Blog 3: Bending Technique

Guitarists need to physically push down on the strings to create notes. This in turn allows various expressive techniques to be used to change the note's pitch or how it sounds. One of these techniques is string bending. Capone views string bending as "a dramatic technique that enables the guitarist to emulate the most expressive instrument of all, the human voice" (Capone 63).

Bending a note makes the note sharper or higher in pitch. Capone explains that mastering this technique "will not only make your playing sound professional, but will help you to develop your own musical signature (Capone 63).

Here is a video showing me playing a note regularly and then bending it.

If you watch my left hand you will see that I move it up and down along with the string

   The key is to physically push/pull the string then relax it. Like in the picture, a few strings should be pushed close together.

Learning how to do this took awhile as it was difficult to get the right sound. However, it was great to learn new techniques to be able to make the music I play sound less bland. I hope to be able to use this in a song in the future. 

Question - What songs do you guys think would sound cool with string bending?