How Do I Do This Bend?

That couldn't be a bend. It'd have to be indicating a legato, i.e., smooth transition from one note to the next.

Maybe it's a legato. Then how do I do it from one string to another? The symbol is a half moon-shaped line.

Practice. Basically, getting the sound to smoothly switch from one string to another is a matter of coordinating picking the first string, picking the second string at the same time as letting up the fretting finger pressure on the first one so it stops ringing just as the second one starts, with no pause between and little change in apparent volume. Gives a nice fluid sound when you get it right.

yeah...but there is no fretting pressure in this example because i'm picking an open string first....

with blues this makes sense. richochet said it.
as far as the open string being played first
here is where damping, palm muting, pick blocking,
come in handy. most of the time I damp my open strings.
maybe because I play lap slide so much. but it has carrried over to my strat
and tele playing. and those sound better now.
I like some control of the string vibration ;it keeps the notes from getting mushy
when you dont want that.
but with blues. you do want some bruised notes. so work that open string.
then fly to that 7th. you can stop that open string in its track or let it purr a bit
for a smoother change.
just a thought.

Maybe this lesson would help :o

http://www.shredacademy.com/lessons/Zack%20Uidl/z_uidl06.htm

You could just roll backwards to mute the open string or something... :?
Sorry if this doesn't help

You said
The tab indicates a bend from the open second string to the seventh fret of the first string.

You have two other choices, depending on what you mean by 1st and 2nd string - I'm reading that as E and A, the two lowest bass strings? If that's the case, you can use the first string 5th fret instead of the 2nd string open, and then slide up to the 7th.

If you actually mean the B and e (two highest strings) you can still use the B at the 5th fret instead of e open, and slide to the 7th too.

The thing to remember about TABs is that they are hardly ever 100% accurate, and often tabbed by players who don't have much experience - you have to take some creativity to them yourself I often find!

Dunno if that's of any help? :)

Pete

Sounds good to me. I'll try that idea. The tab, though, is not from the internet. It's from a beginning Fingerstyle Blues book and it's the author's own arrangement of the song so I don't think it's wrong.

Hey Kat, I think you mistook "8" for "0". You don't pick the open B string but the 8th fret on the B string. just thought I'd let you know!

thanks. i'll check it out. my eyes are getting old like the rest of me.

Easier doing a legato transition between two nearly adjacent fretted notes like that.