Bending Strings

Bends are one of the most fun and exciting techniques to play on the guitar. They are used in countless guitar solos. What are they? They are exactly what they are called- you strike a string and then "bend" it. When you bend a string, it will actually sound like a higher note. In tablature, a "bend" is often represented by a "B".

Today we are going to learn two different types of bends- a half step bend and a full step bend. Below is tablature for a half step bend. The 5 means you strike the string holding the fifth fret and bend it high enough so that it sounds like you are fretting the sixth fret.

Below is a whole step bend. This is very similar to the above bend. The only difference is that you are going to bend the string even higher so that it sounds like your playing the 7th fret:

There are many different ways to play bends. In some songs, you have to bend the string up, and then release it. This is what is looks like in guitar tab, with the "R" indicating a release. You bend the 3rd string up a full step so it sounds like the 7th fret, than release the string back to its normal position. Just like with other types of legato playing (hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides) you are only striking the string once in this example.

In the tab below, we are going to practice a: 1. half step bend 2. whole step bend 3. half step bend and release 4. whole step bend and release

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The secret to learning the guitar as fast as possible: consistency. Don't confuse consistency with thinking this means you need all the free time in the world for guitar lessons. Practising the material I teach you for just 10 minutes per day will be far more beneficial to you than practising once a month for 6 hours in one sitting.

About Us

Contact us at stupideasyguitar [at] gmail.com. The goal of this site is to teach people how to play the guitar as quickly and easily as possible. From what I've found, guitar teachers and instructors often don't teach their students things that will help them learn the instrument as fast as possible. Why? Well, a lot of guitar teachers are classically trained so they will teach their students things like how to read music which can be very time consuming, frustrating and boring for beginner guitarists. While there is nothing wrong with learning how to read music, this should never be taught at the beginning of the guitar learning process because its gets in the way of teaching students things that are much easier to learn so they can get playing recognizable riffs, chords and songs on the guitar as soon as possible. The more students aren't learning the simple and easy things first, the greater the chance there is of them quitting and giving up on the guitar altogether.