What good guitar player couldn’t be inspired by BB King’s playing? And if you’re not a good guitar player yet, learning some of BB’s riffs and ideas is one of the fastest ways to get there. The man had taste. He could play two or three notes and make a stronger statement than most players make with a full solo.
In this second BB King lesson, we’re looking at one of his staple moves — a whole-step bend on the third string that transitions into the tonic note with a vibrato. It’s smooth, it’s expressive, and it shows up everywhere in his playing.
Setting Up in B Minor
We’re in the key of B minor again, working out of the pentatonic minor scale at the seventh fret. BB loved this key. You’ll hear it in a lot of his most famous recordings.
The scale itself isn’t complicated. BB plays it with his first and third fingers mostly. I use my pinky because of my training background, but that’s a personal choice. What matters is that you’re comfortable enough with the scale that you can focus on feel instead of finger placement.
The Third String Bend
Here’s the move. You’re on the third string, ninth fret, bending up a whole step. That stretch takes you from E to F sharp — which is the same note as the next scale tone on the second string.
Get other fingers behind your bending finger for support, especially if your fingers aren’t very strong yet. And don’t rush it. Strike the note so you can hear it clearly, then let the bend come up to pitch. Compare it against the target note on the second string to make sure you’re hitting the right pitch.
Once you’ve got the bend at pitch, you have two choices. You can kill the third string with your right hand thumb and then play the tonic on the first string seventh fret with a vibrato. That’s the clean version. Or you can let the bent note overlap with the next note — let them ring into each other. Both sound great; it just depends on the moment.
After landing on that tonic note, shake the string. That vibrato is a huge part of the BB King sound. Then you can jump up to the nineteenth fret for that high B again, just like we did in part 1.
Less Is More
BB might play just a couple of notes from this lick and call it done. He doesn’t need to run through the whole scale to make his point. That economy is what made him BB King.
The bend takes a little mastering. It’s not hard, but getting it smooth and on pitch takes practice. Don’t let the note wobble around — bring it up clean, hold it steady, and release with control.
For the first part of this BB King series, check out BB King Licks Part 1: Bends, Vibrato & the High B. For more blues lessons, browse the guitar riffs collection.
This is Colin Daniel signing out for now. Come check out riffninja.com. Take care. See you soon.
