Learning to bend guitar strings in tune is a crucial skill for any guitarist aiming to play expressive solos. Many aspiring players search for pieces that are both melodically appealing and serve as effective bending studies. Fortunately, several iconic guitar solos are deceptively simple in their structure yet heavily reliant on precise and nuanced bending. These solos are perfect for developing your ear and technique.
One excellent starting point is the work of Steve Lukather from Toto. His solo in “I Won’t Hold You Back” from the album Toto IV is a masterclass in subtle bending. The solo’s beauty lies in its simplicity, but executing it correctly demands careful attention to the timing and pitch of each bend. Listen intently to the original recording to capture the nuances. Lukather’s style, further exemplified in Toto ballads like “Anna” and “A Thousand Years” from The Seventh One album, consistently features these melodic, bending-centric solos. Even in the instrumental track “Don’t Stop Me Now”, his guitar work showcases how vibrato, bending, picking dynamics, hammer-ons, and pull-offs can create rich textures and feelings from seemingly simple phrases.
Delving into Jeff Beck’s discography offers another rich vein of learning material. His original rendition of “‘Cause We Ended as Lovers” is particularly noteworthy. Attempting to learn the main melody of this piece is an incredibly rewarding exercise in controlled and expressive bending. Beck’s phrasing and tone are benchmarks for any guitarist studying this technique.
Robert Cray’s blues style also provides invaluable lessons in feel and the rhythmic placement of bent notes. Tracks like “I Shiver”, “Stay Go”, and “Passing By” from his album Shame and a Sin are essential listening for anyone wanting to understand how bending can inject soul and emotion into a solo. Cray’s solos are not technically complex, but they are deeply expressive and demonstrate the power of well-executed bends in blues guitar playing.
