Bend

The bend changes the pitch of a note by a quarter of tone, by a half-tone or more seldom by a tone. The bend is played the same way as a vertical vibrato: by pressing the side of the left hand under the neck. On the lower E, A and D strings, the string is bent downwards. On the G, B an upper E strings, it is bent upwards (though this is not a rule of thumb). It's a very widely used effect. Pay special attention to the pitch of the note played: it must be in tune.

The bend can also be prepared before the string is actually picked to give a kind of descending effect.