octave bends

a few months ago i was taught how to do an octave bend by my then-teacher. it's a great technique and i've seen it pop up in several songs since learning it. however i am curious as to why it's called an octave bend. or is that an incorrect term for it?

after all, you are bending the lower string into the same note as the higher string. not an octave of the higher string.

?

i always thought they were called tension bends

huh?

maybe i should explain what i'm referring to in case it isn't actually called an "octave bend".

take the two notes

x
7 (F#)
9 (E_)
x
x
x

that is a F# on the B string and E on the G string. if you strum these two strings and then bend the G string a full step, you are bending the E into the F# which is also ringing on the B string.

you could also play F# and F (10th fret) and bend it a half step. or you can do the same thing by playing two frets 3 spaces apart (i.e. 7 on the e string, 10 on the B string) on any other two strings other than the B and G.

oh yeah sure i know that many people use that, not an octave though, octaves would be like a low e to the octave above, if 2 notes are the same pitch and are in the same thingy (you know what i mean like an open e and fretting the 5th on the b, same note same octave...

many players famously use that... very commen.

yeah i guess i'm just trying to find out what it's called. my teacher called it an octave bend, and i just called it that until i realized that wait a minute... it's not an octave...

I think it's called a semitone bend.

I don't think it's a SEMITONE bend since semitone is a half step and this would be a whole step..E to F#.

I think it's called a gx1327 bend. :o)

if we're naming it after me we're calling it the "ill bend".

semitone implies that we are bending any string a half step. it doesn't say anything about how we're bending one note into another note.

the idea is that we are bending a lower note to match another note that is currently ringing. match bend?

i didn't see any lessons about it on this site and was thinking about writing one, but i think i should know what to call it first. regardless it's a cool technique, and my teacher told me i should practice it at every position on the fretboard

Then a wholestep bend? Funny btimm.

Since you're bending the bass note to the higher note(F#/E) you could call it bend over.

When you do it as smooth and precise as I do it's called a Bentley.

hahaha It's a bentley bend! lol jk

I've always referred to these bends as "Unison Bends".

i like unison bend...

Case is right, it's unison bend. If you look in books most of them will list it as that.

That's right! I think we even had a post about it here before. I just couldnt remember. Thanks Case!

Case is absolutely right it is a unison bend. it's a type of "double-stop bend" there are a few others also. Another cool bend is the pedal steel bend. you play it like this
--8---
--8----
--7b(9)
------
------
------

I found it: http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/topic.php?id=1981

haha No problem, glad to help ;)

yes unison bend.