Ken's Corner: Guitar Improvisation for Starters - Lesson #13

By Ken Volpe
This is Lesson #13 in a series on Guitar Improvisation. Last week in Lesson #12 we continued learning new licks. The next few lessons within this series will be dedicated to note bending. Note bending is an alternative technique to make your licks and solos more interesting.

Bending a note(s) on the guitar is an excellent way of musical expression. There are many ways to bend a note. For now we will stick with 2 basic types; the 1/2-step bend and the 1-step bend. The 1/2-step bend produces a note that is a 1/2 step or 1 fret higher than the original note. The 1-step bend produces a note that is 1 step or 2 frets higher than the original note. 

When you are first learning to bend notes it usually works best to use the ring finger of your left hand.  In addition, it is helpful to keep your middle finger and your index finger behind the ring finger on the same string for extra strength and control. So if you bending a note on the 7th fret of the G-string, your ring finger is at the 7th fret, your middle finger is at the 6th fret and your index finger is at the 5th fret. You can also bunch those same fingers closer together within a 2 fret area to accomplish the same thing. 

Let’s use the 7th fret on the G-string as our first bending point. Try a 1-step bend in an upward direction towards your chin. You can test the accuracy or intonation of your note by listening to the sound of the fretted note you are going for. For example, play your 1-step bend from the 7th fret, than play the regular fretted note at the 9th fret without bending. They should sound the same. 

Next, try a 1-step bend on the B string at the 8th fret and also try a 1-step bend on the E string at the 8th fret. Try mixing in some of these bends with your licks. My suggestion is for you to continue playing along with your A Blues rhythm track to practice your bends and licks.

In the near future, we will be expanding this lesson series with audio and video samples to give you more guidance in the learning process.

And in next week’s lesson we will continue working with bending notes. I’ll see you all at the next lesson.

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