Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and bends are the techniques that make guitar playing sing. They allow extra notes to be played without plucking - creating a smooth, legato flow that separates expressive playing from mechanical note-picking.
All the notes you have played so far have been produced by the right hand - by plucking or strumming. The techniques in this lesson produce additional notes using the left hand alone, after an initial pluck. This creates a smooth, connected sound called legato - notes flowing into one another without the attack of repeated plucking.
These techniques appear in every style of guitar music: folk, blues, rock, classical, and country. Learning them adds enormous expressive range to your playing.
A hammer-on allows you to play extra notes between plucks using left-hand pressure alone.
How to do it:
Press hard enough and quickly enough that the new note rings clearly. Too slow or too light and the note will be weak or silent. The key is a decisive, targeted drop of the finger.
In guitar music, hammer-ons are shown by a curved slur line going upward between two notes, or by the letter H placed between them. In TAB, the numbers are connected with a curved line: 0h2 means hammer from open to 2nd fret.
A pull-off is the reverse of the hammer-on - you sound a lower note using only left-hand movement.
How to do it:
The pull must be sideways as well as off the string - if you simply lift the finger straight up, the lower note will not sound. Think of the pull-off finger as slightly plucking the string from below as it releases.
Hammer-ons are called ascending ligados (the pitch goes up). Pull-offs are called descending ligados (the pitch goes down). The notation uses slur marks in both cases.
Try hammering from open to 2nd fret, then pulling off back to open, repeatedly on one string. Count 1-&-2-&. One pluck gives you four notes. This is the basis of legato runs in solos.
A slide (or glissando) creates a smooth glide between two notes by moving a pressed finger along the string while maintaining firm pressure throughout.
How to do it:
You can also slide downward. In both cases, keep the string pressed firmly enough that the sound continues through the entire movement - do not let the pressure drop mid-slide. Slides are marked in notation with a straight line between two notes, or with the letter S.
The most common mistake in sliding is releasing finger pressure mid-slide, causing the sound to die. Keep the string pressed down firmly - use about the same pressure as you would for a normal fretted note - throughout the entire length of the slide.
A string bend raises the pitch of a note by physically stretching the string sideways across the fingerboard, increasing its tension.
How to do it:
Bends are marked with a curved arrow and the number of tones to bend: (1) = full tone, (½) = half tone. The supporting fingers behind the bending finger are essential - without them, bends are physically much harder and less accurate.
Push the string until the pitch rises by one semitone (one fret's worth). Common in blues and country for a slightly tense, crying sound.
Push the string until the pitch rises by two semitones (two frets' worth). The most common bend in rock and blues lead guitar.
Once you are comfortable with basic hammer-ons and pull-offs, you can combine them into a rapid-fire sequence called a trill. A trill involves hammering on and pulling off between two notes as fast as possible without picking the string again. This technique is used heavily in classical guitar, flamenco, and heavy metal solos to create a fluid, fluttering sound.
To practice trills, start by hammering on with your index and ring finger. Make sure your pull-off has a slight downward "flick" to keep the string vibrating with enough energy to sustain the continuous loop!
As you incorporate more hammer-ons and pull-offs into your daily playing, you will quickly notice that these techniques demand significantly more stamina from your fretting hand. Unlike standard picking where the right hand provides the volume, legato techniques rely entirely on the sheer physical force of your left-hand fingers slapping against the fretboard. It is perfectly normal for your fingers to fatigue quickly when first learning these techniques.
To safely build endurance, practice your trills and legato runs in short, concentrated bursts of no more than two to three minutes. If you feel a burning sensation in your forearm, stop immediately and stretch your hand. Pushing through severe muscle fatigue can lead to tendonitis, so listen to your body and let the strength build gradually over several weeks.
Everything you need to know about this lesson
You aren't hitting the string with enough velocity. It's not about pressing hard; it's about striking fast. Make sure you use the very bony tip of your finger!
A pull-off is not just lifting your finger off the string. You actually have to pluck the string slightly downward with your fretting finger as you pull it away.
Yes, and you absolutely should practice this! The pinky is naturally the weakest finger, so practicing pinky hammer-ons is one of the best ways to build hand strength.
Legato means 'smooth and tied together'. A legato run is a fast scale played almost entirely using hammer-ons and pull-offs, rather than picking every single note.
No! While distortion adds compression that makes hammer-ons louder, a good guitarist can perform a loud, clean legato run on a purely acoustic guitar.
Use the underside of your index finger (the one holding the lower fret) to lightly touch and mute the higher strings. Use your picking hand to palm-mute the lower strings.
You can't hammer-on an open string (since hammering implies hitting a fret), but you CAN pull-off to an open string!
It's an advanced technique (popularized by Eddie Van Halen) where you use the fingers of your picking hand to hammer-on notes high up on the fretboard.
Absolutely. The biggest mistake beginners make is rushing through hammer-ons. They should be perfectly in time with the underlying beat.
They definitely help! Pulling off requires friction, and soft, un-callused fingertips tend to slide off the string without actually plucking it.