# Can you notate a bend on the staff?



## Glimpsed-AM (Oct 9, 2012)

Can you notate a bend on the staff? If so how, and if not how will you know if it's a bend or not when you're reading the music? I'm doing a little blues solo for my theory class and I got stumped at this part.


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## SirMyghin (Oct 9, 2012)

A bend is similar in notation to that of tab, with a slight change. 

In tab you see the note you finger and a curvy line, then a direction (1/2 step, whole step, etC) and sometimes the note you bent to.

On staff you have a smaller note (like a ghost note), a curvy line, to a full sized note (at the pitch you were supposed to bend to. At least that is the way I have seen it done, I don't have a program like finale or anything to notate this for you.


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## flint757 (Oct 9, 2012)

A lot of the tabs I have that contain both is just with a curved lining noting the direction, however no ghost note. That being said I don't think there is a set in stone standard either; Guitar Pro, for instance, doesn't note it at all, just on the tab portion.


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## Winspear (Oct 9, 2012)

I also expect slur notation like used for vocals would suffice






However I like SirMyghins idea most, as it makes clear the technique


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Oct 9, 2012)

There isn't a real standard way to do this.






The first one is universally understood, as far as I know, but looks a little too "Guitar Pro". The second one, the "bend hat", is apparently accepted notation, but I've never seen it. The third one shows a phrasing mark (this alone doesn't indicate a bend to me) plus a textual indication of the technique. The final one is a glissando with the bend specified as a technique indication. I like the ones that don't use any text, as a line that has a bunch of bends will end up looking like "bendbendbendbendbendbendbendbbendbend" on the page. Always go for what's clear and clean. If there is a notation that takes up less space, I'll use it. If that notation is distinct, but isn't widely understood by the performers, I put it down anyway and make them learn it, either verbally or through performance notes.* People only ask "What does the triangle mean?" once, and then I can write as many triangles as I want after that.

*Just realize that you'll be wrong from time to time. If you want to educate performers, then you have to educate yourself first. Notation is my hobby, so I'm pretty good at figuring out what I can and can't get away with, though there have been times when something makes total sense to me, but the performer spends ten minutes bitching about how it doesn't work that way when I give them the part.


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## flint757 (Oct 9, 2012)

A slur would indicate a slide or hammer on to me, not a bend.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Oct 9, 2012)

Hence the need for additional technique indication.

On that note, be careful not to confuse slur markings with phrase markings. (I'm not aiming this warning at any specific person, just putting it out there.) If it's between two notes, there is some sort of legato going on (slur), but if it's one mark over a few notes, that indicates that those are meant to be heard together and are not necessarily subject to a specific legato phrasing.


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## Lagtastic (Oct 9, 2012)

SchecterWhore said:


> There isn't a real standard way to do this.
> 
> Just realize that you'll be wrong from time to time. If you want to educate performers, then you have to educate yourself first. Notation is my hobby, so I'm pretty good at figuring out what I can and can't get away with, though there have been times when something makes total sense to me, but the performer spends ten minutes bitching about how it doesn't work that way when I give them the part.



This man speak the truth.

Many times you just need to listen to the piece in depth to understand what the composer, or interpreter, is trying to convey. I feel that GPro gives you a bit better of a medium for visually interpreting bends, as far as guitarists are concerned, although it's still pretty tough. Understand that staff notation does many things extremely well, but was created many decades before guitarists were doing things like 2 1/2 step bends.


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## ViolaceousVerdance (Oct 15, 2012)

I would like to see standard notation get to the place where an arrowed line curving from a grace-size note to the target note is generally accepted as "the bend notation." no need to say "bend" above it.


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