Bending Notes
Bending notes is another important technique used in Funk, particularly in lead playing. Bending helps to add emotion and intensity to the music as well as giving your playing a much more vocal quality. A bend is achieved by fretting a note and then pushing the string sideways across the fretboard towards the adjacent strings.
One important point with bending notes is to use a supporting finger behind the finger you are using to make the bend. This gives you more strength as well as more control. The symbol for a bend is a curved arrow accompanied by the symbol "B".
Play note on seventh fret of third string.
Third finger bends string upwards with help of second finger
When bending notes, it is also helpful to have the thumb of the left hand right up over the edge of the neck to help push back against the pressure of the fingers.
Keep first finger on fifth fret, second string.
Slight Bends
Another common technique used in Funk playing is to bend a note slightly but not far enough to reach the pitch of another written note. These bends are often called quarter tone bends. They are indicated by a small curved arrow above the note.
Here are two licks which use both types of bends.
