Bending
Bending (also referred to as “string stretching”) the strings is something that can easily be overdone, but used right, the sound can add a lot to a riff.
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 0 frets and 1 fret). A bend bigger than a whole step, like 1½ steps is harder to pull off, because you can break a string, hurt your fingers, slide the note right off the fretboard, etc. It’s not super practical, but it can be done!
Bending itself is easy. Fret a note near the 12th fret. It’s best 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 (clockwise for leftys) and push the string up the fret board towards your face. There you go, you have a bend.
The reason you want to use your wrist instead of just moving your fingers, is because using your fingers is a lot harder and less precise. Go ahead, try bending with just your fingers… it’s hard to do. Using your wrist will be 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.
Getting the right intonation:
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 I remember – but I he’s grown out of that phase). I think of “musical” as being nice-sounding and thought-out. Since a bend kind of “overrides” the automatic tuning of the fret, you are in charge of the pitch of the note. 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 for when to stop bending. 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 check your intonation.
Also, note that the gauge of the string plays a big part in the sound. Bends on the E string sound best to me, so I will use that 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 a lot of options. Here are some:
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
I’m sure there are more, but you get the idea.
10 articulations
3 main types of bends
12 notes in western music
1½ – 3 octaves on the ‘ukulele
Any combo of the above = lots of different bends to practice.
We’ve covered most of the different bends already, but the “pre bend” might be a mystery to you. “Pre bend” just means bend up before you pick. Then you can pick and release down – or not.
Bending in TAB looks like this:
-10b12- or -10b12r10-
