5 Types of String Bends You Need to Know
String bending is a technique that every guitar player will need to learn and use at some point. The art of string bending involves playing a note, and bending the string to change the pitch.
The movement of the string adds tension, which in turn increases the pitch.
There are 5 main types of string bends that all guitar players should know!
Full Tone Bends
A full tone bend is the most common type of string bend. This involves moving the string a distance of 2 frets on the guitar.
In the linked video, there is an exercise you can use to train your ear to recognise this pitch distance. Simply play the fret that is 2 frets higher than your starting point, listen carefully to the note, this is your reference. Now play your string bend and try to match the pitch.
Semi Tone Bends
A semi tone bend uses the same principals as a full tone bend, except you’re just moving half the distance. A semi tone is a distance of one fret.
The same rules apply for a note reference, except this time the reference is just a single fret higher.
Quarter Tone Bends
Another string bend that is useful to know is a quarter tone bend. The guitar fretboard is laid out in a series of semi-tones so we don’t actually have a set reference for a quarter tone bend as these notes exist “between” the frets.
A quarter tone bend is a great way to add a vocal like movement to a note in your lead lines. Check out the example of this in the video.
Unison Bends
Unison bends are a great technique to add some screaming lines to your rock solos. A unison bend involves playing two notes, on two adjacent strings which are slightly dissonant to the ear. The note on the lower pitched string is then bent up in pitch which the other note is held in place.
The bend is pushed up until the two notes are the same pitch, creating a sense of unison.
Harmony Bends
A harmony bend is a similar concept to a unison bend, except the notes are harmonised rather than being the same pitch sounding twice.
You can play harmony bends with any interval that harmonises well, but the examples here, which is the most common use, is using Minor Thirds. Don’t worry if you don’t know much of the theory behind this, just learn these as a pattern from the example in the video and have some fun!
You’ll see these bends crop up in lots of rock and blues solos as well as country style playing.
