C6th lap steel - behind-the-bar-bends in a Dm blues

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Here a few ideas for using behind-the-bar bends in C6th tuning in ways that are perhaps different than you've tried. We aren't imitating pedal steel sounds here. I think of these more like a big band horn section (try adding a vibrato trill at the end of the bend). Over the Dm and Gm, you're bending the root to the 9th. On the Bb7, you're bending the 6 to the b7 and on the A7, you're bending up to b7. Experiment with bending and releasing, adding trills, silently pre-bending and releasing, etc.

Try these licks over a Dm blues track, like this one ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehFvwetMo-w

If you haven't done behind-the-bar bending, go slowly - it's easy to stress the tendons in your bar hand. Some folks support the bend with their thumb against the guitar's neck. Play the target note so you get its pitch into your ear. Your scale length and string gauges will partially determine how hard or easy it is to make the bends. Rafael McGregor has a nice video on YouTube explaining this technique. Enjoy!

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