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→Why Bend?
== Why Bend? ==
Bending allows you to traverse all the frequencies "between" frets. This is yet another way to get from one note to the next, so it's useful to add contrast or emphasis.
You can hear the pattern of dissonance and harmony against other notes that are constant in frequency. So if I bend from C to D while a D is playing at the same time, you first hear the slight dissonance of the dominant 7th interval, which changes to a very dissonant sound as the note approaches and moves through the major 7th interval, then a wobbling/detuned effect as the note approaches D, and finally the notes converge and sound fully harmonic. It's almost like the note is gravitating towards harmony or is struggling to reach where he wants to be.
Bends work by changing string tension, which can also slightly change the timbre of the sound. This makes bends sound more distinguished, than if you simply played the beginning and end note.
The bend itself seems to tell a story - all the movement from one pitch to the next has more content than simply playing two notes.