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Releasing right on time
Letting go of a bend is called a release, and you can do this in a specified
rhythm just as you do in a regular, ascending bend. Figure 10-13 shows two
bend and releases. The first consists of a picked note — a bend of a half step
in an eighth note and then a release back to the original pitch in an eighth
note. The second is a picked note, a bend of a whole step in a quarter note,
and then a release back to the original pitch in a half note.
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Figure 10-13:
Two bend
and
releases.
1/2 1
T 5 7 (7) 5 5
A 7 7
B
5 8 ( 8)
Bending a string before sounding the note
A pre-bend is where you bend the string and hold it in position before striking
it. When you pick the string and release it from its pre-bent position, the pitch
falls (descends) and produces a downward bend. Because it’s technically
impossible to bend down on the guitar, a pre-bend and release is a way of getting
around this limitation; it’s an expressive technique, especially when mimicking
a crying or keening quality.
Figure 10-14 shows two examples of figures that employ a pre-bend and
release, each in a different rhythm and interval combination, each requiring a
different preparation by the guitarist.
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A7
D7
( )
( )
Figure 10-14:
Two prebend
and
release
phrases.
5 7 5
T
A B
1
5 5
8 8 5
186 Part III: Beyond the Basics: Playing Like a Pro TEAM LinG
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7 ( 7) 5 7 5 5
7