Hey guys,

Ok heres the story... Basically when im jamming my main focus is on the famous modes no surprises here, but im flowing around on them ive come to realise im always just doing taps/pull offs hammer ons n slides/sweeps but no bends. Then i tried to incorporate some cool licks that include bends that i made up and i just totally loose the pattern that im so used to picturing on the fretboard. Its like i can flow between all the modes so very easily but if i incorporate a bend in there i loose it cos its so alien to me. So im asking if any of you have a good licks that can be used in pretty much any thing like fail-safe style licks that you use...

Simple ones will do on any of the modes really (including the minor blues) that i can take a whizz at or know of any sites for me to check out let me know :D

Cheers me dears.

^_^ Google is the answer to pretty much anything... :P

Still you can go for the most common licks first and then add your 2 cents to them. First example that I recall now is (as this is Joe's forum) one of his favourite that you encounter in almost every solo of his:

12--------------------12--------------------
---15p12----------------15p12-------------
------------14b-------------------14b-------

and its endless variations:

E---12---------------------12---------------------
B-------15p12-15b------------15p12-15b-------

(played fast and numerous times B) )

Kirk Hammet's favourite

G---b14r-p12h14b-r-p12h14b-r-p12h14b-r-p12h14b-r-p12h14b-r-p

It's variation is on two strings (the B and the G string)
The numbers of course are only to see the pattern. Around those two you can get many variations with timings\other notes and such.

b - bend
p - pull off
r - release
h - hammer
I know you know them, only for the record ^_^

sounds (reads!) like you need to learn each string on your guitar... intimately...

learn and remember how a semitone bend feels on every string
learn and remember how a tone bend feels on every string
learn and remember how a minor third bend feels on every string
maybe even try a major third (or higher!) too...

and learn those bends (where applicable) both bending "towards the ceiling" and also "towards the floor" and with as many fingers as you can

you say you can "flow between all the modes so very easily" so presumably you know what notes you're playing at all times?

after you learn how the bends feel, you can accommodate for this

hope this helps!

+1 to Phyr's post. get the basic feel of the bends and how much u have to bend each individual string to get the note u want. keep playin it for a while, n sooon u'll realise what kinda bends sound great and what sounds saimply awful!!! :lol:

Well i know how to bend, cos of playing satch songs theres just hundreads everywhere , although if i were to improvise i'd just need nice bend riffs to use tis what i was looking for, of which id then learn.... and then learn how to incorporate it with the modes im whizzing around on etc.

The only thing i dont understand is this major 3rd? As i have not really learn terminology cos the real musically terminology is confusing, i had to teach myself modes in my own method because most ways people explain it make my brain turn to jelly hehe

The sort of bends i know are basically any used in Always with me Always with you, and Surfing With the Alien, they have the bends i use but none of them have any good licks with bends in that i can use when improvising. Like with my modes ive made up my own patterns that i can use because they always sound good usually with any back track. Ive heard satch do one live which like this:


e:-------------5-----------------------
B:----------5-----5-----8b10~~(vibrato)

A very typical blues thing that helps me to go into some thing diffrent to my previous lick. Satch uses it distincitively on searching (album version) not the live ones. i was just hoping there are some others :)


Il give a go at Fenix's ones.

he uses it distincitively on searching (album version) not the live ones.

I've had some really good feedback on the Theory Thread, you might want to check it out... click here

Thanks dude ill read it tomorrow night on my night off he he :D

lets take C major scale. it has these notes.

c d e f g a b

and C minor has:

c d d# f g g# a# c

the 3rd note in the majot scale is E, so Major 3rd is E. whereas in the minor scale, the 3rd is D#, or Eb, so the minor 3rd is D# or Eb.

I have no idea how that helps me to learn licks with some nice bends in .... lol!!!



FenixBG has the right idea with what i was looking for as an answer lol ! :P But the help is much appreciated.

well i just explained major n minor 3rd's since u said u had problems with it.

Well i had problems understanding what the terminology correct. Thanks for explanation, although where would it be helpful in terms of musical creations cos ive never been a fan of music theory only modes is the most advanced stuff i know on music even though modes arent that difficult.

well yeah, it's just note naming.