The Classic Minimoog Pitchbend

The Bender

Most synths (and even some digital pianos) are equipped with some sort of pitchbender, be it a wheel, joystick, paddle, etc. My personal favorite is the wheel layout popularized by the Minimoog. The pitch wheel has a small dip in the center where you rest your thumb, and as you move it up or down, the pitch of whatever note you play will change in the corresponding direction. Pretty simple. If Jan Hammer’s solo shows us anything, it’s that the bender is more than just a novelty. All we need to do is get a grip on the wheel — literally and figuratively.

Bending Basics

So now that your synth is fired up, you’re ready to get expressive with the pitchbender, and we need to find out what the bend range is. The bend range is the setting which determines how far the pitch will bend when you move the wheel all the way up or down. This is going to affect how much control you have over the pitch. For example, most keyboards will have a default setting of a whole step. In other words, if you play a D, and move the bend wheel all the way up, it will bend up to an E. If you bend all the way down, it will bend the note down to a C. Some synths will let you program the range. The wider the bend range, the more wild and out-of-control your pitch bends will be. This may be the desired effect in certain cases, but for our lesson here, let’s set the bend range to a whole step. Try out the examples, and have fun!

Ex. 1. You can bend up or down to a note a couple of different ways. First, play a D, and while holding the key down, bend up to an E (1a). Simple stuff. Next, move the bender all the way down before playing (1b). With the bender still in the down position, play an E (a D will sound). Move the bender back to the center position (or just let go if your bender is spring-loaded). Alternate between both techniques. Do they sound the same to you? Is there a slightly different effect? You be the judge.

Ex. 2. Once you get the hang of Example 1, you can try using the bender to play a melody itself. 2a shows a simple melodic line. Play it a few times, then try to imitate that exact melody by only playing a D on the keyboard (2b). Use the bender to bend up and down to the other pitches. It may take a little getting used to at first, but it will get easier with practice.

Ex. 3. This exercise will help you get that guitar-like bend out of your synth. First, bend the wheel down before playing the note, then return it to center after you’ve hit the key (3a). Next, try playing the note first, then bending it upwards with the wheel (3b). Move the bender as quickly as you can during this exercise. Keep it steady, and you’ll be wailing in no time!