The "Bends"

Ian Rossiter

For all the discussion and dissection of Django's speed,chromatic runs, and chording...which is incredible of course, something that sometimes gets overlooked is the fact that he was an amazing stringbender!!!
His intonation was amazing, and when you analyze it, a real big part of his sound.

Tele295

Yep, but you gotta make sure the bends are in the right place. He wasn't bending like an American blues or country player, which are often a half step bend from the minor to major 3rd, whole step bend from 5th to 6th, or a whole step from the dom 7th to the tonic.

I quizzed Nolan about it during DFNW, and he recommended the half step bend from the #5 to the 6th as particularly Djangoish. I'm still looking for some more. My rhythm player really calls me out when she hears me play an "American bend."

Ian Rossiter

Yeah, but you HAVE to listen to your rythym player...don'tcha???

Steveareno

That's one of the things I really like about Django and this style of playing. Alot of jazz cats seem to NEVER bend the string, which gets a little boring IMHO. I come from a country and blues background, so I've got to restrain myself, but adding a few bends here and there really adds to the color and emotion of the piece.
Swang on,

Ian Rossiter

If you watch the J'attandrei video clip, you really see how much he bent strings, and that his intonation was just dead on. It makes perfect sense though if you think about it; extended his range of notes without using the ring or pinky fingers.