My knowledge of correct musical terminology is limited. So perhaps the examples I give will clear up any misunderstanding. But there are two "bends" (on guitar) you hear a lot in blues: one sounds sort of country and the other a little bit more ominous, depending on what note you begin on. For example:

If you are playing in the key of E and start on the second note of the E scale (F#) and bend up to the third note (G#), then grab the fifth note (B) ...and then back down to the G# and release to the F#, you get a classic-sounding country blues run (One variant -of many - is to grab the flatted 7th - in this example, D - instead of the B. It takes a little bit of the country twang off the run and gives it a little more "bite").

The other bend you hear a lot - still using the key of E - starts on the fourth note of the scale (A). Bend up to the fifth (B) and grab the flatted seventh (D). This run has a little more dissonance to it, and sounds more "nasty."

So: 2-3-5 = country blues run. 4-5-b7 = nasty blues run. Obviously these intervals can be transposed to any key. On the fretboard these are laid out rather conveniently in "boxes" and sometimes you see players during an instrumental break just improvising within these boxes - moving up and down the neck to a different box to add variety, but mostly not breaking out of the confines of the box once they arrive at the specific place on the neck.

Another little run that shows up a lot in blues involves a little "chromaticity." Again, using the key of E as an example, start on the flatted 7th (D), play the major 7th note (D#), then the root (E), grab the flatted third (G) then (usually) back to the root (E). D-D#-E is often played as a "triplet" - the G on the down beat, (if you want to get fancy, use vibrato or tremolo on the G for a count or so before going back the the E). This one falls again into the "nasty" category as far as my ear is concerned. As before, this run can be transposed to any key.

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Thanks.
-Joe Offer-