Bending is an essential skill to solo guitar playing. By bending strings, you can manipulate the tone of a note just by moving your finger. There are many different ways to use this technique.
To bend a note, you first must play a fretted note, then just bend the note, keeping the string flat against the fret to make it keep ringing. In this way you can change the tone of any note from just a microtone to a full 2 or more whole tones.
You can just strike a note and then bend it up to another note, allowing that note to ring. You can also bend the string before you strike it, then release it back to its natural position. This technique is called a “pre-bend and release.” You can also strike a note, then bend it up, then let release it back down again to its original position. All of these different techniques are a type of bend.
Some of these bends will require a lot of finger strength, especially at certain positions on the fretboard. One way of making a bend a little easier is to use your other fingers for support. Let me explain. If you fret the note that you are going to bend with your ring finger, then you can use your middle and index fingers to help bend the note. Just put all three fingers on the string at the same time and bend the string with the strength of them all. It will make your work a lot easier if you need it.
The key to bending notes successfully is having a good ear. Practice bending notes precisely, using a tuner even if you have to. Practice bending up a half-tone, then up a whole tone, and back to a half-tone again. This will build the muscles in your hands and fingers that will help you control your bending better.
Along with bending, vibrato can also be controlled in the same way, but on a smaller scale. Some guitar players create vibrato by rocking the fingertip up and down the string, but others prefer to actually bend the string to create the vibrato effect. The bend can be subtle or generous, but the string must be bent the same amount in both directions, up and down, on the fretboard. See B. B. King for an excellent example of precisely controlled vibrato technique.
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