Bend notation

The symbols used in tablature and notation to show that a string is bent to a higher pitch, and by how much.

Bending has no equivalent in keyboard notation, so guitar music carries its own marks: a curved arrow shows the direction and a small figure such as a half or full shows the interval, with a second mark for a release back to the original pitch. Pre-bends are shown as an arrow from a bracketed note, and a bend followed by a release uses two symbols together. Reading these accurately is what turns a page of fret numbers into a phrase that sounds like guitar playing rather than a sequence of notes.

Example: A tab line showing an arrow up beside a fret number, then an arrow down, asks for a bend and a release on that note.

Bend notation

See also