pitch than the first bend. A whole step bend is indicated by a line above the letter B ( n ). The following example demonstrates both these bends.
Here is a lick which makes use of half step bends on hole 3.
This one uses whole step bends on hole 3.
The next bend you will learn is another whole step bend, this time on hole 2. Like hole 3, there are two possible bends available here, but the half step bend is rarely used.
The following licks should help you gain control of the whole step bend on 2. This is one of the most difficult bends, so be patient with it and as with any other technique or lick you find difficult, practice it often but only for a short period each time.
This riff makes use of the 2 bend, but this time you will need to land directly on the bent note instead of hearing the natural 2 pitch first. This may take some time to master, but produces a great sound so keep at it. This riff uses a common Blues technique known as call and response, which has a question and answer style of playing either between two instruments or an instrument and vocal.
Here is a common variation on the previous riff, this time using the half step bend on hole 3.
