“A few poorly intonated sustained bends in a solo can make the guitar's most emotive technique sound bad”: Learning how to bend strings correctly is one of the quickest ways to make your playing sound better

TGR345 How to bend strings.

String bending is an essential part of a guitarist’s toolkit. While the technique can be daunting at first, if you work on the fundamental technique and good bending intonation, you will be on your way to developing this emotive sound.

From B.B. King to Joe Satriani and Eric Clapton to Van Halen, string bending isn’t confined to a single genre and its vocal qualities bring any solo to life. Take iconic solos like Sweet Child O' Mine or Comfortably Numb: remove those intro bends and you are left with a less impactful sound.