CROSSROADS Pt7 String Bending

Larry Carlton is a multi-Grammy award-winning American guitarist and composer with a pedigree second to none. Highlights from an exemplary session career include his stints with Steely Dan (check out Larry’s solo on Kid Charlemagne), as well as Michael Jackson, Christopher Cross, The Crusaders, Billy Joel, and an endless list of equally successful artists. At one stage Carlton totted up as many as 500 sessions in a single year. He has also released a number of highly regarded solo albums.

Larry’s genre-hopping style encompasses the best bits of BB King’s blues, the single-note jazz prowess of Joe Pass, a healthy measure of R&Bs and country, and phenomenal fusion chops. However, the aspect of his technique that’s we’re aiming to assimilate here is his string bending prowess. In the process we’ll also be looking at ideas derived from some other notable players that know a thing or