BEND THE RULES

So... let's talk about string bending. First, a few basics:​

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Finger board : Most orchestral stringed instruments—like violins, violas, cellos, and double basses—don't have frets. They use fingerboards, not fretboards. The player’s fingers press directly on the string to contact the wood.

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Fretboard: A fretboard has frets. So—unless fretless—the guitar has a fretboard—not a fingerboard. The strings are pressed against frets.

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Lateral string bending is only possible on a fretboard—or on “fretted” instruments from Eastern cultures, like the Indian sitar and veena, or the Chinese pipa. 

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The direction of string bending has been explored in rich and surprising ways across ancient Eastern instruments. For thousands of years, these dynamic concepts have been evolving.

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​🎧 Watch and listen below as players from around the world explore the expressive power of string bending—in ways both familiar and wildly different from the modern guitar.​​​​​​

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