Release bend
Allowing a bent string to return to its unbent pitch while the note keeps sounding.
A release bend is the second half of a bend-and-release phrase and is played entirely by the fretting hand, since the string is not picked again. Keeping the released note in tune matters as much as the bend itself, because the ear hears the return to the written pitch and any overshoot is obvious. Players often add a slow, controlled release for a vocal effect or a fast snap back for a bluesy bite, and the release is what makes a bend sound like a phrase rather than a gesture.
Example: A blues phrase that bends up to a note, holds it, and then lets it slide back down to the original pitch without a new pick stroke uses a release bend.
See also
Related
- PagePre-bend
- PageBend
- PageBlues curl
- PageAccent
- PageAction height
- PageAlternate picking
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley