How to read tabs : Hammer Ons and Pull offsThe Hammer-OnThe hammer-on is a
technique used by guitarist by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger
down on
the fingerboard,
causing a note
to sound. The resulting
sound is more smooth and connected to the previous note than when it is
picked.
Since the second
note or third (even fourth) is produced without being picked, this
technique
also allows for faster guitar playing because the picking hand doesn’t
need to
move much. A hammer-on shown
below is indicated by a slur sign. Sometimes the letter ‘h’ is used to
show
hammer-ons:  Begin by picking the open 2nd
string and ready your finger above the third fret of the same string.
Now without
picking again, bring your finger down sharply on the third fret. The
timing of
bringing your finger down depends on the song you are trying to play or
it
depends on you if you are playing a song you made up or wrote as long
as the
second note is sounded. If you don’t hear the second note then
you should either bring your finger down with more force or accuracy or
both. The other reason if the second note
doesn’t sound it’s probably because the string from the first note has
stopped
ringing. You either need to also bring down your finger a little bit
faster or
pick the first note more forcefully. Some people get it on the first
try but
some of us need to practice just a little bit more to get it right.   The Pull-offThe pull-off is
the opposite of a hammer-on. Instead of bringing your fretting finger
down you
pull it off the fingerboard after you have played it and expose another
fretting finger a fret or a few frets lower or an open string. A
pull-off is
indicated by a slur sign or the letter ‘p’.  Start by putting your finger on third fret of the second string. Play that string and then lift up your finger. As you lift your finger make a slight downwards tugging motion which should cause the second note to sound. The first few times you try it, the string may stop ringing as you remove your finger. Keep practicing the technique, and you'll get the hang of it.   Try to do combinations of hammer-ons and
pull-offs.
Practice also playing scales with hammer-ons on the ascending notes and
pull-offs on the descending notes. Read Guitar Tabs - the Slide Pages: How
to read guitar tabs: The Basic Understanding |
