Pre-bends are a very expressive and fairly advanced style and technique, mainly because the fingers must, in a way, develop "presets" that will enable them to know just how far to bend a string silently. This will enable you to play a lick with the note or notes already bent, so they can "spill down," usually at the start of a phrase, or in the middle of one.
A lot of English rockers have used this technique to great effect—think Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and George Harrison. I will give you some step-by-step ways to launch into these licks properly, and give you the proper string bending approaches that help eliminate unwanted string noise.
This is a fantastic technique that few really think of as unique, but can be utilized all the time and are great to build your phrasing library and arsenal with.
We'll work in both open and closed positions in this exciting style.—Arlen Roth
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