Bending
Bending (also referred to as “string stretching”) the strings is a sound that can add a lot to a riff. It adds movement to a note and lets you hit some in-between tones that you wouldn’t normally hear.
There are a couple of different bends that can be performed. The most common are whole (2 frets), half (1 fret), and ¼ step bends (somewhere between a fret). Bends bigger than a whole step, like 1½ or 2 whole steps are harder to pull off, but by all means, see what you can manage!
Bending itself is easy. Try fretting a note near the 12th fret (it’s easier to bend in the middle of the string). It’s best (for now) if you use your ring finger. Put your middle and first fingers behind it on the string for leverage. Now, put your thumb around the neck. This is normally bad technique – bending is an exception! Pick the fretted note and rotate your wrist counter-clockwise and push the string up the fret board towards your face. There you go, you have a bend.
It’s best to bend with your wrist because then you have leverage and precision on your side. Using just your fingers is inefficient. Go ahead, try it! It’s hard to do. Using your wrist will be much better in the long run.
You can also pull down to do a bend. For example, if you are bending a note on the C or G strings, you will run out of space quickly if you try to bend up, so rotate your wrist clockwise (counter-clockwise for leftys) and pull the bend down.
Pre-bending a note gives you even more bending options. With a pre-bend you bend before picking and then pick the note. From there you can release the bend down or not.
Bending in tune:
Some guys just wail away at bends without a lot of heed for bending to a musical note (there was one guy with spiky hair and glasses I remember – but he’s grown out of that phase). I think of “musical” as being nice-sounding and to the point. Since a bend kind of “overrides” the automatic tuning of the fret, you are in charge of the pitch of the note. This “wimpy bending” is due to the fact that many people don’t have a destination in mind when they start a bend. When you fall short or over-bend a note, it’s unattractive to the ear. Thus, if you decide to pursue bending as a technique, it’s in your best interest to practice “positive string stretching” (a term that Eric Johnson nailed). Positive string stretching is when you bend with intention to go somewhere (C to a D, D# to an E, etc…) and get the bend exactly in-tune.
To practice getting the pitch right, fret the note that you want to bend to, and play it. This is your reference note. Now, with that note still in your head, fall back 1 (half step bend) or 2 (whole step bend) frets, pick and bend up to match the reference note. This is a great way to develop your ear. By doing this you also learn how the different bends sound going into different notes. Bending into C from B is going to sound different than bending in from Bb. Experiment. You will find sounds that you like and sounds you don’t like. To make this exercise harder, try playing a reference note and then pre-bend (bend up without picking), then pick and check your intonation.
Here’s a video lesson I made to give you a better idea:
The gauge of the string plays a big part in the bend. The fatter strings bend faster than the small ones. It’s relatively easy to bend up 2 and a half steps on a low-g. Bends on the E string sound best to me, so I will use that string when I can instead of bending on the A string. It is also easier to bend in the middle of the scale (length of the string) near the 12th fret than to bend the same note closer to the nut. It’s pretty hard to bend beyond a half step when you are playing inside the 5th fret. The more tension a string has, the harder it will be to bend.
The articulations you can use on bends give you unlimited options. Here are some that come to mind:
- Bend up
- Bend up then release down
- Bend up then vibrato
- Bend up and go down only half as much
- Hammer on and bend
- Bend and pull off
- Pre bend and go down
- Pre bend and go down then back up
- Bend an artificial harmonic
- Tap and then bend
- Bend up, release, and bend again
I’m sure there are more, but you get the idea.
- Any of the above + 12 notes in western music + 1½ – 3 octaves on the ‘ukulele = lots of different bends to practice.
Bending in TAB looks like this:
-10b12- or -10b12r10- or -b12r10- (pre-bend)
