[Bending Lesson] How to bend (choke) taught by various guitarists
Tomo Fujita
He explains how to bend without using the grip (lock grip) method.
He teaches phrasing using Jeff Beck-style bending.
Guthrie Govan
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
There are sequels (4 and 5), but since they cover special techniques, these 1-3 cover the bending techniques comprehensively. The explanation is detailed and thorough, and while the content can get difficult, he sometimes adds humor, which makes you feel motivated to keep trying.
Corey Congilio
He teaches the so-called general bending method that involves gripping the neck.
Chris Buck
Chris plays the vocal melody of Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses) using frequent bending. He says that multi-step bending is a technique he acquired in the process of imitating the melodies sung by vocalists on the guitar.
He teaches 5 ways to play the guitar like a vocalist.
Explanation of multi-step bends, and talk about string gauges and neck scales (long, middle, short).
Isaiah Sharkey
Isaiah Sharkey says the same thing about imitating the human voice (vocalist's singing).
Mark Lettieri
Something Chris Buck also does often: 'bend up, and while bending down, quickly slide...' I can't explain it well in words. Seeing is believing, so please check the video.
If you have just started playing the electric guitar, you might wonder, 'Which one is the correct way, gripping or not gripping?'
Rather than which one is correct, I think it is best to view them as individual styles. Also, I feel that in most cases, it's not that they chose one style over the other, but rather that they arrived there while pursuing the tone they wanted to produce.
Therefore, I think you should go with whichever is easier for you. Guthrie Govan seems to use both, so it would be even better if you can use them flexibly depending on the situation!
Personally, I find it easier to grip the neck, but I think the Tomo Fujita style of not gripping makes it easier to perform fine control.
Finally, since you cannot slow down the playback speed in the embedded note videos, I recommend playing them in the YouTube app if there is something you would like to practice. Since the app allows you to slow the playback speed down to 25%, it is very useful when you want to check fine movements.