Bends in Guitar Pro 8

Bends, or string bends, in Guitar Pro allow you to raise the pitch of a fretted note by pulling the string with a left-hand finger, adding a melodic effect to your scores.

Available in the Editing Palette and the Effects menu, this essential guitar technique is customizable in Guitar Pro 8 through a dedicated window.

Understanding Bends

A bend involves pulling a fretted string to increase its tension, altering its pitch, often from a quarter to several tones. This effect is common in styles like blues, rock, or jazz, where it adds expressive variation to a note or phrasing.

Configuration in the Bend Window

Access the Bend window via the icon in the Editing Palette, the Effects menu, or the B keyboard shortcut.

The Bend window lets you define the bend’s curve by moving blue points.

The vertical axis adjusts the pitch of the bend, from ¼ tone to 3 tones.

The horizontal axis adjusts the temporal progression of the bend, spread over the note’s duration.

Editing options in the Bend window include:

• Bend: Pulls the string to raise the pitch (e.g., a one-tone ascent).
• Release: Releases the string to return to the original pitch.
• Bend/Release: Combines an ascending bend followed by a release.
• Hold: Sustains the altered pitch after the bend.
• Prebend: String is pre-pulled before playing (raised pitch at the start).
• Prebend/Bend: Starts with a pre-pulled string, then raises the pitch further.
• Prebend/Release: Starts with a pre-pulled string, then releases to the original pitch.

Select a note in the score, then configure the Bend window, choosing the bend type, pitch (1/4 to 3 tones), and adjusting the temporal progression.

You must first tie notes together to use the Hold option.