How to Play Nut Bends on Country Guitar

Guitar players in several genres, including country, use "Behind the Nut Bends" to create a good bent-note sound without bending the entire string. What a behind the nut bend does is actually shorten the string a little by pulling it in the direction of the head stock. It's something that can only be done right by using it in a specific context.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Play a riff including open notes. The nut bend is easiest with an open note; in fact, it's nearly impossible to do a nut bend while your finger is on the string.

2. Identify the string you want to bend within your riff.

3. Make time for the bent note. Fit a space of time into your solo pattern long enough for you to hear the bend on the note.

4. Play the open string.

5. Put your finger behind the nut, on the string you chose, and press down hard. You should hear the note rise sharply.

6. Quickly release your finger. You should hear the note slide back down to its original tone.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice your nut bends until you can do them quickly. You usually won't have a lot of time to incorporate these into a solo, so getting good at the technique is important.
• Use nut bends only on electric guitars. The nut bend is not an across-the-board technique, but one that is made possible by light-gauge strings and loose string action of electric guitar models. Trying it on an acoustic won't work.