Free Online Guitar Lessons
What is it?
Pull Offs are the exact opposite of hammer ons. To play a pull off, a finger on your fretting hand is pulled off a string which causes a note to sound.
Pull Offs are the exact opposite of hammer ons. To play a pull off, a finger on your fretting hand is pulled off a string which causes a note to sound.
e------6p5--------
B-----------------
G-----------------
D-----------------
A-----------------
E-----------------
* If you don't know what this is, see how to read guitar tabs *
B-----------------
G-----------------
D-----------------
A-----------------
E-----------------
* If you don't know what this is, see how to read guitar tabs *
|
|
Pull Offs
Once you understand how to play pull offs,
proceed to the next lesson - Bending
Return from Pull Offs to the Pluck and Play Homepage
proceed to the next lesson - Bending
Return from Pull Offs to the Pluck and Play Homepage
This is what it should look and sound like:
You can also pull off more than one note at a time. In the example below you'll pluck the 7th fret (with your ring finger), then pull off to the 6th fret and then to the 5th. Again you only pluck the string once, when you play the 7th fret.
e------7p6p5------
B-----------------
G-----------------
D-----------------
A-----------------
E-----------------
B-----------------
G-----------------
D-----------------
A-----------------
E-----------------
This is what it should look and sound like:
Slurring
By combining a hammer on and pull off, you're doing what is called slurring. Slurring will enable you to play a fast amount of notes in a shorter time and ensure that the sounds between the notes remain smooth. This is a more advanced technique that you'll use a lot as your skills grow as you start playing more complicated tabs.
In the example below you'll pluck the 5th fret, hammer on to the 6th fret (with your middle finger) and then pull of from the 6th fret to the 5th. This is one smooth motion and while the string is only plucked once (on the first 5th fret), you're effectively playing three notes.
By combining a hammer on and pull off, you're doing what is called slurring. Slurring will enable you to play a fast amount of notes in a shorter time and ensure that the sounds between the notes remain smooth. This is a more advanced technique that you'll use a lot as your skills grow as you start playing more complicated tabs.
In the example below you'll pluck the 5th fret, hammer on to the 6th fret (with your middle finger) and then pull of from the 6th fret to the 5th. This is one smooth motion and while the string is only plucked once (on the first 5th fret), you're effectively playing three notes.
e------5h6p5------
B-----------------
G-----------------
D-----------------
A-----------------
E-----------------
B-----------------
G-----------------
D-----------------
A-----------------
E-----------------
This is what it should look and sound like:
e--------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------
D------------7h8p7--5h7p5----5---------
A------5h6h7---------------7---7-5-----
E--5-8-------------------------------5-
B--------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------
D------------7h8p7--5h7p5----5---------
A------5h6h7---------------7---7-5-----
E--5-8-------------------------------5-
Let's heat it up a bit...
Try playing the following blues lick I've thrown together. It's built around the pentatonic scale and involves distinct hammer ons, pull offs and some slurring. It'll help you to get the feel for what's possible with this great technique. It might take some practise to be able to play it properly so don't get frustrated if at first you struggle a bit. Here's the tab:
Try playing the following blues lick I've thrown together. It's built around the pentatonic scale and involves distinct hammer ons, pull offs and some slurring. It'll help you to get the feel for what's possible with this great technique. It might take some practise to be able to play it properly so don't get frustrated if at first you struggle a bit. Here's the tab:
This is what it should look and sound like:
In the tab below you'll play the 6th fret of the e-string (with you middle finger) and pluck the string once. Then you'll pull your middle finger off the string causing the note on the 5th fret to sound.