Bends and Vibrato
What b, r, pb and ~ mean in a tab.
In a tab, 14b16 means fret 14, bent until it sounds like fret 16. Bends, releases and vibrato are the symbols that make a solo sing, and this lesson reads each one in E minor pentatonic, E G A B D.
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A bend has a target note
The symbol is a b (or an arrow) after the fret: 14b16 means play the 14th fret and push the string until it sounds like the 16th — a whole step, also written full. 1/2 is a half step, 1 1/2 a step and a half. A r after it, 14b16r14, is the release back down.
- b = bend; the number after it is the pitch to reach.
- full = one whole step, 1/2 = one fret, 1 1/2 = three frets.
- r = release; pb = pre-bend (bend first, then pick).
The two bends every solo uses
In the E minor pentatonic box at the 12th fret, the G string at the 14th fret is A; bend it a whole step and you reach B, the 5th. On the B string, the 15th fret is D; bend it a whole step and you land on E, the root. Check each one by playing the target fret first, then bending until the two match.
- G string, 14th fret, full bend: A up to B.
- B string, 15th fret, full bend: D up to E.
- Bend with three fingers behind each other, not one.
Vibrato: the ~ at the end
A wavy line ~ over a note means vibrato: small, even bends back and forth. Keep the speed steady and the width the same on every note, and a plain phrase starts to sound like a voice. In More Than Modes a Guitar Pro tab plays its bends and vibrato on the fretboard, so you can hear the target pitch before you chase it.
- ~ = vibrato; a longer line means a longer one.
- Bend to pitch first, add the vibrato second.
- Out-of-tune bends are the first thing listeners hear.
Every bend in a tab tells you where to land. Play the target note first, bend until they match, and the solo stops sounding out of tune.
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