String Bending Lesson – Learn How To Bend And Why

What Is String Bending?

String bending is the act of picking a note on your guitar and bending the string upwards or downwards to get a higher pitch.

Why do we need to learn how to bend strings?

The answer is because it brings character to our songs. Rather than just picking a higher note up in a scale, bending the string allows us to reach the same pitch or note ( from a lower note ) in a smooth fashion. You’ll hear plenty of string bending in Country Western and Folk guitar music. It’s used very often in Rock as well.

Learn How To Bend Strings

Here’s a tip for you. Many beginner guitar players tend to bend the strings using their fingers to push the strings up, then they complain that their fingers hurt or they don’t have enough strength to do their bends. That’s just wrong technique.  Instead, keep your fingers rigid and twist your wrist to get the string to bend. This gives your bending a lot more strength and takes the pressure off your fingers, creating a much nicer tone over all.

Here’s a pretty decent Youtube video that teaches views the basics of bending.

Guitar Lesson: Bending Strings