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This lesson takes a look at some physical techniques that can be used to make your guitar playing sound more interesting. Hammering on, pulling off, sliding and bending are mostly used when playing a solo or lead, but can also be adapted for use when playing chords.
Hammering On
To play a hammer on, pick a fretted note like you normally would, before placing another left hand finger on the same string behind the next fret (or whichever fret you want) while the original note is still ringing. On tablature a hammer on is often represented by H or HO, but you will have to check the key to the tablature to see what symbol the writer uses. An example of hammering on is shown below:
E |-5h--8--5h--8--|-7h--8--7h--8--|
B |---------------|---------------|
G |---------------|---------------|
D |---------------|---------------|
A |---------------|---------------|
E |---------------|---------------|
Pulling Off
Pulling off is the reverse of hammering on. Place two fingers of your fretting hand on the two notes (on the same string) which you want to pull off from and to. Typically these notes will be no more than three frets apart because it obviously gets a bit uncomfortable otherwise. Play the higher note and then remove your finger from this note, whilst keeping the other lower note fretted. Don't be afraid to slightly pluck the string with the finger you are removing. Pulling off is written (usually) with a P or a PO over the top, but again, check the tablature key. Here is an example of pulling off:
E |-8p--7--8p--7--|-8p--5--8p--5--|
B |---------------|---------------|
G |---------------|---------------|
D |---------------|---------------|
A |---------------|---------------|
E |---------------|---------------|
Sliding
To slide a note, play a note on the fretboard and (while the note is still ringing) move the fretting finger up or down the string to the target note whilst still pressing down on the fretboard. Here is an example of how a slide is notated:
E |-8s--7--8s--10-|-8s--7--8s--10-|
B |---------------|---------------|
G |---------------|---------------|
D |---------------|---------------|
A |---------------|---------------|
E |---------------|---------------|
Bending
Bending strings is a very important part of playing lead guitar. Playing a "bend" involves picking a note and then increasing the pitch of a note to create a similar effect to a slide up the neck. However a bend is performed by increasing the tension of the string rather than by ultimately fretting a note on a different part (fret) of the neck.
To play a bend, fret a note and then with your fretting finger push the string upwards towards the top of the neck whilst still pushing the string down onto the fretboard as if you were fretting a note normally. Use as many fingers as possible to strengthen the bend, and try to avoid prematurely letting the bend go. At first bending may well be quite painful but stick at it and the ends of your fingers will get stronger.
In printed tab, a bend will often be given a target note - the pitch the note should reach when the bend is complete. It will probably take a while before you can consistently reach a target note. Practice and get to know how much you must bend each note to reach different pitches it. Online tablature often does not give a target note. In this case it is usually a safe bet that you are meant to bend the note up a tone. If this does not sound right then experiment to find out what does. You may want to refer to our basic theory lesson for some guidance as to which notes would fit with the key. Here is an example of bending (in web tablature):
E |---------------|---------------|
B |-13b-13b-------|-11b-14b-------|
G |---------------|---------------|
D |---------------|---------------|
A |---------------|---------------|
E |---------------|---------------|
 |
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