Hammer-ons and pull-offs

So far your picking hand has started every note. These two moves give your fretting hand the power to sound notes by itself — the foundation of smooth, connected playing, and the best left-hand strength builder there is.

What they are

• A hammer-on sounds a higher note without picking: while a lower note is ringing, snap another fingertip down onto a higher fret, hard and fast enough that the string keeps vibrating. Pick once, hear two notes.
• A pull-off is the reverse — it sounds a lower note: with two fingers down on one string, the higher finger leaves the string with a slight downward flick, plucking the string as it goes. The lower finger must already be planted, holding the note that’s about to ring.

Playing this way is called legato — notes connected smoothly instead of separately attacked. It sounds flowing because nothing restarts the string; one vibration carries through all the notes.

How they’re written

In tab, a hammer-on is an h between fret numbers, and a pull-off is a p:

e |----------------------|
B |----------------------|
G |--1h2----2p1----1h2p1-|
D |----------------------|
A |----------------------|
E |----------------------|

1h2: pick fret 1, hammer fret 2. 2p1: pick fret 2, pull off to fret 1. 1h2p1: pick once, hammer, pull — three notes, one pick stroke. In standard notation both appear as a curved slur line connecting the notes.

The drills

Work on the G string first (a comfortable middle ground), fingers assigned one per fret as in the chromatic warmup. Pick only the first note of each pair.

hammer-ons:            pull-offs:             combo:
G |--1h2--1h2--1h2--|  G |--2p1--2p1--2p1--|  G |--1h2p1--1h2p1--|
G |--1h3--1h3--1h3--|  G |--3p1--3p1--3p1--|
G |--1h4--1h4--1h4--|  G |--4p1--4p1--4p1--|

• 1h2, 1h3, 1h4 — index picks fret 1; middle, ring, then pinky hammer. The goal each time: the hammered note as loud as the picked one.
• 2p1, 3p1, 4p1 — index stays planted on fret 1 throughout; the higher finger picks up the note, then flicks off. The pulled note should ring clearly, not fade in apologetically.
• 1h2p1 — the loop. One pick stroke, then alternate hammer and pull for as long as the string keeps singing. Repeat with fingers 3 and 4 as the upper finger.

Once these feel stable on the G string, move the set to other strings — thick strings need firmer hammers, thin strings need gentler pulls — and to other frets (frets 5–7 are roomier and friendlier than fret 1).

Fixing the usual failures

• Hammered note is quiet or dead: hammer faster, not harder — a quick relaxed snap, landing just behind the fret wire. A slow push never works at any pressure.
• Pull-off is silent: you lifted instead of flicked. The leaving finger must drag the string slightly toward the floor and release it — it’s a tiny pluck performed by the fretting hand.
• Extra string noise: the flick is slight. If you’re hitting the next string on the way out, shrink the motion.

Why legato matters

Every hammer-on is a one-finger workout with instant feedback: too weak or too slow, and the note dies. A few minutes a day quietly builds exactly the finger strength and accuracy that chords and scales draw on — which is why this drill lives in the daily routine. Two or three minutes right after the chromatic warmup, metronome at 60 BPM, one hammer or pull per click. Same law as always: clean before fast, tempo in the log.