The biggest guitar bends can be heard throughout rock history. They immediately signal the start of a great riff or solo. Here are 5 tough examples you should try.
5 Songs With Big Guitar Bends: Magic Man – HeartAnother Brick In The Wall – Pink FloydFree Bird -Lynyrd SkynyrdHotel California – The EaglesShout At The Devil – Mötley Crüe
All About the Biggest Guitar Bends:
The biggest guitar bends combine skill and emotion. Just look at David Gilmour’s expressive lead work; it shows how a well-executed bend can sound like a vocal line, rather than a metal string on a piece of wood.
Guitar bends are used to create unforgettable musical ideas to inspire the next generation of players. Songs such as Freebird and Hotel California will live on forever because of their iconic guitar work.
Big bends require skill and accuracy from the player, but also the right tool for the job. These 5 songs all use Gibson-style guitars for their stainless steel frets and intonation accuracy.
Magic Man – Heart
Up first in our look at the biggest guitar bends, we’re travelling back to the mid 1970s. From the group that gave us the chugs of Barracuda, just listen to the bends in Magic Man.
Typically, bends are reserved for solos and the occasional riff. However, Roger Fisher opens this track with a gigantuan tone and a half bend. He starts on the 15th fret of the B string, and bends from an Eb all the way to an F#! What makes it so haunting in tone is how he takes his time with the bend, spanning almost an entire bar.
There are more bends to come, though; this little intro really packs a punch. I really like how the overall guitar tone in Heart’s Magic Man is typical 70s crunch. Nothing too heavy, which allows the bend to come out nice and clear. To my ears, it sounds like Fisher is playing this on a *Gibson SG; however, on The Midnight Special, he looks to be playing some sort of *Guild Starfire. Corrections welcome!
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Another Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd
Next up, some classic Pink Floyd. Another Brick In The Wall Part Two arguably brought Floyd out of the psychedelic charts and onto the mainstream airwaves. The four-to- the-floor disco drum beat is great to dance to, and the subtle political messages are hard to ignore. Although all we care about are the biggest guitar bends in the legendary solo.
David Gilmour is synonymous with playing a black Fender Stratocaster. The Strat in question actually sold for $14.5m at auction, making it the most expensive guitar ever. A special guitar, then. Despite this, Gilmour actually used a *Gibson Les Paul Gold Top for the solo of Another Brick In The Wall.
Christie’s Virtual Tour The David Gilmour Collection – Gibson Les Paul · Source: Christie’s Auction House
Likewise, this solo has some tall bends, sometimes even going up two tones! Therefore, the stainless steel frets on a Gibson were the only thing up for the job. The difference with this LP was that it was on P90 pickups, still retaining that thin single-coil sound that is associated with Gilmour’s playing. Nevertheless, the closing solo of this song has some huge bends, and we have an old Gold Top to thank for them.
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Free Bird -Lynyrd Skynyrd
In all honesty, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Free Bird. I think this is because the end solo is overplayed a lot, and now that it has become a trending audio for reels and TikToks, it’s everywhere. It is great to remember the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose time was cut short in 1977.
Once again, we’ve got a Gibson SG providing the fire here with some of the biggest guitar bends. What makes this solo so good are the opening guitar bends. The verses and choruses sound like your regular country rock track, and all of a sudden we get a spike in speed, and all hell breaks loose.
Moreover, the solo is played in unison, making the bends sound even bigger. Gm is a great key, as it allows guitarists to play around the 3rd fret and the 15th fret in the higher octave. Overall, the higher octave makes the bends sound even bigger and more exciting. It had to make this list.
Hotel California – The Eagles
Some more mainstream here, but more importantly, more 1970s. Which leads me to ask the question: did the 1970s have the biggest guitar bends? The Eagles make country cool for those about to rock, but Hotel California is respected, loved, and listened to by all.
Hotel California is a fantastic song to study as a guitarist. As a beginner, you can play through the chords with a capo on the 2nd fret. You could then transition to learning barre chords and playing it this way instead. Then you get the solo, with some big bends that need to be studied.
As the listener, we know something big is coming right from the off. Don Felder kicks things off with a slide from the 5th to the 11th fret, right before bending a huge tone and a half bend. Joe Walsh also has his fair share of bends too, managing to tame them on his Telecaster. We haven’t even got to the harmonies at the end! Sure, it’s The Eagles’ biggest hit, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy it.
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Shout At The Devil – Mötley Crüe
For our final look at the biggest guitar bends, we’re going full glam rock. Mick Mars knew a thing or two about mean guitar parts. And in this 1983 hit, the big guitar bends sound sinister.
On this occasion, we’re looking at passing bends. Whereby the player doesn’t just bend one string; they bend two at the same time. This creates a lovely bit of dissonance, and is therefore perfectly suited to Mick Mars’ playing style.
Once again, the LP strikes once more. Mars used his *Black Les Paul Custom, which was tuned down to D standard. This reduces the string tension, making it perfect to lay down the biggest guitar bends glam rock had ever seen.
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