Re: String Bending
I bend strings a lot, even I can't get a half-step out of it. Sometimes just the suggestion is all you need, or just pushing your riff into the atonal area is enough for the desired effect. (I'm not talking about what I do with a single string electric, a very different animal, unless someone wants to go there.) The dissonance created by bending a pair of strings is unavoidable, but not necessarily unpleasant. A lot of how successful this technique will be depends on how, when, why, and how often you use it. Like anything unusual, don't overdo it. I don't play a lot of bluegrass, and when I do I don't bend strings much, except maybe in a slower or bluesier number. But if I am playing blues or rock (and somehow not on the electric), some bending is inevitable.
I'll have to try Willie's suggestion about playing just one string, which isn't that hard to do, just have to pay attention. BTW, I agree with the observation regarding the A string - it definitely works best there, but then, I pretty much live an the A string anyway. I wonder about whether the mentions of slides by a couple people are referring to sliding up or down a fret with a finger, or using a metal or glass slide. If it's the latter, I wish you luck. I have tried this now and then over the years, and my take on it is a little goes a long way. Literally. The short neck makes the slightest change in slide position, and I have a real hard time hitting notes on pitch. And it rally sounds shrill. But if it works for you, that's all that matters.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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