Essential Blues/Rock Technique:
The Bend - Release - Pull Off
One of the very common techniques used in rock and blues solos on guitar is the bend-release-pull off. It is heard all the time in solos, and very often is a source of trouble for students.
This technique is itself a combination of a few basic moves, namely, the bend and pull off. It is especially troublesome at fast speeds. And so, I would like to take a bit of a deeper look at it.
The Sound
One of the most famous occurrences of the bend-release-pull off is from the solo to "Stairway To Heaven". It is used as a repeating lick, being played over and over again as the chords change underneath. Let's listen.....
Bend-Release-Pull Off
(from "Stairway To Heaven")
As you can hear, it is a very cool sounding technique! It is also very easy to mangle this technique and get a sound that is "out of shape". Let's look at the reasons why.
The Mechanics of The Bend-Release Pull Off
Here are the mechanics of the bend-release-pull off:
1. Both the bending/pulling finger and the "receiving" finger go on the string at the same time (unless one of them is already on the string of course). In this case (and most cases), that means fingers 1 & 3.
2. For the bend, ALL fingers contribute, 1 and 3, and also the 2nd finger, which makes contact with the string as the fingers begin to bend the string up.
3. As the bend is brought back down, or released, the 2nd finger must come off the string right before the pull off.
4. The 3rd finger pull off, pulls sharply on the string, pulling it toward the floor, WHILE the 1st finger holds the string firmly to the fret, and even pushes the string up toward the ceiling to counteract the force of the pulling finger and so hold the string in place. If it does not do this, the pulled off note will be weak and unclear, the lick containing the move will sound "flabby".
It requires quite a bit of strength from the fingers to make this move properly, even if you are doing things correctly, so if you find you have trouble even after reading this, it may simply be due to insufficient development of the fingers, which results in the fingers collapsing with the effort.
That is a larger problem, and means the foundation of your left hand development is flawed, and you should be working with the Foundation Exercises in the Principles, and our Scale Course to develop the fingers properly for strength, stretch, and independence.
Timing The Bends
Often, even if the fingers are strong enough not to collapse during the bend-release-pull off, the sound still gets ruined by having the bends be out of time. Many students bend up too fast, or pull too fast, or release too fast! Or, they may do all 3 too fast!
When you practice this, start from at least 2 click at 60 on the metronome, and work it up form there, recording yourself and listening back with something that allows you to play back at half speed. That is the best way to tell if you are rushing things, and putting the sound "out of shape".
During slow practice, focus on relaxing after the effort of each note. You can be doing all the other things right, and still start messing up at a fast speed, because you are carrying accumulated tension in the fingers/hand by keeping the effort, (especially of the pull off, which is one of the most strenuous left hand moves we do) in the fingers after the note is over. All good players completely release effort after each note.
If You Want To Learn The Secrets Of Mastering ALL The Fundamental Techniques Of Rock Guitar....you need
The Guitar Principles
Rock & Blues Electric Guitar Foundation Course
You will learn ALL the fundamental techniques used on electric guitar
AND step-by-step methods to train your fingers to do them.
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Our Rock &Blues Electric Guitar Course Includes: | |
| Scales - all 5 Minor Pentatonic Scales with GOOD, sensible, and usable fingering (unlike what is found in most methods). | Bending & Vibrato - The inside details on the mechanics of a good bending and vibrato, and practice routines that will enable you to master this essential skills. |
| Licks - THE essential licks from each scale with detailed video explanations, fingering, pick strokes, etc. | Muting, Damping, and Raking - Practice routines for developing string muting, string damping, and string raking. |
| Theory - The music theory behind the Pentatonic Scales. You will understand why certain notes get bent, why certain notes sound bluesy and good, and how to use each note of the scale in a musical way. NO NOTE READING NECESSARY! | Solos - A solo for each scale, illustrating the use of each lick, PLUS audio and video, FAST and SLOW with detailed verbal explanations and visual demonstrations of not just what the licks look and sound like, but how to train your fingers to do it too! |
| Technique - All you need to know about the micro-details of finger action when playing Pentatonic Scales & Licks. This information is NEVER given in existing instructional materials. You will learn Proper Hand & Finger Positions for all situations, as well as the details of Finger Movement in scales and licks. | |